Chapter 5 - THE ENTRANCE|
The grand ballroom of the Drake Hotel was a sea of glittering crystal chandeliers, white orchids, and two hundred of the most dangerous, wealthy people in the Midwest.
Rival mafia families, corrupt city officials, and shipping magnates mingled over crystal flutes of vintage champagne.
When the heavy gilded doors opened and Arthur Costello walked in, conversations died instantly.
Standing on his arm was not a blonde socialite or a politician’s daughter. It was Beatrice Gallagher—her auburn hair swept up into an intricate crown of curls, her emerald silk dress cutting through the sea of pale pastel gowns like a splash of venom.
Whispers rippled through the room like wildfire.
“Who is she?”
“Is that the accountant from the docks?”
“Has Arthur lost his mind?”
Beatrice kept her chin high, her hand resting lightly on Arthur’s dark sleeve. She could feel every eye in the room burning into her skin, assessing her, judging her, dismissing her.
“They’re staring,” she murmured beneath her breath, her smile fixed and terrifyingly polite.
“Let them,” Arthur replied, his voice a low rumble beside her ear. “Half the men in this room owe me money, and the other half are praying I don't read their financial audits.”
Camila’s father—Don Hector Castiglione, a towering man with silver hair and a suit that smelled of cigar smoke—approached them immediately, flanked by four broad-shouldered enforcers.
“Arthur,” Hector said, his voice heavy with offense. “My daughter’s wedding, and you bring a employee to sit at the high table?”
Arthur didn't flinch. He adjusted his cuff, looking Hector dead in the eye.
“I brought the only person in Chicago who knows how much your docks are actually worth, Hector,” Arthur said smoothly. “Would you prefer we discuss your Q3 deficit at the bar, or shall we take our seats?”
May you like
Don Hector went completely pale. He looked at Beatrice, then back at Arthur, realization dawning on his face.
Beatrice offered Hector a serene, razor-sharp smile. “Line thirty-two on your dock manifest was particularly creative, Don Hector. Good evening.”
