Chapter 6 - THE TIGHTENING NET
As the wedding date approached, the tension within the Vale Syndicate reached a boiling point.
Celeste was growing impatient. She began pushing Adrian to sign pre-nuptial financial transfers that would grant her power of attorney over the Vale real estate empire in the event of his "medical incapacitation."
On a rainy Tuesday afternoon, six days before the wedding, Celeste brought her personal lawyer—a greasy, expensive attorney named Richard Sterling—into Adrian’s study.
Sterling laid a stack of legal documents on the mahogany desk.
Celeste sat beside Adrian, taking his hand, her face a mask of loving concern. She looked at him and began to speak slowly, exaggerating her lip movements for the benefits of what she thought was a deaf man.
"Adrian, darling," she said sweetly. "Richard has prepared the final trust documents. This ensures that if your headaches worsen, or if your condition degenerates, I can handle the union negotiations for you. It's just a formality to protect our future."
Adrian looked down at the papers. He read the dense legal prose. It was an absolute surrender of all his assets. The moment his signature was on the page, Celeste and Vallone could have him quietly smothered in his sleep with zero legal consequences.
Beside him, Sterling leaned over to Celeste and whispered under his breath, keeping his voice so low he didn't even move his jaw.
"Is the hit scheduled?" Sterling whispered.
Celeste didn't look at Sterling. She kept her fake, radiant smile fixed on Adrian's face as she whispered back through her teeth:
"The night of the reception. Vallone's men will intercept his car on the way back to Oyster Bay. Make sure the papers are signed today so the probate court doesn't block the transfer."
Adrian heard every word clearly. The contrast between her radiant, loving facial expression and the murderous malice in her whispered voice was surreal.
Adrian picked up the gold Montblanc pen.
He looked at Celeste. She smiled brightly, nodding her head as if encouraging a child.
Adrian brought the pen down to the paper... and deliberately scribbled a messy, illegible mark across the signature line, then dropped the pen onto the desk.
He looked at Sterling, raised his hands, and signed rapidly to Gabriel, who stood in the corner.
Tell him my hand is shaking today. My head hurts. I will sign at the altar on Sunday.
Gabriel stepped forward and translated the false message to Sterling.
Celeste’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, a flash of pure, murderous frustration passing over her eyes before she forced the smile back onto her face.
"Of course, my love," she whispered sweetly, kissing his cheek. "Sunday at the altar. Right after we say 'I do.'"
As Celeste and Sterling walked out of the office, Adrian wiped the spot on his cheek where her lips had touched him with a white silk handkerchief.
Gabriel walked up to the desk. "Boss, Vallone's men are staging at a warehouse in Brooklyn. They have heavy weapons. They're planning to turn your limo into a sieve on the Long Island Expressway after the ceremony."
May you like
Adrian stood up, walking to the window overlooking the gray Atlantic.
"Let them stage," Adrian said coldly. "Tell our loyal crews in Queens and Manhattan to be ready. On Sunday, no one leaves St. Patrick’s Cathedral until every snake in this city is defanged."
