Chapter 8 - THE PRENUPTIAL BATTLE
The wedding was not a grand affair.
It took place on Friday morning in the private chapel of the Rinaldi estate, with only Mrs. Chen, Gianni, and the four boys present as witnesses.
Serena wore a simple, cream-colored wool dress she had bought at a consignment shop in Astoria, her dark hair pinned back with a small pearl clip that had belonged to her sister Clara. Vittorio wore his dark charcoal suit, his face set, his hand steady as he slipped a simple platinum band onto her finger.
The boys stood in a neat row near the altar, their faces serious.
Nico was holding Lucia’s hand, his thumb gently stroking her knuckles in a gesture of protective instinct that looked completely natural on him. Leo was holding his drawing pad, his eyes fixed on Serena’s face with a quiet, solemn devotion.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the private magistrate said, his voice carrying through the quiet, stone-walled chapel.
Vittorio turned to Serena. He didn't kiss her lips; he leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her temple, his breath warm against her skin.
“Welcome to the family, Serena,” he whispered.
The front doors of the chapel burst open.
Harold Vance stood in the doorway, his leather briefcase in his hand, his face pale and contorted with a desperate, furious energy. Behind him stood Daniel, Serena’s former husband, his eyes wide with a combination of fear and greed.
“This is a farce!” Daniel shouted, his voice echoing off the stone walls of the chapel. “This marriage is a sham! She’s marrying him for the money! She’s an unfit mother who is using my daughter to secure her position in a criminal house!”
Vittorio did not move. He stood in front of Serena, his body a solid, impenetrable shield between her and the men at the door.
“You’re trespassing on private property, Daniel,” Vittorio said, his voice dropping into that quiet, terrifying register that could empty a room. “And you are speaking to my wife.”
“She’s not your wife!” Harold Vance cried, stepping forward, his finger pointing at Serena. “The registry audit has already begun, Rinaldi! We know about the child! We know about the fraud!”
“You know nothing, Harold,” Vittorio said, pulling a folded sheet of blue paper from his breast pocket. “This is the certified custody agreement signed by the state supreme court justice thirty minutes ago. Since Serena and I are legally married, and since her primary residence is now the Rinaldi estate, the court has dismissed Daniel’s motion for temporary custody with prejudice.”
He stepped closer to the old attorney, his presence so intense that Vance actually took a step back toward the door.
“And as for the trust,” Vittorio whispered, his voice cutting through the chapel like a razor. “I have already filed a formal petition for a forensic audit of the Vance estate’s commercial holdings. We found the seventy thousand dollars you paid to Dr. Harrison in 2019 to forge the birth records, Harold. The state police are already on their way to your office.”
Daniel turned pale, his eyes darting toward the door as if he were looking for an exit.
“This isn't over, Serena!” Daniel yelled, his voice cracking with panic. “I’ll go to the media! I’ll tell everyone what you did!”
“Go ahead,” Serena said, stepping out from behind Vittorio, her chin held high, her eyes completely dry. “Go to the media. Tell them how you refused to pay child support for six months while your daughter slept on a neighbor’s floor. Tell them how you took fifty thousand dollars from a rival corporate family to sell your own child’s future. I’m sure the court will find that very interesting during the final custody hearing next week.”
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Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but Gianni stepped through the doorway, his scarred jaw set, his massive hand resting on the holster of his service weapon.
“Gentlemen,” Gianni said, his voice a low, gravelly rumble. “The driveway is that way. I suggest you walk quickly before the gates close.”
