Chapter 5 - The Morning of the Storm
At 9:00 AM on the morning of the wedding, the Grand Plaza Cathedral was transformed into a fairytale spectacle.
Over one hundred thousand dollars worth of imported white orchids lined the stone pillars. A seventy-piece orchestra played soft classical music in the balcony. Outside, dozens of news cameras and high-society paparazzi gathered behind velvet ropes, waiting to capture the arrival of Chicago’s premier elite.
Inside the bride's private suite, Chloe was losing her mind.
She sat in front of a vanity mirror wearing a fifty-thousand-dollar Vera Wang lace gown, her makeup artist frantically trying to cover the red splotches on her neck brought on by pure stress.
"Where is she?!" Chloe screamed, throwing a crystal champagne glass against the wall. The glass shattered into a hundred pieces. "Where is Harper?! The ceremony starts in three hours!"
My mother, wearing an emerald-green silk gown, was pacing back and forth, holding her phone to her ear.
"She’s not answering her phone!" my mom hissed, her face flushed with anger. "The selfish little monster! She did this on purpose! She knew we needed her to manage the floor staff and handle the catering tips!"
My dad stepped into the suite, adjusting his tuxedo cufflinks. He looked stressed, his eyes darting nervously toward his phone every thirty seconds.
"Forget Harper!" my dad snapped sharply. "Julian just texted me. The final escrow wire transfer from the Sterling Foundation hit a temporary processing delay at the bank. The transaction won't clear until 12:10 PM."
My mom frowned. "A delay? Richard, is everything alright?"
"It’s fine!" my dad snapped, though sweat was visible on his forehead. "It's just standard federal compliance checks. Once Julian signs the marriage certificate at 12:15 PM, the trust locks automatically. But we need this wedding to go off without a single glitch! If the Sterlings sense any instability, the whole merger falls apart!"
He turned to Chloe, pointing a finger at her. "Smile, Chloe. Walk down that aisle, look pretty, and marry that boy. Today, we become untouchable."
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Chloe smoothed down her lace gown, her expression twisting into a arrogant, self-satisfied grin. "Don't worry, Dad. Today, everyone looks at me."
Little did they know, three blocks away, six unmarked federal vans were idling silently in an underground parking garage.
