Chapter 29 The Reckoning
\-Lucien-
Murder? My heart sank as the words echoed in my head over and over again. Of all the things I thought I'd uncover about her disappearance, this was the last of what I’d ever imagined.
“My mother was involved in a murder?” The words escaped my lips, low, heavy and unbelievable.
My father let out a small sigh, leaning back in his chair, “The Ashfords always had two sons, Edward and James.”
A son before James Ashford? Interesting.
He continued. “Edward was the firstborn. Ambitious, ruthless, and daring like their father, but unlike the rest of the family, he couldn't stand their corruption. He was a constant thorn in their flesh. Celeste’s father, James, was different, timid, insecure, and constantly falling short of his parents’ expectations. Living in Edward’s shadow pushed him to a breaking point.”
His expression suddenly turned grim, as though he hadn’t done worse things. “One night, at their vacation home, it all came crashing down. A violent argument turned into something worse. James pulled a gun. He didn’t know your mother was there, no one did. The family wasn’t supposed to arrive until the next day. She was only there to inspect and clean the house, but she stayed later than planned. She saw James shoot Edward.”
How could he say all this like it meant nothing? I wondered.
“Their father couldn’t risk a scandal. Edward had become a liability anyway. So they covered it up, framed it as a suicide, paid off the right people. It would have ended there… but your mother couldn’t live with it. She went to confess. But by the time she reached the police, the Ashfords had already made sure the system was in their pocket.
That’s when she came to me. They threatened her. Threatened you. So she ran.”
I listened intently, barely surprised. The Ashfords had always been messy, their empires built on a foundation of corruption, and yet, Celeste seemed different.
I scoffed at his words. I doubted them. He was no different from them.
He went on without warmth. “I protected you. I gave her instructions. She had no choice. She wanted you to live, that’s all that mattered.”
My chest tightened with fury. How dare he call it protection?
“All the abuse, all the cruelty… you call that protection? You treated me like I didn’t exist!” I spat.
“I treated you as you needed to survive, not as you wanted to be loved. You think kindness would have kept you alive? You think the Ashfords’ world would have waited for a boy to cry in the corner?” he retorted.
I let out a dry laugh. “Nothing you say makes any goddamn sense!” I snapped.
He leaned closer, letting his voice drop low and firm. “I made you strong, Lucien. I made you aware. Every harsh word, every dismissal, every shove… it was shaping you into someone they would never see coming. Someone who could stand against them, and maybe, one day, destroy them.”
Destroy them? Of course, that was all he could think of.
“This whole time, you let me believe I was abandoned… hated… unloved.” My voice cracked at the end, all these years I had spent my time loathing and blaming myself for my fate, when it was all his fault.
He stared right back at me, eyes sharp and without a single ounce of remorse. “Because that’s what you needed to believe. It made you hungry. It made you sharp. It made you mine to guide, whether you knew it or not—”
“I’m not a tool for your use, Father!” My voice was loud with anger.
He shrugged, clearly unbothered. “You can tell yourself that if it helps you sleep at night. But every decision you’ve made still led you exactly where I wanted.”
My fist clenched, but I had to remind myself to stay calm. If there was any truth in all he had said, then he knew a way to find my mother. Right there, I knew I’d do anything to find her.
I forced myself to meet his gaze. “So what now?”
A smile curled on his lips. “Now, think of all they did to your mother. They robbed you of your childhood, Lucien—”
“And you didn’t stop them.” I cut in.
For a moment, his expression shifted, but then he quickly recovered. “That’s because I didn’t have much power back then. And now,” he paused, eyes glinting with something sinister. “It’s not just about ruining them. It’s about taking the power they think they own.”
I tilted my head, a faint smirk tugging at my lips. “Power, you say?”
“Yes, power.” He grinned, eyes glinting. “That’s exactly what Colin’s marriage was supposed to be about. But the idiot blew it. Couldn’t even keep a woman’s trust. And now that she’s slipped through his fingers, I realized something, maybe fate chose the wrong Blackwell.”
“At first I was angry,” he went on, “but this situation is perfect. She clearly married you for something you don’t know yet. Act before they do.”
“So now I’m a replacement?” I asked flatly.
“Not a replacement,” he said, leaning forward. “The reckoning.”
His tone dropped lower. “Get close to her family. Find out their secrets. Let them see the face of the woman they tried to destroy sitting at their table. It’s the only way your mother can come back. If she returns now, they’ll hunt her down.”
I let out a cold laugh. “Or maybe this is just for you. Another game. Another pawn for your revenge.”
He didn’t flinch. “It doesn’t matter what I want. You need to use this marriage to our advantage.”
“Well, it’s too late,” I said, my mind going back to Celeste's words. “She’s going to annul the marriage.”
He shook his head. “You can’t let that happen. Find a way. Keep her close, do whatever it takes.”
I smirked at the irony of things. I had married Celeste to spite him, to prove I wasn’t his puppet. But now, here he was, turning that same marriage into his weapon. And the worst part? I was considering it.
Maybe this was what I deserved. She wanted to leave anyway. She had made that perfectly clear.
So fine. If using this marriage got me closer to my mother, I’d do it. Let my father think he’d won. Let Celeste think I didn’t care. Maybe if I lied long enough, I’d start believing it too.
A small smile tugged at my lips as I leaned closer.
“I do have one condition, though.”