Ch-31

•~•Third Person’s POV 

The sun bathed Celeste Lancaster’s garden in a golden glow.

The air was thick with the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers, and well-trimmed hedges carved perfect pathways, guiding the eye to distant fountains and statues that radiated opulence.

It felt like stepping into a paradise, and Melissa couldn’t shake the feeling of being out of place, overwhelmed by the sheer grandeur of it all.

As they walked side by side, Celeste moved with the effortless grace of someone entirely at ease in her surroundings.

Meanwhile, Melissa’s gaze flitted nervously from one perfectly arranged plant to the sweeping vistas of the estate, her discomfort growing with each step, though she masked it with forced small talk.

They stopped by a koi pond, the calm water mirroring the bright sky above.

Melissa’s eyes widened in surprise as she took in the sheer number of koi swimming beneath the surface.

“Wow,” she breathed, her voice tinged with awe. “There are so many! You must have been breeding them for years.”

“Indeed, I have,” Celeste said with a knowing smile. “Each one of them is premium-bred.”

“…In Japanese culture, koi are more than just ornamental fish. They symbolize perseverance through adversity, quiet strength, transformation, love, good fortune… even longevity.”

Melissa nodded, trying not to look too impressed. Her fingers lightly brushed the edge of the pond as her eyes followed the gentle swirls of color beneath the surface. Then, Celeste’s gaze shifted to a smaller pond just across from them.

She pointed at a single black koi gliding lazily through the water, its shimmering blue scales catching the sunlight in a way that made it look almost unreal—like a galaxy folded into the skin of a fish.

“That’s Yuki,” Celeste said, her voice softening with quiet pride.

“My husband bought her for me four years ago at an auction in Japan, hosted by one of the royal families. She’s the last of her bloodline… worth about twenty million dollars. She’s around fifteen years old.”

Melissa blinked, startled. For a second, she wasn’t sure how to react. Twenty million—for a fish?

Her lips parted, but no words came. Then she caught herself, reminded of who she was speaking to.

Celeste Lancaster wasn’t just wealthy—she was royalty in her own right. And Melissa had no intention of looking small next to her.

“Wow… you’re really lucky,” Melissa finally said, her voice carefully measured, almost wistful. “My late husband…he could barely remember my birthday. Let alone gift me something like this.”

She chuckled lightly, but the sound withered when she met Celeste’s icy stare. The warmth drained from her chest, leaving behind an unsettling chill.

Celeste didn’t smile back. Her expression was composed, but her eyes were unforgivingly cold.

“Actually,” she began, tone cool and deliberate, “I invited you here to set a few things straight. In-laws or not, there are lines that should never be crossed.”

Melissa’s smile wavered. “Of course, I understand,” she said quickly, scrambling for composure.

“Even married couples have boundaries, right? I just—” She paused, sighed.

“If this is about dinner that night… I apologize. I didn’t mean to overstep. It was your daughter’s remembrance, and I know I kept asking questions—too many, probably. I wasn’t thinking about how it might make you feel.”

Celeste’s composure never wavered as she replied, her tone cool and measured, “That’s not what this is about.”

Melissa blinked, confused. “Then what—?”

“It’s about something much more recent,” Celeste cut in.

A flicker of panic sparked behind Melissa’s eyes. Her mouth opened, but no words came. She forced another smile, this one stiff and transparent.

Then Celeste’s next words landed like a slap. Cold. Precise. “I know you conducted a DNA test. Between my husband and Solane.”

Melissa’s breath caught in her throat. For a split second, she considered denying it—but Celeste’s calm certainty, the quiet authority in her voice, left no room for doubt. She knew.

Panic began to race through her. How did Celeste find out? She had been very careful. Discreet. So how?

Celeste watched her squirm, the corner of her mouth lifting into a cold smile that didn’t even pretend to be kind.

“You look surprised,” she said, voice smooth but sharp. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you swiping my husband’s cup? Honestly, Melissa… that was unclassy. Disgusting, really.”

Without waiting for a response, Celeste turned and resumed walking, her heels clicking softly against the stone path. Melissa hesitated before hurrying to catch up, her thoughts in disarray.

The sting of Celeste’s words still clung to her skin. She opened her mouth, fumbling for damage control. “Uhm… Celeste, you’ve got the wrong idea. I didn’t mean to—”

Celeste stopped mid-step and turned, her stare pinning Melissa in place.

“You didn’t mean to order a DNA test on my husband and Solane?” Her voice dropped, laced with quiet fury. “Don’t insult both our intelligence. That was no accident. It was calculated. Intentional. And you and I both know it.”

