Chapter 4 - The Paper Trail
By the following afternoon, two days before the wedding, the tension inside the Ventresca manor was suffocating.
Celeste marched into the sunroom accompanied by a tall, sleek man in a tailored gray suit carrying a black biometric scanner. Behind them walked Julian Beaumont himself—Celeste’s father—a silver-haired politician with cold, dead eyes.
"We need this finalized before the rehearsal dinner," Julian said, checking his gold Rolex. "Luca’s lawyers are asking questions about the asset distribution. Once the thumbprint is locked onto the digital deed, the trust automatically reassigns."
Elena sat rigid in her chair, her chin held high despite her pale skin. "I will sign nothing for a Beaumont."
Celeste stepped forward, her eyes flashing with pure malice. She grabbed Elena’s weak, trembling right wrist, forcefully dragging her thumb toward the illuminated glass panel of the biometric scanner.
"You don't have a choice, you old bat!" Celeste hissed. "Your son is six thousand miles away, and by the time he lands, this house belongs to me!"
Before Elena’s thumb could touch the glass, Nora stepped forward with a heavy silver tray carrying a scalding pot of fresh black coffee.
"Out of the way!" Celeste barked.
Nora "tripped."
The heavy silver pot tilted forward, splashing boiling water and dark liquid straight over the biometric scanner and Julian Beaumont’s custom leather portfolio.
The scanner hissed, short-circuiting with a burst of blue sparks and smoke. Julian shrieked as hot coffee soaked his tailored trousers.
SMACK.
The blow was so hard it sent Nora stumbling backward into the display cabinet. Her lip split instantly, the taste of copper filling her mouth as she hit the polished floor.
"You clumsy, pathetic bitch!" Celeste screamed, raising her hand to strike Nora again.
"Enough!" Julian snapped, wiping his pants with a napkin. "The hardware is fried. We’ll have to bring a fresh scanner tomorrow morning before the ceremony."
Celeste lowered her hand, her face contorted with rage. She leaned over Nora, grabbing her by the collar of her uniform.
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"You just bought yourself a ticket to the bottom of the river, Nora," Celeste whispered softly. "The moment the ring is on my finger, you are dead."
Nora wiped the blood from her lip, looking Celeste dead in the eye. "Then you better make sure you actually reach the altar."
