Celeste rolled her eyes. “She was crowding the photographs. Honestly, Adrian, this party cost three million dollars. Standards matter.” Party& Holiday Supplies
I met her eyes and felt something in me turn cold.
Three hours earlier, I had signed documents creating a ten-million-dollar trust in Celeste’s name, contingent on our marriage. It was meant to ensure her independence, though she had called it “a charming beginning.” The papers were still in my attorney’s secure portal.
I took out my phone.
Celeste brightened, assuming I was arranging damage control.
Instead, I messaged my chief counsel: Liquidate the trust assets. Revoke her interest. Begin full audit of Monroe Holdings. Quietly.
His reply came in twelve seconds.
Done.
I helped my mother stand. Celeste leaned close and whispered, “Do not make a scene. You know what my family can do to your reputation.”
I smiled because fear was the language she expected.
