Chapter 94
The USB drive sat on the desk like a ticking time bomb. Celestina’s fingers hovered over the laptop keyboard, her heart racing. She couldn’t ignore what Kael had left behind, even though every instinct screamed at her to leave it alone.
Dimitri stood behind her, his arms crossed. His jaw was tight, and his voice was low. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
She turned to face him, her eyes blazing with determination. “I need to know the truth. No more secrets, Dimitri. Not from you, not from my father, not from anyone.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Alright. But if this is as bad as I think it is, you have to promise me you’ll stay calm.”
Celestina didn’t answer. Instead, she typed in the password Dimitri had guessed after a few attempts—Kael’s favorite codename for his operations. The file unlocked with a soft chime, and the screen filled with rows of documents, images, and video files.
The weight in the room shifted.
Dimitri leaned over her shoulder, his face grim as they scrolled through the contents. Celestina’s stomach churned as she opened the first document. It was a list of covert operations—assassinations, blackmail schemes, and political coups—all tied to President Alvada.
“This… can’t be real,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“It’s real,” Dimitri said, his tone heavy. “Kael wasn’t lying when he said your father had blood on his hands.”
The images that followed made her chest tighten. Photos of prominent political figures who had disappeared or died under suspicious circumstances, each tagged with notes in Kael’s handwriting: Eliminated under Alvada’s orders.
Her fingers trembled as she clicked on a video file. It showed her father sitting across from Kael in a private office, the audio crackling as they discussed a target.
“This man poses a threat to our stability,” her father said, his voice cold and detached. “Take care of it.”
Kael’s voice replied, smooth and calculated. “As you wish, Mr. President. But remember, favors like these come with a price.”
Celestina slammed the laptop shut, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.
Dimitri placed a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off, standing abruptly. “He’s no better than Kael,” she said, her voice shaking. “All this time, I thought my father was trying to protect me. But he’s been hiding this? How could he?”
“Celestina,” Dimitri said cautiously, “I know this is a lot to process. But you need to think about what exposing him could do.”
She turned on him, her eyes blazing. “Don’t you dare tell me to stay quiet about this, Dimitri. You’ve lied to me enough already.”
“I’m not saying stay quiet,” he said firmly. “But if this comes out, it won’t just ruin your father—it’ll destabilize the entire country. The people won’t trust the government anymore. Alvada’s enemies will seize the opportunity to tear everything apart.”
“And what about the people he’s hurt? The families he’s destroyed?” she countered, her voice breaking. “Do they not deserve justice?”
Dimitri stepped closer, his expression softening. “Of course they do. But this isn’t just about justice. It’s about the future of Alvada. If this blows up, the entire nation could fall apart.”
She stared at him, her heart torn. “How can you ask me to protect someone who’s done these things?”
“I’m asking you to think carefully,” he said quietly. “You don’t have to decide now. Just… give it time.”
Celestina sat back down, burying her face in her hands. Her mind raced as she replayed everything—the wedding, the mysterious letter, Kael’s schemes.
The letter.
She sat up suddenly, her breath catching in her throat. “The letter… it wasn’t just about Kael.”
“What do you mean?” Dimitri asked, frowning.
She grabbed her bag and pulled out the folded paper she had kept hidden since the wedding. Reading it again, the words struck her differently this time: “Don’t marry Kael. He’s dangerous, but he’s not the only one. Watch your father.”
Celestina looked at Dimitri, her voice trembling. “It wasn’t just a warning about Kael. Someone was trying to tell me about my father too.”
Dimitri’s frown deepened. “Whoever sent that letter knew more than they let on.”
“And I ignored it,” she said, tears pooling in her eyes. “I ignored everything because I wanted to believe my father was good. That he cared about me.”
Later that evening, Celestina sat alone in her room, the weight of the revelations pressing down on her like a suffocating blanket. The palace felt colder, emptier, as if the walls themselves were whispering secrets.
She was still grappling with what to do when faint voices drifted through the door. Curious, she slipped into the hallway, following the sound.
As she neared her father’s office, she froze, her heart pounding. The door was slightly ajar, and inside, President Alvada’s voice was low but firm.
“We can’t leave anything to chance,” he was saying. “The meeting tomorrow must resolve everything. No loose ends.”
A second voice responded, too quiet for her to make out the words, but the tone was equally sharp.
Celestina leaned closer, her pulse racing. What is he planning? Who are the loose ends?
Her thoughts immediately went to Dimitri.
