Luciano Wilder stood like the last pillar of an empire amid the quiet ruins of another. With calm precision, he lifted the thick portfolio—Ashford ink still drying across its final page—and let the weight of the room settle around him.
His voice was gravel and fire, laced with command, carrying to every corner of the ballroom:
"Ladies and gentlemen. Friends. Associates. Former partners. Fellow family leaders. This venue has served its purpose."
He paused, eyes scanning the remnants of fractured alliances and ruined legacy.
"I declare a sudden celebration of my granddaughter's real engagement which will now continue at the Wilder estate."
That word—engagement—hung in the air like a gong strike.
Half the room blinked. The other half audibly gasped.
