How a Staged Wedding and Funeral Topple a Crime Lord
The Birthday Ultimatum
The narrator orders her assistant to arrange a wedding for Simon Fulmer and his mistress within seven days, marking the deadline for her permanent departure. Simon carries a public reputation as Lake City's most devoted Don, celebrated for grand gestures like anniversary fireworks and kneeling to tie a shoelace. He once swore he would die before committing infidelity, a vow that contrasts sharply with the reality the narrator uncovers.
Fireworks Meant for Another
The narrator discovers the blue anniversary fireworks were originally intended for Simon's first love, who disliked the color, prompting him to redirect the display to his wife. While Simon posted declarations of eternal love online, his first love was in his bed. This betrayal prompts the narrator to sign divorce papers Simon had previously provided himself, formalizing her exit strategy.
The Coffin and the Empire
On the narrator's birthday, guests ascend one floor to attend Simon's wedding to the mistress, where a giant screen broadcasts the narrator's evidence. She has already left on a plane. Years earlier, Simon swore to the narrator's father he would never enter their territory if she returned heartbroken, on pain of losing everything. When false news of her death in a car crash reaches him, Simon attends the funeral anyway, kneeling at the coffin and forfeiting his empire, unaware a masked woman watches him grieve.