Chapter 5: Goodbye, Mr. Frost!

•CELINE's POV•

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them. Adrian watched me expectantly.

“I know you won’t believe me, but Nathaniel and I are married,” I blurted out. 

Adrian burst out laughing.

“What do you mean, you’re married to Nathaniel? Aren’t you his personal assistant?”

“I am, but we’ve been secretly married for two years. He wanted to keep it that way until he secured his position in the family business.”

His laughter died.

“Two years? And you actually believed that lying bastard?”

I nodded, pressing my palms against my forehead.

“He promised he would tell his family after three years. I trusted him. Why would I think he was lying to me?”

Adrian dragged a hand through his hair.

“Unbelievable.”

I looked away, ashamed of how foolish I felt.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” I whispered. “I don’t even know if he was ever faithful to me.”

“Do you want revenge?”

I barely registered the question. Tears blurred my vision, and I turned away.

“His family even expected me to help him plan the wedding.” My voice cracked. “Can you imagine that?”

Adrian said nothing. Instead, he pulled me against his chest.

“Pl-please, don’t.” I tried to pull away, but he held me firmly.

“Stop fighting everything for a second, Celine.”

Something in his voice caught me off guard. I buried my face in his shirt and sobbed until I had nothing left to say.

When I finally pulled away, I noticed the damp patch on his shirt.

“I’m sorry.”

Adrian brushed the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. I stiffened, caught off guard by his unexpected gentleness. I hadn’t expected tenderness from him, especially when I had just confessed that I was still legally married to his enemy.

“Listen carefully, Celine.” His hands dropped, and his face hardened. “I can help you turn this around.”

I stared at him. “How?”

“First, you stop hiding. You want a divorce? Fine. You want Nathaniel to regret treating you like you were nothing? I’ll help you make that happen.”

He paused, his gaze fixed on mine.

“We continue what we started out there. You and I become a couple, at least in public. We attend events together, let people see us, and give the media enough to talk about. Nathaniel will have to watch his secret wife move on with the one man he despises most.”

My lips parted, but no words came out.

“His family has spent years making you feel unworthy of standing beside him. Let them see you standing beside me instead.” His mouth curved slightly. “When the truth about your secret marriage comes out, he’ll have to deal with the scandal and the damage to his reputation.”

My mouth suddenly felt dry. The thought of Nathaniel being forced to answer for his actions in public was tempting, but the idea of turning my private life into gossip made my stomach tighten.

“You want me to pretend we’re dating just to humiliate him?”

“I’m offering you a way out of the position he’s put you in.” Adrian slid his hands into his pockets. “You stop hiding, and I get to watch my brother deal with the consequences of his own decisions. Trust me, it’ll shatter him.”

“And what exactly do you get out of this?”

“An opportunity to hit Nathaniel where it hurts.” His voice remained flat. “I’m building a company that can compete with Frost Industries. He’s spent years trying to keep me beneath him. With your help as his former personal assistant, I can finally turn the tables.”

I studied him, searching for any sign that he was joking. There was none.

“Help me bring him down, Celine, and I’ll help you make him regret everything he’s put you through.” He stepped back. “Take it or leave it. I’m not going to beg you.”

With that, he turned and walked toward his car.

I watched him leave, my thoughts racing. Adrian had his own reasons for wanting Nathaniel to suffer, and getting involved with him could drag me into a war between two powerful men. I had no intention of becoming anyone’s pawn.

But Nathaniel had made his choice.

Why should I keep protecting him?

He had let his family humiliate me and expected me to accept it without complaint. And after seeing the fury on his face when he caught me kissing Adrian, I knew exactly what might hurt him.

If Nathaniel could humiliate me in public, he could have a taste of his own medicine.

“Adrian, wait!” I called out  

He stopped beside his car and glanced back. I hurried toward him, my decision made.

“I’m in! I'll do whatever you want, as long as he suffers for everything he's done to me!” I blurted, then glanced at the hotel entrance. “But give me a minute. There’s something I need to do first.”

Before he could stop me, I turned and headed straight back toward the banquet hall.

The moment I stepped inside, conversations died, and whispers spread as guests noticed my return. I ignored the attention and walked straight toward Nathaniel.

He stood in a corner beside Veronica, listening to a guest until he spotted me approaching. A smug smile spread across his face.

“Well, look who’s back. The ill-mannered brat has returned.”

Veronica glanced between us, her lips curling into a pleased smile. She slipped her arm through Nathaniel’s and leaned against his shoulder, looking as though she had already won.

Nathaniel excused himself from the guest and came over to me.

“I knew you’d come to your senses,” he announced, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

I clicked my tongue. “Do you really think that’s why I’m here?”

His smile faltered.

I drew back my hand and slapped him hard across the face. His head snapped to the side, the sharp crack echoing through the banquet hall.

Silence fell instantly.

Nathaniel staggered half a step, his hand flying to his cheek as a red handprint bloomed across his skin. Around us, guests stared in disbelief, their mouths falling open at the sight of someone daring to strike Nathaniel Frost.

Then I reached into my purse, pulled out my wedding ring, and threw it at him. It struck his chest before bouncing onto the floor between us.

“I want a divorce, Nathaniel,” I said calmly. “And you’d better prepare yourself to pay for every bit of damage this marriage has caused me.”

He stared at me, his hand still pressed to his cheek, unable to find a response.

I turned away and walked straight toward Veronica. Her smug smile vanished as I approached, and she instinctively took several steps back.

I stopped in front of her, letting my gaze travel over her expensive dress before settling on her uneasy eyes.

“He’s all yours,” I said with a cold smile. “I hope you enjoy my leftovers, Ms. Vale.”

Without waiting for her response, I turned toward the exit, my heels clicking against the marble floor. From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Nathaniel’s mother, her lips parted and one hand pressed to her chest.

For once, their disapproval meant nothing to me.

Nathaniel Frost had expected me to stay silent, accept my place, and keep protecting the secret that had given him everything he wanted.

He was about to discover that I was done playing by his rules. This was only the beginning.