Chapter 17 - The Poisoned Prelude
Preparations for the wedding transformed the Vale estate into a hive of vibrant activity.
Caterers,
florists,
and musicians filled the halls,
turning the once-gloomy mansion into a festival of color and sound.
Ruby spent her afternoons in the main ballroom,
working directly with an eight-piece brass band she had personally hired from Chicago.
She stood near the stage in a simple velvet tunic,
waving her hands to direct the horn section.
"A little sweeter on the trumpet,
boys!" she called out,
her rich laughter filling the high ceilings.
"We want tears of joy,
not a military march!"
Dominic stood by the entrance,
holding two crystal glasses of iced sparkling water,
unable to take his eyes off her.
Every time she laughed,
every time she sang a sample line to guide the melody,
the heavy burden of his past seemed to evaporate into thin air.
Suddenly,
Marcus approached Dominic,
his expression grim.
"Boss,
we have a problem in the wine cellar,
" Marcus whispered,
keeping his voice low so as not to disturb Ruby.
Dominic’s smile vanished instantly,
his eyes darkening.
"Show me."
They descended into the subterranean stone vault beneath the mansion,
where thousands of rare vintages were stored.
A young delivery driver sat handcuffed to a wooden support beam,
trembling violently as two guards stood over him.
On a nearby table lay three wooden crates of vintage champagne intended for the wedding toast.
"What happened?" Dominic demanded,
his voice sharp as a razor.
"The delivery boy tried to swap the primary reserve bottles with these,
" Marcus explained,
holding up a clear glass vial containing a pale yellow liquid.
"Concentrated cyanide."
"Courtesy of Don Vance's remaining son,
Julian Vance,
who took over what's left of their family."
Dominic felt a sudden,
blazing fire erupt in his chest.
They had tried to poison his wedding;
they had tried to kill Ruby.
Dominic stepped up to the delivery driver,
grabbing him by the collar with terrifying strength,
lifting the man nearly off his feet.
"Who paid you?" Dominic growled,
his face inches from the trembling driver.
"Julian Vance!" the man sobbed out in terror.
"He said he'd kill my family if I didn't swap the bottles!"
"He wanted to wipe out the whole head table during the main toast!"
Dominic let go,
and the man slumped back against the beam,
gasping for air.
"Marcus,
" Dominic said,
his voice chillingly quiet.
"Lock him in the lower cell for now."
"Do we cancel the wedding,
boss?" Marcus asked anxiously.
Before Dominic could answer,
the heavy wooden door of the cellar creaked open.
Ruby stood at the top of the stone stairs,
having followed them down when she noticed Dominic's sudden departure.
She walked down the steps,
her eyes taking in the scene—the handcuffs,
the poison vial,
the deadly silence.
"No,
" Ruby said firmly,
her voice ringing with absolute determination.
"We don't cancel a single thing."
"Ruby,
it's too dangerous—" Dominic began,
rushing toward her.
"No,
Dominic,
" she interrupted,
placing her warm hand against his chest.
"They want us to hide in the dark again."
"They want us to go back to being quiet and afraid."
"We are going to have our wedding,
May you like
"
"and we are going to use their own trap to break them forever."
