Chapter 3 - The Ultimate Wedding Gift
Celeste’s shock quickly morphed into furious indignation. She grabbed the microphone from Adrian’s trembling hand.
"Security!" Celeste shrieked, her poised facade completely shattering. "How did this woman get in here? Get her out! She is a deranged, bitter ex-wife!"
The estate guards took a step forward, but my private security detail instantly stepped between them and me, flashing federal credentials that made the estate guards back down immediately.
"I wouldn't do that, Celeste," I said, looking up at her. "Especially since you were so eager to invite me into your life yesterday. In fact, you were so gracious on the phone, I thought it was only fair to share your lovely words with all your guests."
I pulled my phone from my clutch, connected it to the ballroom’s Bluetooth audio system with a single tap—a system I had paid to install three years ago—and hit play.
Celeste’s polished, cruel voice boomed through the surround-sound speakers.
“I know this must be painful. But healing means accepting what you couldn’t give him... Adrian told me you never gave him a child.”
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Board members exchanged alarmed glances. Adrian looked like a man standing on the trapdoor of a gallows.
"You told your beautiful bride I never gave you a child, Adrian," I said, my voice dripping with lethal calm as the audio finished playing. I gestured behind me to the stroller. "I suppose that makes sense, considering you were terrified of what would happen if the board found out you abandoned your nine-month pregnant wife."
Celeste whipped her head toward Adrian, her eyes wide with frantic horror. "Pregnant? Adrian, what is she talking about? You said she was barren!"
"She's lying!" Adrian stammered, sweating through his custom tuxedo. "Celeste, she's unhinged! She faked a pregnancy to extort me!"
"Did I?" I asked softly.
Marcus stepped forward, unzipping the black leather folder. He pulled out a certified, stamped birth certificate and a DNA verification form, holding them up for the front row of investors to see.
"Six days ago, Nora gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl," Marcus announced, his voice carrying the terrifying weight of absolute legal authority. "And as the lead counsel for the Hale Family Trust, I am here to formally announce a transition of power."
Adrian let out a guttural sound of pure panic. He lunged toward the edge of the stage, but Marcus didn't even flinch.
"Clause seven of the founding trust," Marcus continued loudly, addressing the board members in the room. "The fifty-one percent majority shares of Hale Enterprises have officially transferred to the firstborn legitimate grandchild of the Hale bloodline. Adrian Hale’s proxy expired the exact second this child took her first breath. He is no longer the CEO. He is no longer the majority shareholder. He is, effectively, an unemployed civilian."
The ballroom erupted into chaos. Men in expensive suits were shouting, pulling out their cell phones. Celeste dropped the microphone, stepping away from Adrian as if he had suddenly caught fire.
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"You stole my company!" Adrian screamed at me, the veins popping in his neck, completely losing his mind in front of the city's elite. "I built that empire! You have no right!"
"I didn't steal anything, Adrian," I replied, looking him dead in the eye. "I just claimed what rightfully belongs to my daughter. But speaking of stealing... Marcus has one more gift."
