Chapter 156
The wedding was set for early fall.
When Jacob told Elizabeth the date, she was in the middle of going through Nightfall's last batch of "clean-up" names.
At his words, she looked up at him, stunned for a second. "Next month?"
Jacob nodded. "Next month. We couldn't put it off any longer."
Elizabeth was silent for a few seconds, then laid down her pen. "Jacob, are you sure? Things outside were still unstable. The factions you had just brought under your control, everyone was restless. If something—"
"There was no 'if.'" Jacob cut her off. He walked over and took her hand. "Elizabeth, I had been waiting for this day for a very long time."
His voice was low, calm, and absolutely firm.
Elizabeth looked at him, at the open, unguarded anticipation and tenderness in those deep dark eyes, and suddenly couldn't bring herself to say no.
"Okay," she said softly. "Next month."
When the news got out, the entire city was shaken.
Jacob was getting married.
The mafia godfather who dominated everything and struck fear into everyone was getting married.
And the scale of the wedding blew past everyone's expectations.
The venue was a private estate on the outskirts of the city. The grounds were massive, backed by hills and facing the water, the view nothing short of spectacular.
Jacob had bought the place years ago and had barely used it. This time, he had it renovated at enormous expense, for this wedding alone.
The guest list practically covered every power player in the city.
Politics, business, the underworld—if you had even a scrap of influence, you received an invitation.
No one dared not come. This wasn't just a wedding; it was a declaration of power.
After that shipwreck, Jacob's reach expanded like never before.
The Parker family was left headless, the Moretti family was gravely weakened, and the other big and small factions scattered like monkeys from a fallen tree.
Jacob seized the opportunity, striking fast and hard to take over most of their turf and men. Now he was undeniably the king of this city's underground.
This wedding was his way of announcing to everyone that Jacob not only had power, but he also had a weakness. And this weakness was something no one was allowed to touch.
The estate had been in preparation for a month.
Tens of thousands of fresh roses were flown in from Celestria and laid out to cover the entire ceremony aisle.
Elizabeth's gown was custom-made by three top designers working together. Its hem was embroidered with tiny diamonds, like a spilled Milky Way. Her veil was ten feet long, sheer as a dragonfly wing, the edge trimmed with pearls that swayed softly as she moved, dreamy and unreal.
The night before the ceremony, Jacob stood on the terrace of the estate, looking at the brightly lit banquet hall in the distance, and felt a sudden edge of nerves.
Leon stood behind him, and said quietly, "Mr. Smith, everything's ready."
Jacob nodded but didn't speak. Leon had been with him for years, and it was the first time he had ever seen him like this. He couldn't help smiling. "Mr. Smith, are you nervous?"
Jacob glanced back at him and didn't deny it. "A little."
Leon's smile deepened. "Mr. Smith, relax. Mrs. Smith isn't going anywhere."
Jacob smiled, too. Right. She wasn't going anywhere.
From the very first moment she stepped into his life, she was destined to be his.
On the day of the wedding, the weather was impossibly perfect. The autumn sun was warm without being harsh, spilling over the lawns of the estate like a layer of crushed gold. Guests arrived one after another in tuxes and gowns, diamonds flashing and every face wearing a polished smile as they traded pleasantries and exchanged blessings that may or may not have been sincere.
David stood at the entrance, a guest list in his hand, checking off every person who walked in.
He was now part of Nightfall's upper ranks, in charge of security for the wedding.
This was Elizabeth's trust in him—and his chance to prove himself.
"David." A familiar voice sounded beside him.
David looked up and saw Henry standing a few steps away.
Henry was wearing a borrowed suit, his face pale, his expression complicated. Looking at this older brother who used to sit so high above him and was now so pitifully reduced, David felt no satisfaction, only a thin, tired disgust.
"What are you doing here?" His voice was cool.
Henry forced out a smile. "David, I'm your brother. Mr. Smith is getting married. Me coming to offer congratulations—isn't that normal?"
"Do you have an invitation?"
Henry's smile froze for a second. "I… didn't receive one. But I can—"
"No invitation, no entry." David cut him off, tone flat.
Henry's expression shifted, his color draining and then flooding back. He lowered his voice, "David, don't go too far. I'm still your brother, no matter what. Can't you make an exception?"
David looked at him, the corner of his mouth curling in a faint, mocking smile. "An exception? Henry, you think this is an Aiden family party? This is the Smith family's turf. Without an invitation, nobody gets in."
Henry's face went an ugly mix of green and white. He gritted his teeth, pulled a card from his pocket, and quietly slipped it into David's hand. "Just a little something. Take it. Consider it a favor."
David glanced at the card, then at Henry's fawning, obsequious face, and suddenly laughed. "Henry, do you know what you look like right now?"
Henry blinked.
"Like a dog." David tossed the card back into his chest. "A shameless dog, begging with its tail between its legs."
Henry's face flared bright red in an instant. "You—!"
"What about me?" David stepped closer, looking down at him. "You think I don't know what you're after? You want to get in there, find Ms. Windsor, and beg her to help you take back the Aiden family. Isn't that it?"
Henry's pupils tightened. He didn't deny it, because that was exactly what he had in mind.
Elizabeth was different now. She was Jacob's wife, the most powerful woman in this city.
As long as she was willing to speak up, the Aiden family's little mess was nothing more than a word from her. So he had to get in. He had to see her.
"David," he said, softening his tone, "I know I was wrong before. I wronged you, and I wronged Ms. Windsor. But I really got it now. Just give me a chance, let me apologize to her, okay?"
Looking at him grovel like this, David felt the last scraps of brotherly feeling burn away. "You really want to go in?"
Henry's eyes lit up. "Yes! Of course I do!"
"All right." David nodded. "I can take you in. But on one condition."
"What condition?"
"Everything you still have in your hands—you give it to me."
Henry froze.
What he still had—that was all he had left. A few properties, some stocks, and the deed to the Aiden family's old house. It wasn't much, but it was his last shot at a comeback.
But if he didn't give it up, he wouldn't even have the chance to try.