Chapter 82
The dock stretched ahead of her, the silhouette of the yacht illuminated by the pale moonlight. Celestina forced her legs to move faster, her heart pounding in her chest as Kael’s presence loomed in her mind. The shadows and faint sound of waves against the harbor only heightened her fear.
“Just a few more steps,” she whispered to herself.
As she reached the gangway, Dimitri appeared on deck, his posture tense, his sharp eyes scanning the darkness behind her.
“Celestina,” he called out softly but firmly. “Hurry!”
She sprinted up the ramp, nearly stumbling in her haste, and Dimitri caught her arm to steady her. His touch was warm but firm, grounding her in the moment.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice tight with concern.
She nodded, gasping for breath. “I think Kael followed me. I saw him at the docks.”
Dimitri’s jaw clenched, and he immediately turned to one of his crew members. “We need to leave. Now.”
The man nodded and disappeared into the cabin as Dimitri guided Celestina inside.
The yacht’s engines roared to life, the vibrations beneath her feet a stark reminder of the danger they were escaping. Dimitri stood near the window, his eyes fixed on the docks as the yacht began to pull away.
“He’s still there,” Dimitri murmured, his tone cold.
Celestina followed his gaze and spotted Kael’s figure in the distance, standing near the edge of the water. He didn’t move, but even from here, his presence was suffocating.
“Do you think he knows I’m here?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“He suspects,” Dimitri replied. “That’s enough to make him dangerous.”
As the yacht glided into open water, Dimitri finally turned to her, his expression softening. “You’re safe for now, but we can’t stop. He’ll find a way to follow.”
Once they were far enough from the shore, Dimitri led her to the main cabin. A map and a stack of files were spread across the table, papers fluttering slightly as the yacht cut through the waves.
Celestina sat down, her hands trembling as she clutched her coat. “Dimitri, what does Kael want from me? Why does he keep tightening his control?”
Dimitri sat across from her, his face shadowed but his eyes intense. “Kael’s endgame is your father. You’re his leverage, Celestina. As long as he controls you, he controls Alvada.”
Her stomach turned, the truth settling like a heavy weight on her chest. “But why? What is he trying to achieve?”
Dimitri leaned forward, his voice low. “Kael doesn’t just want political power—he wants absolute control. Your father’s influence is one of the last obstacles standing in his way. If he can destabilize your father’s government and consolidate power, there’s nothing left to stop him.”
Celestina’s breath hitched as she absorbed his words. “And he’s using me to get to him.”
“Yes,” Dimitri said. “That’s why he’s been manipulating you, isolating you. He wants to keep you under his thumb until the time comes to strike.”
Dimitri reached for the stack of files and handed one to her. “Look at this.”
Celestina opened the folder, her eyes scanning the documents inside. Her blood ran cold as she saw photos and reports detailing Kael’s connections to past assassinations. One image showed the wreckage of a car she recognized—the supposed accident that had nearly killed her father’s political ally.
“This…” Celestina stammered. “This can’t be real.”
“It is,” Dimitri said grimly. “Kael has been systematically removing political threats for years. The bombing at your wedding was just another step in his plan.”
Celestina flipped through the pages, her hands shaking. One document detailed the reception bombing, complete with layouts of the venue and payment records to the contractors involved. Her eyes stopped on a note in Kael’s handwriting: “Controlled chaos. No casualties.”
She clenched the paper, her nails digging into it. “He planned all of this,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “He’s been lying to me from the beginning.”
“I tried to warn you,” Dimitri said gently, his hand resting on hers. “But I know how hard it is to see the truth when someone you love betrays you.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “I trusted him. I let him into my life, into my heart. And the whole time, he was plotting against me.”
Dimitri’s voice softened. “You’re not alone in this, Celestina. We’ll expose him, but we have to be smart. He’s watching your every move.”
As if on cue, one of Dimitri’s crew members entered the cabin, his expression serious. “Sir, we found something.”
“What is it?” Dimitri asked, standing.
The man held up a small device, barely the size of a coin. “A tracking device. It was sewn into her coat.”
Celestina’s eyes widened, and she instinctively reached for her coat, where the man pointed to a hidden seam.
“Kael,” she said, her voice trembling. “He must have planted it.”
Dimitri’s jaw tightened, and he turned to the crew member. “Destroy it. Now.”
