Chapter 112: You look like a goddess

The blood was not just Aliya’s dad’s and Elena’s. Some of it wasn’t even theirs. Tears blurred her vision as she gripped the steering wheel. Everything was gone. Her wedding. Her pride. Her future.

Several minutes later... The gunfire stopped. Smoke lingered inside the ruined ballroom. Broken glass covered the floor. Abandoned bouquets lay among overturned chairs. The giant screens had gone dark.

A hidden door beside the control room opened. Viktor Kessler stepped out. His tuxedo remained flawless. Not a single wrinkle. Not a single drop of blood touched him.

He slowly surveyed the destruction before him. There was no excitement on his face. No satisfaction. Only quiet certainty. As though everything had unfolded exactly according to plan. Marcus approached.

"They escaped." Viktor nodded once. "I know."

"The point was never to kill them." Marcus frowned.

"It wasn’t?" Viktor slipped both hands into his pockets. "If Don Capri dies today..."

"He becomes a martyr." He walked slowly down the ruined aisle where Aliya had stood waiting only minutes earlier.

"I wanted him to feel it."

"To understand." He stopped beside the discarded bouquet. With the tip of his polished shoe, he nudged one crushed white rose aside.

"He spent years trying to convince everyone that Viktor Kessler could be controlled." A faint smile crossed his face. "Today..."

"He learned who truly gives the orders in this empire." Marcus looked toward the shattered ballroom. He had told him not to start another war, that their numbers were smaller than theirs.

Viktor glanced at him. Marcus fell silent. Viktor continued walking.

"The men Don Capri paid to fight me..."

"They’re working for me now," Marcus remembered the meetings over the last week. The quiet negotiations. The secret transfers. The promises Viktor had made. He hadn’t fought Don Capri’s army. He had bought it out from under him. The few captains who refused...

Were the men Viktor had dealt with the night before. Not out of anger. Out of necessity. Don Capri had arrived this morning believing he commanded an empire. He had left with little more than his family and a handful of loyal survivors.

Marcus let out a slow breath. "So this was the real battle." Viktor gave the slightest nod. "I don’t waste soldiers when money and patience can win the same war." He looked at his watch.

11:42 a.m. A small smile finally appeared. "Have this place cleaned." Marcus blinked. "...Now?"

"Yes." Viktor adjusted his cufflinks. "My bride has been waiting long enough." He turned toward the private exit.

"It’s time..."

"...to marry the woman I actually chose."

Outside, a fresh convoy was already waiting to carry him to a much smaller chapel.

A chapel where Sienna Vale still sat, convinced she was walking into another carefully staged arrangement. She had no idea that, while she waited, Viktor had just dismantled an empire without sacrificing a single loyal man of his own.

He was on his way to keep the only promise that truly mattered.

—-

The room had finally grown quiet. The endless stream of stylists, makeup artists, photographers, and assistants had disappeared, leaving only Sienna and Aria behind.

For the first time that morning... Sienna could actually breathe. She sat perfectly still in front of the floor-length mirror. Not because she wanted to. Because she had to.

The wedding dress was so elaborate she could barely move without someone rushing over to fix it. Layers of satin flowed around her like liquid ivory.

Thousands of tiny crystals had been hand-sewn into the bodice, catching every ray of sunlight that slipped through the tall windows. The long sleeves hugged her arms perfectly before disappearing into delicate lace.

Her blonde hair had been pinned into an elegant chignon, with loose curls framing her face.

A cathedral-length veil rested behind her, stretching across half the room. She looked... Nothing like herself. The woman in the mirror looked almost unreal.

Like a princess from one of those old fairy tales. Or... A sacrifice being dressed for an altar. Sienna stared at her reflection. "I can’t even scratch my nose in this thing." Aria burst into laughter.

"I knew that would be your first complaint."

"I’m serious." Sienna carefully lifted one hand before immediately giving up.

"I can’t move."

"You aren’t supposed to." Aria walked around her slowly, admiring the finished result.

"My God..."

"You look beautiful." Sienna rolled her eyes.

"I look expensive."

"You look like a goddess."

"I look like someone wrapped in six hundred pounds of fabric." Aria laughed even harder.

"Honestly?"

"You look like you’re attending your own execution." Sienna deadpanned.

"That’s exactly how it feels." She leaned back as much as the dress allowed.

"I’m sitting here like one of those porcelain dolls."

"I’m afraid if I move, somebody’s going to yell at me." Aria crouched beside her chair.

"You know..." She smiled mischievously.

"I have a surprise." Sienna immediately became suspicious. "I don’t like that smile."

"I invited Lily and Simon." Sienna’s eyes widened. "...You did what?"

"They’re outside. They actually came,"

"Why would you do that?" Sienna looked horrified. "There isn’t going to be a wedding." Aria blinked. "What?"

"There isn’t," Sienna spoke with complete confidence. "This whole thing is part of Viktor’s plan."

"He isn’t actually going to marry me."

"He has some ridiculous scheme going on."

"I just don’t know what my part in it is because that brilliant idiot refuses to tell me." Aria stared. "You’ve officially confused me." Before Sienna could answer. A deep, familiar voice came from the doorway.

"Who said there won’t be a wedding?" Both women turned. Viktor stood leaning casually against the doorframe. For a moment. Neither woman spoke. His black tuxedo fit him perfectly. The white dress shirt beneath it was crisp.

A silver watch rested against his wrist. His hair had been neatly styled. The injury beneath his jacket was completely hidden. If Sienna hadn’t bandaged him herself the night before.

She never would have guessed he’d been stabbed less than twenty-four hours ago. Viktor’s eyes found her. He stopped talking altogether. For several long seconds. He simply looked.

Sienna followed his gaze, suddenly becoming self-conscious. "What?" Viktor slowly smiled. "You look..."

He searched for the right word. "...beautiful." It wasn’t flirtatious. It wasn’t teasing. It was honest. Sienna felt heat rise to her cheeks. She immediately looked away. Aria noticed. A grin spread across her face. She had never seen either of them this awkward.

Viktor cleared his throat. "The priest has arrived."

"The guests have arrived." He looked directly at Sienna.

"And the groom is here."