Chapter 4 - THE FIRST CRACK IN THE WALL
Inside the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel, the reception was a masterpiece of white roses, silver candelabras, and flowing fountains of crystal-clear vodka. The string quartet had transitioned into a high-energy jazz band, and the dance floor was packed with the elite of the city's tech and real estate sectors. Celeste drifted through the crowd like a swan, her long lace veil catching the light, her hand resting smugly on Daniel’s arm.
But Daniel was not entirely present.
Every time he looked at his new wife, he kept seeing the image of Emma standing at the church doors, her cheek red from his new mother-in-law's slap, her eyes completely devoid of the fear or guilt that Marlene had claimed she possessed. Daniel was a brilliant programmer; he knew how to read anomalies, and the scene at the church had been a massive, glaring anomaly.
"Daniel, sweetie, you're not smiling," Celeste whispered, leaning up to kiss his cheek, her voice carrying that high-pitched, fragile sweet tone. "The photographer is waiting for our grand cake-cutting photo."
"I was just thinking about the envelope your sister left," Daniel said, his voice casual but his eyes fixed on her face. "The one your mother threw into her bridal bag before we left the vestibule. What was in it?"
Celeste’s smile stiffened for a microsecond, the skin around her eyes tightening in an instinctive defensive reflex. "Oh, just... family drama, jewelry documents. Nothing for you to worry about, husband. Today is about us."
Before Daniel could press further, Thomas Vance walked over, his face still slightly flushed from the afternoon's wine and stress. He raised a crystal glass of champagne. "A toast to the future of the Sterling and Vance alliance!" he boomed. The crowd cheered, glasses clinking across the room.
But as Daniel raised his glass, his personal smartphone, tucked securely inside his tuxedo pocket, began to vibrate. It wasn't a normal vibration; it was a rhythmic, continuous pulsing—the specific alert code set for his corporate legal team. He stepped away from the head table, walking into the quiet corridor near the terrace, and pulled the phone out.
The screen was lit up with seven missed calls from his chief financial officer and a single text message that read:
May you like
"Daniel, code red. Sterling Tech accounts are being locked out by the federal regulatory commission. We’ve just been served with a third-party corporate fraud injunction. The signee on the predatory accounts is Marlene Vance. Call me immediately."
Daniel’s blood turned to absolute ice. He looked through the glass doors at Celeste, who was currently laughing with a group of bridesmaids, completely oblivious to the fact that the ground beneath her expensive silk shoes had just opened up.
