Chapter 101
Violet's POV:
"You don't lack for properties, do you?" I drew a deep breath, fighting to contain the bitterness and fury churning inside me as I turned to face Daemon directly. "You knew perfectly well that I arranged every detail of this place with my own hands, that it represents five years of my heart and effort. Yet you allowed Celeste to move in here, to let her and her family trample over everything I built. Was that really necessary, Daemon?"
Daemon's response came with that maddeningly detached tone he'd perfected lately. "You've already moved on from me, so naturally you've moved on from what we had. People have to look forward, Violet."
The dismissal stung, particularly coming from the man who'd been relentlessly pursuing reconciliation just days ago. The abrupt shift was almost whiplash-inducing.
Celeste seized on his support immediately. "Exactly, Violet. People need to look forward. Continuing to cling to the past serves no purpose except causing everyone pain."
I stared at her, marveling at the audacity of her standing there draped in my life while painting me as the aggressor. My heart felt oddly steady despite the fury—this was exactly how Daemon would react when Celeste's comfort conflicted with anyone else's rights.
I'd lost all interest in their game. Instead, I pulled out my phone and opened the news article featuring those photographs of Zane and me along with the suggestive club images, all posted with obvious malicious intent. I thrust the screen toward Daemon. "Did you do this? Did you release these photographs?"
Daemon's expression shifted immediately, his jaw tightening before his gaze snapped toward Celeste with dangerous intensity. That single look told me everything.
Celeste's baby blue eyes went deliberately wide. "Daemon, what's wrong? What happened?"
"It was Celeste who posted these, wasn't it?" I cut through her performance with flat certainty.
Daemon's response came after a telling pause. "She must have accessed my phone accidentally and posted them without fully understanding what she was doing. I'll have my team handle the removal immediately."
The excuse was transparently weak. In the past, his phone had been completely off-limits to me, yet apparently Celeste now had unrestricted access to browse his private albums and create anonymous accounts, all supposedly "by accident."
"You're certain it was accidental?" I stared directly into his eyes.
"Yes, I'm certain." The pause before his answer betrayed him completely.
Celeste's eyes brightened with poorly concealed triumph, though she maintained her wounded expression. She stepped closer with fake sympathy dripping from every word. "Violet, I understand my presence here is difficult for you. I know I'm just a substitute, that I'll always live in Aurora's shadow. Daemon told me everything about her, about how I carry her heart. I have no illusions about my place, so I would never deliberately attack you. I don't have that right or confidence."
I'd heard enough. My hand shot up before conscious thought could stop it, aiming to deliver another slap across that perfectly arranged face of false innocence.
Daemon moved faster, catching my wrist mid-swing with crushing force. His grip was deliberately painful as he stared at me with cold fury. "Violet, enough! You're the one who wanted out of this marriage, yet now you're disrupting my life with Celeste. When does it stop?"
"Get away from me!" I wrenched my wrist free and shoved Celeste hard enough to make her stumble backward.
She lost her balance, arms windmilling. Daemon lunged forward, catching her before she hit the ground. She collapsed against his chest immediately, perfectly orchestrated sobs shaking her small frame.
Mason Morrison charged forward and shoved me hard, his full weight behind it. I flew backward, clearing the doorway entirely before slamming into the hallway floor hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs.
"Violet!" Daemon released Celeste and crossed to me in three strides, reaching down to help me up.
My body didn't hurt that badly, but my heart felt crushed. I slapped his hand away violently as tears streamed down my face.
I yanked the property division agreement from my bag with shaking hands. "You think this compensates for everything? You think throwing money at me makes up for five years of my life, for the home I built that you've now given to her?"
"If you feel the compensation is insufficient, I can increase it." Daemon's voice had lost some of its coldness. "Whatever amount you think is fair—"
Celeste's eyes narrowed fractionally at those words, clearly furious about me receiving anything.
I laughed bitterly, then tore the agreement into pieces with deliberate violence. The sound of ripping paper was immensely satisfying.
Celeste's lips curved upward for just a fraction of a second, genuine pleasure flashing through. She clearly thought I was rejecting the settlement entirely.
