The President Chapter 105

The small café in the coastal town was nearly empty as Celestina sat in the corner, her hood pulled low over her face. She glanced nervously at the door, her mind still reeling from seeing Liora in the marketplace. The woman who had once worked so closely with Kael now sat across from her, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Liora said, breaking the tense silence.

“Maybe I have,” Celestina replied, her voice cold. “What are you doing here, Liora?”

Liora leaned back in her chair, her eyes scanning the room for potential eavesdroppers. “I’m here to warn you.”

“Warn me about what?”

“Your father,” Liora said simply. “He knows you’re alive, and he knows you’ve been hiding here. His men are closing in, and it’s only a matter of time before they find you.”

Celestina’s jaw tightened. “How do I know you’re not working for him? For all I know, you could be the one who led them here.”

Liora sighed, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me. After everything that happened with Kael, I’d feel the same in your shoes. But believe me when I say I’m not on Alvada’s side.”

“Then whose side are you on?”

Liora leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. “The people’s. There’s a network of us, working inside the capital, gathering evidence, sabotaging his operations. We’ve been waiting for someone to lead the charge against him, Celestina. And we’ve been waiting for you.”

Back at the villa, Celestina sat on the couch, staring blankly at the tea Dimitri had handed her. Across the room, Liora stood near the window, her arms crossed as she watched the waves crashing against the shore.

Dimitri paced the floor, his expression dark. “This is a trap. It has to be. You can’t trust her, Celestina.”

Liora rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. If I were working for Alvada, don’t you think I’d have brought his men with me?”

“You could be scouting,” Dimitri shot back. “Figuring out her weaknesses before delivering her on a silver platter.”

“I’m risking my life just by being here,” Liora retorted, stepping closer. “Do you think I’d do that for a man like Alvada? After everything he’s done?”

“Enough,” Celestina said, her voice cutting through the tension. She looked at Liora, her eyes searching. “Why should I believe you? Why now?”

Liora hesitated before reaching into her bag and pulling out a small flash drive. She handed it to Celestina. “Because you need to see this.”

Minutes later, the three of them sat in front of a laptop as the footage from the flash drive played. The images were raw and unfiltered—violent crackdowns on protests, soldiers firing into crowds, families being dragged from their homes. Celestina covered her mouth, her stomach churning as the screams of the innocent filled the room.

“This… this is happening in the capital?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Liora nodded grimly. “It’s worse than you can imagine. The protests are growing, but Alvada’s response has been brutal. People are disappearing overnight. Entire districts have been leveled. And he’s using your name to justify it.”

Celestina’s head snapped up. “What?”

“He’s telling the people that you’re a traitor,” Liora explained. “That you’re working with foreign powers to destabilize the country. It’s how he keeps them afraid and under control.”

Dimitri’s fists clenched. “That’s exactly why we can’t trust her. How do we know she’s not part of this propaganda machine?”

Liora glared at him. “I’ve risked everything to get this to you. You think I want to work for that monster? Kael used me, and now I’m trying to make things right. Believe me or don’t—I don’t care. But the people need her.”

Celestina stared at the frozen image on the screen—a young boy crying over the lifeless body of his mother. Her heart ached, torn between fear and responsibility.

Later that evening, Dimitri stood on the porch, his arms crossed as he stared into the darkness. Celestina joined him, wrapping a shawl around her shoulders.

“You’re quiet,” she said softly.

“So are you,” he replied without looking at her.

She hesitated. “Do you really think Liora is lying?”

“I don’t know,” Dimitri admitted. “But I don’t trust her. And I don’t like the way she’s pulling you back into this world.”

Celestina sighed, leaning against the railing. “Maybe I was never meant to leave it. Maybe this is my fight, Dimitri.”

He turned to her, his expression pained. “And what happens to us, Celestina? What happens to the life we were trying to build?”

She looked away, tears brimming in her eyes. “I don’t know.”

The tension in the villa was palpable that night as Celestina tried to sleep. But her dreams were filled with the haunting images from Liora’s flash drive, and every scream and cry echoed in her ears.

In the early hours of the morning, a loud banging jolted her awake.

Dimitri was already on his feet, his pistol drawn as he crept toward the door. He opened it cautiously, scanning the area outside.

“What is it?” Celestina asked, wrapping a blanket around herself.

Dimitri stepped back, his face pale as he motioned for her to come closer.

Carved deep into the wooden door were the words:

“Stay away or suffer the same fate as your father’s enemies.”