Chapter 16 - THE UNINVITED SHADOW|
The heavy crystal chandeliers overhead dimmed to a faint, ominous amber glow.
The music stopped abruptly. Guests looked around in confusion as murmurs of anxiety rippled through the room.
Marcus appeared beside Adrian’s chair like a ghost, leaning down to whisper into his earpiece. "Boss... we have a perimeter breach on the hotel's private server room."
Adrian’s jaw tightened. He set his glass down smoothly. "Is it Moretti's men?"
"No," Marcus whispered, his face unusually pale. "The security feed was cut using a high-level military override code."
Suddenly, the massive digital screen on the main stage of the ballroom flashed to life.
Instead of the gala logo, a dark video feed appeared. Sitting in a leather chair against a stark white background was an older man with silver hair, wearing a dark European tailored suit.
The entire ballroom went dead silent.
"My goodness..." an elder boss near our table gasped in sheer terror. "That's... that's Victor Cole."
I looked at Adrian. His face had gone completely rigid, his gray eyes darkening into pure, unadulterated ice.
"Vanessa's father," I whispered, my stomach dropping.
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Victor Cole looked directly into the camera lens, a cold, ruthless smile spreading across his aged face.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of New York," Victor's voice echoed through the ballroom speakers, crisp and terrifyingly calm. "And a special good evening to Mr. Adrian Vale and his charming new bride-to-be."