"Violet!" Sienna's voice suddenly rang out from downstairs, sharp with alarm. I looked down to see her rushing up the stairs with Lily and Jade right behind her, Lucian following more slowly while supporting Sienna's pregnant form. My friends' faces were flushed with anger and concern as they took in the scene—my tear-stained face, the scattered agreement, Celeste still dramatically clinging to Daemon.
Once they reached the second floor, my friends formed a protective barrier around me, glaring at Daemon and Celeste with open hostility. Their presence gave me strength, reminded me I wasn't alone despite how isolated I'd felt moments ago.
Felix stared at Lucian with profound confusion and disappointment. "You're really choosing her side over your Alpha's? Over Daemon's? Lucian, this is beyond heavy-handed loyalty to your mate—this is ignoring basic facts. You saw how Violet was treating Celeste!"
Lucian met Felix's gaze steadily, his jaw set with determination. "This time I'm standing with Violet. Felix, Daemon—I've finally seen through Celeste's act. She's not the innocent victim she pretends to be. The sweet, harmless persona is exactly that: a performance."
"What?" Felix looked genuinely stunned, unable to process his friend's defection.
Celeste's eyes went wide with convincing distress as she addressed Lucian directly. "What you heard in the hospital room—those words came out wrong because I was in pain and emotionally unstable. I didn't mean the things I said the way they sounded. My body was failing and my emotions were everywhere, so please—"
"Save it, Celeste," Lucian cut her off with surprising firmness, his expression harder than I'd ever seen it. "You don't need to explain yourself to me. People reveal their true nature when they think no one important is watching. Eventually the mask always slips, and I've seen what's underneath yours."
Celeste bit her lip as tears gathered in her eyes, the picture of wounded innocence being unjustly accused. Felix immediately stepped forward to her defense, his protective instincts fully engaged. "That's enough! She's still recovering from major surgery, there's no need to attack her like this. Whatever you think you heard, there's obviously been some kind of misunderstanding between all of you!"
Mason and Ruby quickly moved to support their daughter, flanking her protectively as though we might physically assault her again. Ruby's voice carried more steel than I'd ever heard from her before. "Miss Goldcrest, please stop deliberately provoking our daughter. I acknowledge that moving into this estate was inappropriate—we should have refused Felix's arrangement and found alternative accommodation. But you didn't need to come here and create such a hostile scene. If you want us gone, simply say so clearly and we'll leave immediately. There's no need for this level of aggression and drama."
She shot Mason a significant look, and he immediately understood, taking Celeste's arm to guide her toward the stairs as though fleeing imminent danger.
But I hadn't come here just to yell and leave. I'd come to end this, to expose Celeste once and for all. I pulled out my phone, fingers moving to the audio recording I'd carefully prepared—the one that would strip away every lie.
Before I could hit play, Celeste seemed to sense the threat. She suddenly broke away from her parents and dropped to her knees directly in front of me, hands clasped together. "Violet, I'm sorry! I was wrong—I shouldn't have harbored feelings for Daemon, shouldn't have appeared before you two. This is all my fault, not my parents'. Please, I'll disappear if you'll just forgive me!"
She burst into tears, the picture of pitiful helplessness.
Sienna had reached her limit. Her pregnancy hormones had already shortened her fuse, and Celeste's performance pushed her over the edge. "Enough with the act! Keep this up and I'm going to hit someone, baby bump be damned!"
Lucian immediately moved to restrain his mate while the others tried to calm her down, worried about the baby. My anger was blazing, but I had to control it—I couldn't let this manipulative bitch provoke Sienna any further.
I urged Lucian to take Sienna home before something happened. But Sienna was like a lit firecracker, refusing to leave no matter how he tried to stop her. He didn't dare use force to pull her away, while Mason and Ruby positioned themselves protectively in front of Celeste, clearly anxious.
"Dad! Dad!" Suddenly Mason's body swayed, his hand clutching at his chest as his face contorted with pain. Celeste paled with shock, rushing to support him.
Father and daughter were cut from the same cloth—both had undergone heart surgery. Now under stress, Mason was the first to crack.
Ruby's voice trembled with panic. "Mason, what's wrong? Don't scare me! Daemon, please—get my mate to the hospital immediately!"
