Chapter 1 - The Shattered Glass “Who did this to you?”
Richard thundered, his boots echoing sharply across the polished marble floor of the grand St. Jude cathedral hall.
“Just teaching her a lesson in our family.”
Julian drawled, swirling the amber liquid in his crystal champagne glass while a sickeningly arrogant smirk twisted his lips.
“This wedding is over. You don’t want to make a scene.”
Richard growled back, his knuckles turning stark white as his hand slowly slipped inside the dark wool of his bespoke tuxedo jacket.
“A scene? Look at her, old man. She’s my wife now under the eyes of the law and the diocese. A little discipline keeps a pretty bird singing the right tune.”
Julian mocked, taking a slow, casual sip as if he were discussing the weather rather than the battered, weeping woman crumpled against the altar.
“You cowardly, sadistic piece of trash. You think your father’s money buys you immunity to beat a defenseless woman half to death on her wedding day?”
Richard snarled, taking two menacing steps forward, the veins in his temples throbbing violently.
“Watch your tone, Richard. You’re talking to the future heir of the entire East Coast energy grid. You touch me, and your precious little logistics firm goes bankrupt before the sun sets.”
Julian laughed, his dark eyes flashing with cruel amusement.
“Before this wedding continues, there is something you all need to hear!”
Richard shouted, his voice cutting through the whispered murmurs of the stunned wedding guests like a jagged blade.
May you like
He pulled a sleek black cell phone from his pocket, his thumb hovering over the screen with agonizing deliberation. The heavy oak doors at the back of the cathedral suddenly slammed open with a deafening bang, drawing every terrified eye away from the altar. Two heavy-set federal marshals flanked a pale, trembling woman in a tailored business suit who carried a thick, red-bound ledger. Julian’s arrogant smirk instantly vanished, his face draining of all color as he dropped his champagne glass, shattering it against the stone floor. Richard pressed play, and the chilling sound of Julian’s voice confessing to corporate embezzlement and horrific domestic abuse echoed loudly through the cathedral speakers.
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