Chapter 39 Dinner of Interrogation
\-Celeste-
At the door, I waited longer than I should have. I didn’t know why, but every fiber in me screamed to turn away and bolt.
As I reached for the doorbell, Lucien caught my hand midair.
“You know you don’t have to do this,” he said, his voice laced with concern. “Just say the word, and we’ll be out of here.”
I thought for a moment, a part of me wanted to give in, and the other—?
“Let’s just get over with it.” I breathed, stabbing the doorbell.
There was no point running from something inevitable.
Moments later, the butler arrived and led us in to the dining area where everyone was already seated.
The savory smell of food filled the air, but the unreadable expression on their faces sent a gnawing sense of dread throughout my stomach.
Grandmother quietly spared me a glance.
“You’re late.” She said, curt and flat.
Talk about a warm welcome.
We quietly took the seats reserved at the far end of the table like the outcast we were, then we were served.
It was a quiet dinner, devoid of love, like we’re all strangers at a table.
I stared at my meal, then tried to eat, but I couldn’t. I could only dread the next moment.
The talk. Or the “interrogation,” if you will.
I didn’t realize how badly I was lost in thought, picking at my meal like a bird, until I heard the sound of plates. I raised my head to see the maids packing up the plates, and realized that everyone—except Lucien had finished their meal.
He barely touched his, but he let them take it away.
In this house, we had a strict dining rule. We only ate after Grandmother began, and stopped when she was done.
The maid reached for my plate, but Grandmother’s voice rang out,
“Oh, let her finish. She looks like she’s barely had a decent meal.” Her voice dripped with condescension. “Now, I’m worried she doesn’t have enough to eat in her matrimonial home.”
Anger clawed up my chest and my fist curled up on my lap, but I couldn’t protest. Instead, I suddenly got worried about my weight.
It felt like no matter how much I resisted, reminded myself I wasn’t her puppet or a play doll, she still had a way of crawling under my skin.
“Would you like some more?” She said loudly, “Or rather to go—”
“I’m fine.” I retorted.
She smirked, “Then eat. We’re all waiting for you.”
This was a trial. My fucking judgment day.
I swallowed hard, glancing at my father for support, but he just stared back. The two others—Vanessa and Lilith—were merely strangers to me.
At that moment, I felt Lucien’s hand on mine.
I turned, and he held my gaze. He was rather unfazed, but beneath that calm, I could see the fury in his eyes.
“You should stop,” he quietly said. “You don’t have to force yourself.”
He spoke like we were alone, like the others didn’t exist, and suddenly I didn’t feel so afraid anymore. Grandmother’s words didn’t bite so deep, and consequences didn’t matter any longer.
A new-found determination swelled inside of me, and I smiled at him, and nodded, letting the cutlery drop to my plate with a loud clang.
I turned to her,
“I’m done with my meal, Grandmother.”
She sucked in a deep breath, “Have her meal removed. Apparently, she is no longer use to this sort of banquet.” Disdain laced her voice as she held my gaze, lifting her head higher.
I didn’t respond. There was no need to.
Her eyes shifted first, and the air turned icy-cold.
“Tell me something,” She finally looked at Lucien. “Why did you brainwash and steal my granddaughter? You came into this house as a guest,” she said calmly, “and you left with what didn’t belong to you.”
The moment they’d been waiting for.
At first, he didn’t answer. His silence was deliberate, and from the look on Grandmother’s face, unnerving.
“She’s not property to be stolen.” He met her gaze. “And I didn’t brainwash, Celeste chose me.”
My chest tightened with what I didn’t have a name for. God, I loved the way my name rolled off his tongue.
“Mm,” she dabbed a napkin on her mouth, her expression unsatisfied. “Tell me, Celeste… How did you two meet? I’m just dying to know.”
I grinned. I’d been patiently waiting for this moment.
“At a boutique. Back then, I didn’t even know he was Colin’s uncle,” I said smoothly.
Suddenly, everyone’s eyes were on me, eager to listen. Lucien darted a glance in my direction, but he didn’t react, even though he had no idea what I was saying.
