50: Chapter 50 The Wedding is Underway

Inside the banquet hall of the Mihua Grand Hotel, crystal chandeliers refracted a brilliant light, illuminating the entire space like a dreamlike palace.

Melodic waltz music flowed through the air, amidst the scent of perfume and the glimmer of fine attire. Glasses clinked as more than half of Tokyo's Zaibatsu magnates and government officials gathered—this marriage alliance between the Tomizawa Financial Group and the Suzuki Conglomerate was undoubtedly the most anticipated event of late.

In a corner of the banquet hall, Tetsuji Tomizawa (Fuzawa Family Head) stood with Suzuki Shiro and Suzuki Tomoko. With hypocritical and polite smiles on their faces, they conversed in low voices.

“President Suzuki, this alliance marks the beginning of a powerful union between our two families.”

Tetsuji Tomizawa held a glass of champagne, his tone carrying a hint of flattery.

Although the Tomizawa Financial Group had deep roots, it had been somewhat sluggish in emerging fields in recent years. Being able to marry into the Suzuki Conglomerate and latch onto their coattails was undoubtedly a shot in the arm.

Suzuki Shiro nodded with a smile, though a flash of disdain crossed his eyes:

“President Tomizawa is right. It is Ayako's good fortune to marry Yuzo. In the future, if Ayako does anything wrong, I hope the tomizawa family will be patient with her.”

Suzuki Tomoko chimed in as well:

“Indeed, Yuzo is a fine young man. We are at ease knowing Ayako is marrying into your family.”

The three smiled at each other as if they were truly old family friends as close as kin. Only they knew how much conflict of interest and intrigue were hidden behind those smiles.

At the entrance of the banquet hall, Suzuki Ayako, dressed in a pure white wedding dress with exquisite makeup and a gentle smile, was greeting the arriving guests while holding the arm of Tomizawa Yuzo, who was dressed in a black suit.

Tomizawa Yuzo looked a bit shy, occasionally stealing glances at the bride beside him with a flash of genuine adoration in his eyes—he was probably the only person at this wedding truly looking forward to it.

Suzuki Ayako's smile was somewhat stiff, and her gaze drifted toward the outside of the banquet hall from time to time, as if she were waiting for something.

Only she knew that this wedding was nothing more than a carefully planned deception, and she was the bait.

“Thank you all for coming...”

Tomizawa Yuzo nodded to the guests who came to offer their congratulations, his voice sounding a bit nervous.

Suzuki Ayako added at the right moment:

“Welcome everyone to Yuzo's and my wedding. Please, enjoy yourselves.”

The two coordinated perfectly; to outsiders, they appeared to be a perfectly matched couple.

Finally, the time for the ceremony to begin arrived.

Tetsuji Tomizawa and the President Suzuki couple stepped onto the stage, the spotlight shining on them.

Tetsuji Tomizawa cleared his throat and picked up the microphone, his voice broadcasting throughout the banquet hall via the speakers:

“Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend the wedding of my son, Tomizawa Yuzo, and the Suzuki Family's daughter, Suzuki Ayako!

From today onward, Suzuki Ayako officially becomes a daughter-in-law of the tomizawa family. The Tomizawa Financial Group and the Suzuki Conglomerate will move forward hand in hand to create a brilliant future together!”

There were no tedious vows, no priest as a witness, and not even a marriage certificate—for top-tier Zaibatsu, that piece of paper was meaningless.

What was truly binding was the joint marriage announcement issued by both families and the massive chain of interests involved behind the scenes.

Thunderous applause rang out from below the stage as guests raised their glasses in congratulation, a hypocritical joy filling the air.

After the ceremony, the atmosphere in the banquet hall became even more lively.

Guests gathered in small groups, holding wine glasses and discussing business, politics, or gossip.

“Wow! There's so much fine wine here!”

An exaggerated voice rang out. Mouri Kogoro stood before a table laden with drinks, his eyes wide and drool nearly escaping his mouth.

“I'm definitely going to have a few good drinks later. I won't leave until I'm drunk!”

“Dad!”

Mouri Ran stood nearby, mortified by his lack of decorum. She quickly stepped forward, tugged on his arm, and whispered.

“Control yourself! There are so many important people here...”

“What's there to be afraid of?”

Mouri Kogoro shook off her hand, drained a glass of champagne in one gulp, and let out a burp.

“I am the Great Detective Mouri Kogoro! They have to show me some respect!”

Mouri Ran sighed helplessly, only able to pray that he wouldn't get drunk and cause trouble.

Not far away, Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori were huddled together, talking in low voices with solemn expressions.

“Kudo,”

Heiji Hattori lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of worry.

“That organization that threatened you before—any leads?”

Conan Edogawa (Kudo Shinichi) shook his head, his brow furrowed:

“None.

It's like they've vanished off the face of the earth; there's no movement at all.

The quieter it is, the more uneasy I feel.

I have no choice but to follow what that person said for now. I expect you'll see news of Kudo Shinichi's death on TV in a few days.”

Conan said with a lonely expression.

Ever since he almost had his identity discovered by Gin last time, he had been extremely cautious, yet he always felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows.

Heiji Hattori was about to say more when a delicate voice cut in:

“Heiji, we meet again.”

The two looked up to see Ooka Momiji dressed in a magnificent kimono, followed by her bodyguard Iori Muga, looking at Heiji Hattori with a beaming smile.

