CHAPTER 49
Celeste’s POV
I stared at the ruined gown draped over the mannequin.
The silk was ruined. The embroidery shredded. It looked like a child had attacked it with scissors.
Theo sat quietly on the armchair nearby, his eyes on me. And yet he said nothing. Just being here. Just letting me think.
“Isadora’s money may have covered the cost of the fabric,” I murmured, “but even with the material replaced, it won’t be the
same.”
His voice was gentle. “I could have my design team look at it. They’re good at restoration.”
I shook my head “Thank you, but no. Just restoration isn’t enough. It’s Madam Diane! It can’t be less than outstanding!”
I couldn’t just stitch something else together and pretend it would be the same.
I stifled a yawn and rubbed at the corner of my eye. The weight of the morning was finally catching up to me.
“I need coffee,” I murmured, glancing at Theo with a faint, tired smile. “Think you can save me with a cup?”
He stood immediately. “I’ll go. The usual?”
“Please.”
He nodded, grabbing his coat without complaint, and stepped out the boutique door.
I was totally grateful to Theo. He was always there when I needed him.
The boutique fell silent again.
But soon, the door creaked open.
I stiffened, frowning as I stood. “Theo, did you?”
It wasn’t Theo.
It’s Genevieve. What the hell is she doing here?!
I watched Genevieve come forward. And behind her… a man. Tall. Impeccably dressed in a bespoke navy suit, with the posture of someone used to being obeyed,
His face was obscured by the tilt of his head and the brim of his dark hat–just enough to keep his features hidden.
His expression was unreadable, but his gaze took in everything–the ruined gown, my boutique, me.
A cold chill passed through me.
+20 Bonus
“What are you doing here?” I asked Genevieve, my tone already tight, my body instantly on guard.
“I just wanted to talk ”
She offered a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes.
She stepped closer, too close, and before I could pull back, she reached for my hand and gripped it.
“I came to apologize, Celeste,” she said, her voice smooth, soft. Too soft. “Truly.”
I stared at her. Disbelieving
She’d been part of everything–the lies, the humiliation, throwing me in that hell hole. And now she stood here, clutching my
hand like we were the best of friends?
“You must be joking,” I said flatly, pulling my hand free.
But she didn’t seem to hear the rejection. She just smiled again, and continued.
“Celeste. All that happened to you, all of it…” Her smile was bigger. “You kind of brought it on yourself.”
My chest stilled
“If you hadn’t taken Damien from me,” she added, the sweetness in her voice now laced with poison, “none of this would’ve
happened. I never would’ve had to… fight so hard.”
Though her face remained fixed in that same bright smile, her eyes glittered with something else entirely.
“You stole everything that should’ve belonged to me,” she said. “But it’s fine.”
“Because I took something from you too.” She leaned in so close.
The blood in my veins turned to ice.
Her tone shifted lower. “Aunt Eleanor… the fire… You still take care of her, don’t you?”
I froze. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, Celeste,” she whispered, eyes gleaming. “You were locked up in that asylum… And Auntie? She was still walking around. Still trying to ruin things for me. How could I possibly let her succeed?”
A jolt of horror crashed through my chest.
I stared at her–really stared-and realized just how far she had gone. Just how evil and twisted she truly was.
“You set that fire,” I breathed.
Unfazed, she stared right back As if she’d just admitted to stealing a piece of candy–not nearly killing some
both.
My vision blurred for a second, not from tears but from sheer disbelief.
who raised us
+20 Bonus
I had thought she just hated me. But Auntie? She had nothing to do with this madness. She had only ever tried to protect us
“You’re insane,” I choked out. “She loved you. She took care of you!”
“Loved you,
eyes,”
,“Genevieve snapped, her mask cracking for just a second. “Always you. Always protecting you. I was nothing in her
My fists clenched. My fury exploded before I could stop it.
“You crazy bitch!” I hissed angrily, grabbing her collar in one trembling hand. I raised my other hand, the slap already coiling in
my wrist
But a hand caught mine mid–air.
To my surprise, I saw that it was the man who had been standing quietly this entire time, his gaze never leaving Genevieve. Now,
he held my wrist with calm but firm strength.
Genevieve stepped back into his shadow with an exaggerated pout. “She’s trying to hurt me again,” she said, eyes wide and voice
trembling with fake innocence.
And then-
Smack!
The sound echoed through the boutique like a gunshot.
Genevieve froze, greatly stunned.
