Chapter 4 - The War at the PlazaWhile peace settled over the Hayes Estate, a catastrophic storm detonated inside the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.
Gideon Blake—the arrogant thirty-two-year-old heir to the Blake criminal syndicate—stood at the front altar wearing a white tuxedo, surrounded by three hundred prominent business leaders, politicians, and syndicate captains.
Beside him stood Victor Collins and Chloe Collins, who was weeping frantically in her ruined wedding dress.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S MISSING?!" Gideon roared, slamming his fist flat against the marble podium, his face turning an ugly, sweat-slicked shade of rage. "YOUR MEN LET A SECONDARY FACTION KIDNAP THE WRONG DAUGHTER?!"
"It... it was Declan Hayes's men, Gideon!" Victor Collins stammered, wiping sweat from his forehead with a trembling handkerchief. "They mistook Mave for Chloe because Mave was wearing the white robe!"
Chloe stepped forward, her voice high-pitched, hysterical, and laced with pure, arrogant disgust. "Gideon! It doesn't matter! Mave is a nobody! She's a penniless bridesmaid! Hayes will realize she's worthless by midnight and throw her into the bay! We can sign the port deed transfer right now without her!"
BOOM!
The massive, twelve-foot carved oak double doors at the rear of the Grand Ballroom didn't just open—they were blown inward by a hydraulic breaching charge, sending sharp wooden splinters and dust flying across the marble foyer.
The three hundred guests shrieked in horror, backing away from the central carpeted aisle.
Walking into the ballroom, flanked by fifty broad-shouldered Hayes security operators in dark tactical suits led by Finn, was Declan Hayes.
He wore an immaculate, bespoke black tuxedo, his posture broad, six-foot-three, and sovereign, his storm-gray eyes holding a lethal, freezing fire that dropped the temperature in the room below zero.
And walking directly beside his right shoulder, wearing a breathtaking, floor-length emerald-green silk gown, her dark hair swept back in an elegant knot, her hazel eyes holding zero fear, was Mave.
She held Declan’s broad, calloused hand firmly in her palm, her posture royal, her spine straight as a queen claiming her kingdom.
May you like
Victor Collins dropped his handkerchief.
Chloe’s jaw sagged open in total, speech-bound horror.
Related Stories
