In the estate's den, Celeste was face-to-face with Sterling Price. He reclined on a wicker chair, bearing himself with poise but a self-assuredness that always made her suspicious. The afternoon light gilded pale green walls and a gentle buzz of cicadas floated through open windows. Outside, flowers danced in a gentle breeze; inside, tension electrified the air.
Sterling motioned for Celeste to take a seat across from him. Slowly, she lowered herself, careful to keep her guard up. He was dressed in a tight grey suit that suggested money and power, his salt-and-pepper hair slicked back. A slight smirk appeared on his lips as if he had secrets to spare.
"I hear Soren's doing it again," he said, his voice threaded with casual confidence. She bristled, remembering the ultimatum Soren had issued her. Sterling's eyes slid over her features, gauging the extent of her discomfort. "I also hear you're about to leave Caspian's life… or not."
She swallowed, remembering Soren's chilling threat. "If I leave, I lose him. If I stay, I risk my house." The words came out in a rush, full of frustration. Sterling's smirk deepened. "Interesting predicament." Leaning in as if confiding, he folded his hands. "That you moved out sometimes gives you a different result. Soren likes control, no? How will you run? bổ sung What if your departure deprives him of leverage? Perhaps it makes some…business matters easier."
Red flags fluttered along her spine. "Do you mean that I should disappear and make it easier for him?" she asked. There was disbelief in her tone. Sterling shrugged his shoulders in a shrug of indifference. "Just sowing a seed," he said, eyes glimmering with mischief. "When the balance of power changes, allegiances jostle. Maybe you leave Soren opportunities that are not as easily filled."
She studied him closely, anger mingling with curiosity. He felt like a wild card — Soren's ally one moment, a little bit rebellious the next. Was he actually helping her cause or stirring up chaos for his own benefit? A surge of discomfort seized her gut. Was this another elaborate ruse intended to bait her into making a decision that would serve his ambitions?
She cleared her throat, not sure what to say. "Why would you help me?" she asked, voice steady. Sterling let out a small laugh, the note more deliberate than friendly. "You see help is word so flexible my dear. I have my reasons." He looked off into the distance as if weighing multiple possibilities.
Celeste stood, nerves frayed. The implications of sterling lingered like the odour of fading roses. She walked out of the sunroom with contradictory thoughts, the silence reverberating with each step. His cryptic suggestion of vanishing dug into her chest and planted doubts about all the routes she had so far sketched.
Papers and files were strewn across the bedspread in her room, a mosaic of clues and potential leads. Late-afternoon sun pooled across the deep-pile carpet, bathing Celeste's furrowed brow in light. She skimmed through Roman's recent discoveries — a half-coded ledger, a trail of hush-money receipts, a foreboding attachment that placed Soren at the heart of it all, in under-the-table deals. With each new piece her determination to fight him increased.
Her phone vibrated on the nightstand. She looked at the screen: no fresh messages from Caspian or Talia, just another surge of anxiety crowding her chest. She remembered the unsettling suggestion from Sterling to "disappear," the idea leaving a bad taste in her mouth. Could escaping actually chip away at Soren's grip? Or was it yet another manipulation designed to drive the family further apart?
Shoving those thoughts away, she directed her attention back to the documents, heart racing. Roman's careful notes made clear that time was running out. Soren's web of corruption reached further than she'd thought. A dull headache nagged at her temples, but she pushed through, searching for any detail that could deal a death blow to Soren's empire.
There was a soft knock at the door. Valentina walked in with tired eyes, though they housed a glint of quiet persistence. She handed Celeste a thin envelope. "These could help," she said quietly. "Evidence of Soren's previous dealings, secret accounts for… personal pleasures." Her voice broke, regret etched on her face. She had clearly struggled with how much to betray her husband this deeply. But her tacit apology to Celeste sparkled in her eyes.
Celeste took the envelope, cautiously extracting the pages. All at once, it felt much nearer a tipping point. The silence of the mansion pressed on her, serving to remind her that with every hour she passed, morning came ever closer — and Soren's threat was ever-present.
She met Valentina's eyes. "I won't allow him to ruin this family or my home," Celeste vowed. Some relief mixed with unsaid fear in the way Valentina held her hand. They both knew that taking on Soren was risky; his track record of intimidation demonstrated that.
When Valentina left, Celeste kept herself occupied, collecting files and checking them against Roman's evidence. Her pulse hammered. She took a moment to gather herself, wondering how Soren might fight back when backed into a corner. She prayed that Talia, Caspian, and Roman had managed to find enough safe harbour in each other's allegiances to survive what came next.
As the final note faded into her folder, her phone pinged. A message from Roman appeared on the screen: I need to see you asap. I found something big. She drew her breath in, steadied for whatever new revelation might upend everything.
Celeste's phone buzzed in her shaking hand, the screen lighting up with a single line from Roman: Have crucial doc — could bury Soren. Hurry. The light of dawn shone faintly on the horizon, a reminder that time was almost up. Her room was shrouded in pre-dawn darkness, the light from the bedside lamp falling in pale circles. She paced beside the window, blood racing so fast she thought it would rouse half the manor.
"Roman sent his text, and I thought bout Soren's ultimatum. Daybreak dangled over the precipice; it loomed, threatening to take her house and her memories unless she disappeared from Caspian's life. But here was the last piece of the puzzle for Roman, a document that could destroy Soren's grip. Beneath her fatigue, adrenaline pulsed, giving her the urgency in her veins.
Her hands shook, writing a hasty response, asking Roman for details. But there was no immediate reply, just static dread. In the still, quiet halls she could almost taste the tension, every sound of far-off footfalls threatening to unwind her nerves. Seconds ticked by, each one precious in a battle she could lose if she paused for too long.
A soft knock startled her. Caspian walked in, dark rings under his eyes from an evening of little sleep. "I cannot sleep," he said, his voice hoarse. His eyes darted to the phone in her grip. "News?" She nodded, swallowing. "Roman says he has a document — something that could end this, but I have to act immediately."
His face set with determination. "Then we make a stand," he said flatly as if it were the only logical option. She let her gaze roam over the face she had seen stand alone at every turn against his father's machinations, the man who had nearly broken under the lack of sleep and the pressure of being a son. Now, he prepared to battle alongside her. A surge of combined relief and dread rushed through her, for this was it: the final push.
Torn between indecision, she remembered Sterling whispering about disappearing, Soren threatening, how this could blow up in her face. But the memory of her parents' home — its clapboard walls ringing with laughter — burned more brightly than her fear. The clock in the hallway made soft sounds on the hour, marking the precious minutes lost.
She took a breath, attempting to calm her thudding heart. "I'm finished running," she said softly, looking at Caspian. A flash of gratitude softened his gaze. Whatever she decided, she knew, would chart her path — for good or for ruin. Dawn varnished the horizon outside, pale light stretching across her face. Nowhere to hesitate, she stepped up, phone ready, giving the advantage Roman had been holding over her. One option was left: take this final lifeline or see everything she loved collapse.