Chapter 2 - The Sound of the Bells
The chapel bells began their rhythmic chime across the Blue Ridge valley, echoing against the stone walls and scattering a flock of doves into the brilliant blue sky. Inside the cottage dressing room, Sienna stood before a full-length gilded mirror, smoothing the exquisite lace of her imported bridal gown. She admired her own reflection with cool detachment. The dress had cost forty-two thousand dollars, paid for directly out of Adrien’s personal checking account. To her, it was merely an operating expense—a necessary investment that was about to yield an astronomical return.
A light knock rattled the dressing room door. Eric slipped inside, quietly clicking the lock into place behind him. He looked sharp in his tailored tuxedo, his teeth gleaming as he flashed an arrogant grin.
""Everything set?"" Sienna asked without looking away from the glass. She applied a fresh coat of nude lipstick with steady, practiced precision.
""The crowd is packed,"" Eric murmured, checking his watch. ""Local politicians, suppliers, his entire board of directors. Half the Charlotte business elite is out there. If Adrien makes a scene now, he ruins his own public standing. He’s locked in, little sister.""
Sienna chuckled softly, turning to let him inspect the veil. ""He was sniffing around the cottage window earlier. For half a second, I thought the idiot heard me talking to you on the phone. But then he left his grandmother's tacky little velvet box on the porch step. Pure sentimentality. It almost makes me sick how easy he is to manipulate.""
""Don't get careless today,"" Eric warned, crossing his arms. ""Adrien might be a romantic, but he's not an idiot when it comes to legal paperwork. When does the real estate deed transfer happen?""
""Monday morning at ten,"" Sienna said, a smug smile dancing across her lips. ""I spent the last six weeks whispering about starting a family sanctuary on the ridge. He’s transferring the three-hundred-acre estate into a shared marital trust. Once that’s done, I introduce the emergency capital expenditure for the warehouse expansion, using your fake procurement firm in Delaware. We drain twelve million within the first ninety days, initiate a hostile boardroom vote, and offer him an exit settlement while his reputation is in shambles.""
Eric grinned, tapping the lapel of his jacket. ""Twelve million split down the middle. That buys us an entire decade in Monaco. Just make sure you cry when you say the vows. The old Mercer woman was watching me like a hawk near the foyer.""
""Helen is harmless,"" Sienna dismissed with an airy wave of her hand. ""Just a lonely old widow clutching onto her past. By this time next year, she’ll be living in an assisted care facility on a fixed allowance, and Adrien will be begging his creditors for mercy. Now get out there and stand by the altar. Be the world's most devoted best man.""
Eric blew her an ironic kiss and stepped out into the hallway.
Left alone in the quiet bridal suite, Sienna picked up the velvet box Adrien had left behind. She snapped it open and held the antique sapphire necklace up to the window light. Six tiny diamonds sparkled around the pale blue stone. ""Cheap sentiment,"" she muttered aloud, tossing the priceless family heirloom carelessly onto the vanity table next to her discarded makeup wipes. She grabbed her bouquet of white calla lilies, took a deep breath, and arranged her face into an expression of radiant, blushing innocence.
Down at the front of the sanctuary, the pipe organ surged into the prelude. Adrien took his place at the foot of the altar, flanked by his groomsmen. His hands were clasped in front of him, posture military-straight. Standing just two feet to his right, Eric leaned in and gave a supportive wink.
""Ready to take the leap, big guy?"" Eric whispered playfully. ""You look like you’re waiting for a firing squad.""
Adrien turned his head slowly, meeting Eric's gaze with unwavering intensity. The coldness in Adrien's eyes made Eric’s smile falter for a fraction of a second.
""I'm more prepared than you could ever imagine, Eric,"" Adrien said softly.
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Before Eric could decipher the chilling calmness in Adrien’s tone, the heavy wooden doors at the back of the chapel swung wide. The entire congregation rose in unison. Soft murmurs of awe rippled through the pews as Sienna appeared, draped in immaculate white silk, her arm linked with a hired escort posing as a distant uncle. She walked down the candlelit aisle with downcast, tear-filled eyes, playing the breathless bride to absolute perfection.
Adrien watched her approach, every step she took hammering another nail into the coffin of his past naive life. She looked beautiful. She looked angelic. And she was completely rotten to the bone.