Celeste threw herself at Daemon's feet, tears streaming. "Daemon, whether you believe me or not, please set everything else aside—this is a matter of life and death. Please take my father to the hospital!"
"Let's go." Daemon wavered. He glanced at me but asked nothing more, simply moving forward to help Mason downstairs. The recording I'd prepared, meant for the most important audience, suddenly lost all meaning.
Felix shot me a glare, then looked at Lucian with profound disappointment in his eyes, clearly devastated by his friend's betrayal.
Lucian said nothing, simply wrapping his arm carefully around Sienna's waist.
After Daemon and the others left, the estate fell silent. No one spoke, and even the staff downstairs seemed to have hidden themselves, not daring to make a sound.
The breath trapped in my chest had nowhere to go—I could only swallow it down forcefully.
"Sienna, you should all go home. I'm fine now." Looking at the mess everywhere, I felt drained of energy, my voice weak as I addressed my friends.
"Violet..." Sienna wasn't one to hold back, clearly wanting to say more, but Jade stepped forward and stopped her, shaking her head.
Eventually they all had to leave, because what I needed most right now was to be alone with my thoughts.
---
The staff didn't dare come upstairs, so I was completely alone. I gathered the scattered mess and threw everything in the trash, then collapsed on the bed, completely drained.
I hadn't expected my reaction to seeing Celeste's family here would be this visceral—as though something I treasured had been desecrated.
At this moment, Daemon was probably at the hospital. He would never ignore anything concerning Celeste.
I closed my eyes, and tears began to flow. I let them soak into the pillow, and amid this discomfort, I fell asleep. When I woke, my head was pounding, temples throbbing.
The air reeked of heavy perfume from the bottle I'd smashed. I forced my dizzy body up and went to shower.
Just as I emerged, my phone rang. It was Evan.
"Violet, where are you right now?"
"Blackwood Estate. Why?"
"Lucian told me what happened. Are you alright?" His tone carried tentative concern.
"I'm fine. Mason might not be though—heart problems. Is he at your clinic?"
"Yes, I'm treating him. That's why I asked Lucian what happened."
"Well then, take good care of him." I didn't want Mason to suffer—ultimately, he and Ruby had no idea what their daughter had done.
Evan suggested meeting, but I refused. I still had to explain those news stories to my parents and clear my name.
---
When I got home, my parents were waiting. They'd seen the news.
My father's face was iron-dark. "Violet, you'd better explain this right now!"
My mother was calmer, pulling me down beside her. "What's going on?"
After last night's confrontation, my mood had been terrible, but I didn't want to worry my parents. I explained the situation as calmly as possible—the photos with Zane were taken after our bond was dissolved, so there was no "affair." The dancing photos were from a club event where many werewolf had performed, nothing inappropriate.
My parents believed me, though outsiders might not.
After consulting a lawyer, I sent a cease-and-desist letter. Within a day, the content was deleted, though some users had probably saved screenshots.
Their deletion proved they knew they were wrong, and I'd recovered most of my reputation. As long as it didn't seriously affect my parents, that was enough.
Three days later, Sienna brought news: Mason had stabilized, but Celeste's condition had worsened. Father and daughter were both hospitalized.
"I'm so angry!" Sienna fumed. "Violet, why don't you just go to the media now and expose her? Let her get so worked up her heart gives out for good!"
"I've considered it. But you need to calm down—think of the baby." I soothed Sienna. As a pregnant woman, she absolutely couldn't get too emotional. I'd already lost my child; I couldn't bear to see anything happen to hers.
"I know. Whatever you need, just ask—I'll help however I can!"
Not just her—I knew Lily and Jade would stand by me just as unwaveringly.
My parents and these friends were my greatest pillars of support.
After hanging up, I began reorganizing all the materials I'd gathered about Celeste. Somehow, repeatedly organizing these things was the only way to make myself feel better—this was my only weapon capable of tearing away her mask.
Unexpectedly, Ruby reached out first.
She called asking to meet. Initially I didn't want to see her, but after that ugly scene at Blackwood Estate, perhaps meeting wasn't a bad idea. She should know what kind of person her precious daughter really was.