Chapter 66
Celestina stood alone in Kael’s study, the soft ticking of the grandfather clock the only sound in the quiet room. Her heart was racing. After days of careful observation, she finally acted on her growing suspicions. She had noticed Kael’s habit of lingering near the large oil painting of a mountain landscape, always adjusting it when he thought no one was looking.
With trembling hands, she gently slid the painting aside. Her breath hitched as she uncovered a small safe embedded in the wall.
“Why would he have this hidden?” she whispered to herself.
The safe had a keypad lock. She stared at it, trying to think of what combination Kael might use. It took her a moment, but she punched in their wedding date. The lock clicked open.
Inside, Celestina found a folder stuffed with documents. She pulled it out carefully, her hands shaking as she sat down at Kael’s desk and began flipping through the pages.
Her stomach dropped.
The documents included detailed plans for the layout of their wedding venue, along with payment records to a company she didn’t recognize. But what caught her attention was a note in Kael’s handwriting:
“Ensure the explosion is contained. No casualties.”
Her fingers tightened around the paper as anger and disbelief surged through her. “He… he planned the bombing,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Why?”
Her head spun as she sifted through more papers, including receipts tied to shady contractors and evidence of large cash withdrawals leading up to the wedding. The truth was staring her in the face, but it was so horrifying she could barely process it.
She quickly stuffed everything back into the folder and returned it to the safe, her hands trembling. Sliding the painting back into place, she forced herself to breathe.
That evening, Kael returned to the palace as if nothing was wrong. He greeted Celestina with his usual calm, confident demeanor, pulling her into an embrace.
“How are you feeling today?” he asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
Celestina forced a small smile, though her heart was racing. “Tired,” she said simply, hoping her voice didn’t betray her.
“Well,” Kael said with a grin, “I have just the thing to cheer you up. I’ve planned a little surprise for tonight. Dinner on the terrace, just the two of us.”
She blinked, caught off guard by his sudden affection. “Dinner?”
“Yes,” he said, taking her hand. “You’ve been so stressed lately. I thought it might be nice to have a quiet evening together. No work, no interruptions. Just us.”
It felt like a trap, but Celestina nodded, knowing she couldn’t let him suspect anything.
Before dinner, Celestina received a discreet visit from Commander Drennan, her father’s former head of security. She met him in the library, where he handed her a slim folder.
“We’ve been looking into Kael, as you requested,” Drennan said, his tone grave. “It’s worse than we thought.”
Celestina opened the folder and scanned its contents. The documents detailed Kael’s connections to arms dealers in Eastern Europe, including records of transactions made under shell companies tied to his name.
“Arms dealers?” she whispered, her throat dry.
Drennan nodded. “It’s possible these deals were connected to the bombing at your wedding. Whoever Kael is working with, they have the resources to cause significant harm.”
Celestina closed the folder, her hands tightening around it. “Keep digging,” she said firmly. “And whatever you find, bring it directly to me.”
Drennan hesitated for a moment. “Madam President,” he said carefully, “if Kael is involved in this, you need to be very careful. He’s dangerous.”
“I know,” Celestina said quietly, her voice laced with determination.
Later that evening, as she prepared for dinner with Kael, her phone buzzed with an incoming call from an unknown number. She hesitated before answering, her heart pounding.
“Hello?”
“Celestina.”
She froze. The voice on the other end was unmistakable. It was Dimitri.
“Dimitri?” she whispered, her knees threatening to buckle. “Is it really you?”
“Listen to me carefully,” he said, his tone urgent. “You can’t trust Kael. He’s not who you think he is. He’s dangerous.”
Her grip tightened on the phone. “Dimitri, where are you? How are you—”
“There’s no time,” he interrupted. “You’re in danger, Celestina. Watch your back. Trust no one, especially Kael.”
Before she could respond, the line went dead.
She stared at the phone, her chest heaving. Dimitri was alive. He was trying to warn her. And Kael…
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Kael’s voice called from the other side. “Celestina, dinner is ready.”
She quickly put the phone away, composing herself before joining him on the terrace.
The terrace was beautifully set, with candles flickering in the gentle evening breeze and a table laden with her favorite dishes. Kael was all charm, pouring her a glass of wine and smiling warmly.
“You’ve barely touched your food,” he said, tilting his head in concern.
“I’m not very hungry,” she said quietly, her mind racing with Dimitri’s warning and the secrets she had uncovered.
Kael reached across the table, taking her hand in his. “You’ve been so tense lately. Is there something on your mind?”
She shook her head quickly. “No, I’m fine. Just tired.”
Kael studied her for a moment, his gaze almost too intent. Then, he leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing on his lips.
“Oh,” he said casually, swirling his wine. “By the way, who called you earlier? I noticed you looked upset afterward.”
Celestina froze, her stomach dropping. She hadn’t told him about the call.
Her voice caught in her throat, but she forced herself to smile. “It was no one important,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant.
