Chương 2 - The Drake Hotel Spectacle
The grand ballroom of the Drake Hotel glittered under the weight of crystal chandeliers, cascading floral arrangements, and four hundred of Chicago’s most influential socialites, executives, and politicians.
It was the wedding reception of the season—or at least, that was how Daniel had pitched it to the local society columns.
He stood at the center of the elevated head table, holding a crystal flute filled with vintage Dom Pérignon, looking every bit the triumphant billionaire prince. Beside him, Vanessa beamed in a custom-tailored designer gown that cost upwards of twenty thousand dollars, her bare shoulders glittering with diamond necklaces that Daniel had purchased using lines of credit he barely understood.
“To new beginnings,” Daniel announced into the microphone, his voice echoing off the gilded molding of the ballroom. “To shedding dead weight, and embracing a future built on absolute excellence and ambition.”
Polite, echoing applause rippled through the crowded room. Guests clinked their glasses together, smiling, whispering, and whispering some more.
Among the crowd sat Arthur Vance, the senior managing partner of Sterling-Vance Global, along with a half-dozen high-level venture capitalists and international shipping magnates. Arthur was an old-school financier with sharp silver hair and eyes that missed nothing. He had not come to the wedding because he liked Daniel; he had come because Daniel’s firm was currently pitching for a multi-million-dollar logistics contract with his conglomerate.
As the string quartet struck up a gentle waltz, Arthur found himself standing near the edge of the bar, holding a tumbler of scotch, watching the newlyweds glide across the polished mahogany dance floor.
A younger man in a crisp charcoal suit—one of Daniel’s junior vice presidents—stepped up beside Arthur, shaking his head with a cynical chuckle.
“Impressive spread, isn’t it?” the junior VP murmured, swirling his drink. “Old Daniel really landed on his feet after the divorce. Clean break, total victory, new trophy wife. Must be nice to shed an invisible, boring spouse and trade up for high society.”
Arthur Vance took a slow sip of his scotch, his expression remaining entirely neutral, though a faint, sardonic smile touched the corner of his mouth.
“An invisible spouse?” Arthur repeated quietly, his deep voice carrying a strange, weighted irony.
The junior VP blinked, surprised. “Well, yeah. His ex-wife, Claire. Nobody ever really saw her at the office. Just a quiet background fixture at charity dinners. Daniel always said she was completely dependent on him for everything.”
Arthur turned his head slowly, fixing the younger man with a look of profound pity.
“Dependent?” Arthur scoffed softly. “Son, let me enlighten you about something that seems to have completely bypassed everyone in this room tonight.”
The junior VP frowned, leaning in closer over the din of the string quartet. “What do you mean?”
Arthur gestured vaguely toward Daniel, who was currently laughing loudly at a joke told by one of his groomsmen.
“You think Daniel Hayes built this life? You think his little architectural and logistics firm is the pinnacle of his achievements?” Arthur shook his head. “Do you have any idea who Claire Sterling actually is outside of the name Daniel slapped on her marriage certificate?”
“She’s just Claire Hayes,” the junior VP said defensively. “A housewife.”
Arthur let out a low, humorless laugh.
“Do you know,” Arthur said, his voice dropping into a razor-sharp whisper that cut through the music, “your dear boss’s ex-wife doesn't just own a few stocks? Do you know your ex-wife owns fourteen multinational corporations?”
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The junior VP froze, his glass hovering halfway to his mouth. The color rapidly drained from his face as if he had just been struck by lightning.
“Fourteen... what?”