Ooka Momiji was the young lady of the Ooka Conglomerate and an old acquaintance of the Hattori family; she had always been quite fond of Heiji Hattori.

Seeing her, Heiji Hattori immediately looked annoyed and waved his hand:

“Please, can you stop pestering me? We really aren't that close!”

The smile on Ooka Momiji's face stiffened for a moment, and her eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly recovered, her tone remaining gentle:

“It's fine, I just came over to say hello. You two carry on; please excuse me.”

After saying that, she turned and left with Iori Muga, her back looking somewhat lonely.

“Hey, isn't that a bit much?”

Conan nudged Heiji Hattori with his elbow and teased with a smile,

“You're not two-timing, are you? Does Kazuha know?”

“Hattori-kun, you wouldn't want...” Conan smiled mischievously.

“What nonsense are you talking!”

Heiji Hattori's face instantly turned bright red as he argued back stiffly,

“There's nothing between us! She always says I promised to marry her when we were kids, but I don't remember that at all!”

He paused, then added somewhat pridefully:

“Besides... what does this have to do with Kazuha? Tell her if you want; she's not my girlfriend!”

Conan curled his lip, thinking to himself: Keep pretending. Who doesn't know you've already decided Kazuha is your girlfriend in your heart?

Watching Heiji Hattori's duplicity and thinking of his own situation with Mouri Ran, a wave of bitterness surged in his heart.

Both were in love, but at least Heiji could stay by Kazuha's side openly, while he could only watch Ran grieve and wait for “Kudo Shinichi” in the guise of Conan.

Not to mention, in a few days, the news would report Kudo Shinichi's death. The thought of Mouri Ran's reaction to his “death” made him feel extremely agitated.

Elsewhere, Kudo Yusaku and Kudo Yukiko were chatting with the Suzuki Shiro couple.

“Mr. Suzuki, congratulations.”

Kudo Yusaku's smile was gentle,

“It seems the tomizawa family was determined to secure this alliance.”

Suzuki Shiro laughed, “Mr. Yusaku, you joke. It's all for the children's sake.”

Kudo Yukiko took Suzuki Tomoko's hand and said with feigned intimacy:

“Ayako looks so beautiful today! But speaking of which, I heard the tomizawa family has an illegitimate son? Is that true?”

Her words seemed casual, but she was intentionally revealing this information to the Suzuki Family, fearing they might be at a disadvantage.

After all, the relationship between her family and the Suzuki Family was very good.

Suzuki Tomoko's expression changed imperceptibly, and she quickly waved it off:

“Where did you hear that? It's all rumors! The tomizawa family only has Yuzo and the other two as heirs.”

Kudo Yukiko smiled with “sudden realization” and didn't press further, though she privately noted Suzuki Tomoko's reaction.

Meanwhile, Vermouth, who had been placed in a corner of the banquet hall by Lin Long, was currently surrounded by a group of celebrities.

Today, she was disguised as Lin Long, attending the banquet in his stead.

“President Lin Long, your agency is truly famous now; it's growing bigger and bigger.”

“I hope we have the opportunity to cooperate with your agency.”

A balding middle-aged man said with a face full of flattery.

“It's just a small business.”

“Lin Long” smiled, a flash of disgust in her eyes that was perfectly concealed,

“Compared to the alliance between the Tomizawa Financial Group and the Suzuki Conglomerate, my little industry isn't worth mentioning.”

In another corner of the banquet hall, Ooka Momiji held a glass of red wine and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the heavy traffic outside.

Iori Muga stood behind her and asked in a low voice:

“Miss, will the alliance between the Suzuki Conglomerate and the Tomizawa Financial Group pose a threat to our Ooka Family?”

Ooka Momiji gently swirled her wine glass, the liquid creating ripples.

Her expression was calm, and her tone indifferent: “You're overthinking it.”

“But...”

“The true heir to the Suzuki Conglomerate is Suzuki Sonoko,”

Ooka Momiji interrupted him, a knowing smile curling her lips,

“The reason Suzuki Ayako is marrying into the tomizawa family is merely because the Suzuki Shiro couple wants to use the alliance to secure a generous dowry and a portion of the tomizawa family's assets for her. Such an alliance, where everyone has their own hidden agenda, cannot withstand any real storm.”

As the heir to the Ooka Family, Ooka Momiji had long seen through the essence of these Zaibatsu marriages—seemingly glorious, but actually fragile. Once core interests were involved, they could fall apart at any time.

Iori Muga nodded and asked no more. He knew his young lady's insight was never wrong.

The banquet hall was still filled with laughter and chatter; no one noticed that a storm capable of overturning the entire Tokyo business landscape was quietly approaching.

The clock on the wall saw the hands slowly point to 10:30.

The time Lin Long had set for the operation was drawing nearer and nearer.

Conan seemed to sense something and suddenly looked toward the entrance of the banquet hall, his brow furrowed.

He had been uneasy since he woke up today, always having a bad feeling.

Was it an illusion?

Or had he just not slept well last night?

He glanced at Heiji Hattori and saw that the other was also leaning to one side with a bored expression, lost in thought.

Just then, all the lights in the banquet hall suddenly shut off, and everyone began to murmur.

“What happened? Is it a power outage?”

“Go and take a look, quickly.”