I had come to terms that I was the only one who knew about the rebirth situation.
“I was there to try on one of the usual ugly dresses you had selected,” I blurted.
Vanessa gasped, Grandmother’s lips pressed into a thin line, while Lilith stifled a laugh.
“Back then, I didn’t know any better… So I got upset when he called me a depressed maid and even called security on him. That day, I should have listened when he told me not to marry Colin…” My voice trailed off.
Maybe I wouldn’t have driven to my death—but then, I wouldn’t have met him like this.
I quickly returned my mind to the room, watching the blank expression on their faces.
Lucien was still staring at me when I reached out to him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for making me see the light.”
He nodded with a small, confused smile, but he didn’t say anything.
He must think I’m crazy, but he’s really handsome when he smiles like that. I thought to myself.
For a moment, the rest of the room disappeared, until a hard slam on the table reverberated across the space, snapping us back to our unfortunate reality.
Her eyes met Lucien’s again. “If I remember correctly, you’re that housekeeper’s son, what was her name again?”
“Evelyn.” My father said, sharp and curt. It was his first word all evening.
“Yes, she was a good domestic staff member,” she continued, her tone mocking. “Never thought I’d see the day we’d be dining at the same table with her son.”
I mentally gasped. Lucien’s mother worked for our family?
Shocked, I turned to Lucien. His expression was unreadable, his demeanor calm as though he was unfazed, but beneath that hard exterior, his hands clenched into fists on his thighs.
I had to make this stop.
“Since we’re clearly here for an interrogation, I’d like to know why mother keeps coming up,” I said abruptly.
The table froze. Every eye on me, like I’d said something blasphemous. I ignored it.
“Some guy has been calling me lately. He claims my mother isn’t dead.”
Silence.
Vanessa poured herself a glass of water. Lilith and the others just stared.
“He called again a few days ago… and on the call, someone shot him.”
Vanessa choked on the water and coughed. Lilith rushed to help her. She waved apologetically, and all I felt was rage.
“I get uncomfortable around conversations like that,” she said, tight smile in place. “Death unsettles me.”
Grandmother stepped in. “Lilith, help your mother upstairs.” Then, turning to me, she added, scolding,
“So what does that have to do with this dinner? It was clearly a prank call. Don’t be so gullible—”
“Gullible?” I scoffed. “He fucking died, and nothing adds up! My mother’s death has never been clear to me because you’ve been hiding the facts!” I snapped, turning to my father. “Dad—”
“That’s enough. Now’s not the place,” Grandmother cut in, gulping her water nervously.
I could feel it. They were hiding something. Something important. I turned, instinctively looking at Lucien.
He wasn’t looking at me. He was watching her.
Suddenly, he rose to his feet. “I think we’ve stayed long enough.”
“Come on,” he said, reaching for my hand. I took it, wishing this moment could last forever.
He led me outside, keeping us cautious, as if we were being watched. He closed the car door before sliding in beside me.
If only it weren’t duty.
The drive was quiet, dark road stretching ahead as we sat in the silence. My hands tightened in my lap. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say.
The memory of the dinner, the accusations, the stifled truths, still burned in me. My chest was tight. I could still feel their eyes, their voices, the way they tried to shut me down.
“Thank you,” I blurted.
“For what?” Lucien’s voice was calm, eyes steady on the road.
“For giving me the courage to sit through that court session,” I admitted.
He grinned. “That was all you, Celeste.”
“I didn’t know your mother worked for my family,” I said suddenly.
I didn’t know if it was right or wrong to say.
“I only found out recently,” he said quietly, his expression darkening.
There was history there.
My curiosity spiked, and I opened my mouth to speak. But then something whizzed through the glass.
A bullet.
Panic slammed into me.
Screeching tires.
Metal twisting.
The car lurched violently, and my stomach flipped. Lucien’s hands were locked on the wheel, steady, but the car had gone rogue.
The brakes—nothing.
Heart hammering, lungs screaming, we veered off the road. Trees rushed past, the world tipping sideways.
I tried to scream, but no sound came.
The last thing I saw before black swallowed everything: a tree barreling straight at us.