Chapter 1: The Master Deed
The silence in the grand ballroom was no longer just uncomfortable; it was suffocating. The groom, pale and wide-eyed, stared at the heavy parchment resting on the silk tablecloth. It wasn't just a piece of paper. It was the master deed to the Grand Palais Hotel—the very venue where they were currently sitting, an exclusive property worth over two hundred million dollars. Stamped at the bottom, right next to the embossed gold seal of the city, was the unmistakable signature of the woman sitting quietly in the simple beige dress. The bride’s mother.
Eleanor, the groom’s mother, snatched the document, her manicured nails scratching against the heavy paper. "This is absurd!" she hissed, her voice cracking as her previous arrogance began to violently dissolve into frantic denial. "This is a blatant forgery! You are a retired school teacher! My investigator said you live in a tiny, two-bedroom apartment!"
"I live exactly where I choose to live, Eleanor," the older woman replied, her voice steady and chillingly polite. Right on cue, the terrified venue manager, who had been watching the disaster unfold from the shadows, practically sprinted to the table. Ignoring the groom and his wealthy mother, the manager bowed deeply, almost at a ninety-degree angle, to the woman in the simple dress. "Madam," he stammered, sweat beading rapidly on his forehead. "I am so sorry. If the board had known you were attending in person, we would have prepared the Royal Suite. Is everything to your satisfaction?"
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