Melissa opened her mouth, desperately scanning her mind for something—anything—that could fix the mess she’d just stepped into.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said, her voice soft, almost rehearsed. “I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. But… It was a shock, Celeste. Finding out your husband had an affair?”

There. That had to work. Tug at her emotions. Build a bridge.

“I mean, I always thought Zane was different,” she continued carefully, “especially from the way he treats you and Solane…”

“...But I guess he’s just like every man. You know…my late husband also cheated on me with our cook, so believe me…I know how it feels to be blindsided. I can only imagine how you must feel... especially with your daughter gone and—”

“Don’t.”

The word was a blade.

Celeste’s voice cut through the air, sharp and final. “Don’t you dare bring my daughter into this.”

Melissa froze.

Celeste's eyes gleamed with cold fury as she fixed Melissa with an icy stare. “And for the record, my husband never cheated on me, Melissa. Not then. Not ever. So don’t even think for a second that we’re in the same boat or that you can compare my husband to yours.”

Melissa blinked. “What?” she asked, confusion washing over her face.

“I said, my husband never cheated on me,” Celeste repeated flatly.

Melissa’s mouth went dry. “But then… how? Solane—”

“Was conceived through IVF,” Celeste interrupted, her voice calm and cutting. “Zane’s half-brother, Henry Blackwood…may he rest in peace, had azoospermia.”

“...A condition that made him completely infertile. His wife…may she also rest in peace—was desperate for a child. They didn’t want a stranger’s DNA. They begged us.”

She met Melissa’s gaze without blinking. “Zane agreed to donate. That’s all. There was no affair. No secret romance. Just family trying to help family.”

Melissa’s jaw dropped. “I… I’m sorry, what?!”

Celeste’s gaze softened for a moment as she looked at the koi pond before speaking.

“You know, family dynamics can be complicated. Henry, for instance, was always the rebellious type.”

“Years after Zane's mother passed away, his father became involved with Henry's mother. But even after they had Henry, he never bothered to marry her…and out of spite, Henry refused to take the Lancaster name and chose to go by Blackwood instead—his mother’s name.”

The truth crashed over Melissa like a wave. What she’d thought was ammunition—something explosive she could one day use against Zane—turned out to be an old family arrangement.

It was nothing but an open secret.

Her thoughts scrambled, and she could feel her composure slipping. “Does Solane know about this?” The words came out sharper than she intended.

Celeste’s gaze hardened, her voice cutting through the air. “No. She lost both her parents when she was barely a child. Why rip open that wound now? To tell her the man she’s called Dad for seven years was actually her uncle?”

Her expression turned almost pitying. “You know, when you brought your proposal for her marriage with your son, I had my doubts. I even told my husband to cancel it just days before the wedding.”

“But Solane…” she paused, her voice dipping with subtle bitterness, “she insisted.”

“If only she knew her mother-in-law was the kind of woman who steals common gold-plated cups from her in-laws' home.”

Melissa’s jaw tightened, but she forced herself to stay composed. “This is a misunderstanding, Celeste. And frankly, calling me a thief is more than a little dramatic.”

Celeste scoffed, her voice laced with disdain as she crossed her arms. “So what do we call a person who comes over to someone’s house, eats and drinks, then takes something that doesn’t belong to them and without permission stuffs it into their designer bag, and never returns it?”

“...A guest or an in-law?” She raised an eyebrow, daring Melissa to challenge her.

Her eyes gleamed with contempt. “Not only did I see you do it, Melissa, but the CCTV recorded it too.”

Melissa clenched her jaw, her hand curling into a fist by her side. She had to keep her temper in check.

As much as she wanted to fire back, she needed the Lancasters—for now. So she swallowed the insult.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered under her breath.

“Better,” Celeste said, not missing a beat. “So, do you have any more questions? I’d rather you ask them now than steal another item for a DNA test or start digging into matters that are none of your concern.”

Melissa swallowed again, her eyes shifting to one of the garden statues as her face flushed with humiliation. “No,” she said quietly.

“No?” Celeste echoed, mockingly. “Are you sure? Because I would absolutely hate it if you felt the need to steal from my family again just to soothe whatever curiosity is eating at you.”

Melissa felt the sting of the insult, but she forced a tight smile, swallowing the bruising to her pride.

“Of course, I don’t have any more questions. And I most definitely won’t dig into anything that isn’t my concern ever again.” It was a lie, but she had to sound convincing, regretful even.

Celeste scoffed, a mocking smile on her lips as she turned away, her heels clicking sharply against the stone path.

“Good,” she said, her voice laced with thinly veiled threat as she added, “and just so we're clear... You're smart enough to know that the truth about Solane’s paternity should never leave this garden.”

She stopped, glancing over her shoulder.

“Because if this story reaches the media, or Solane…You can kiss her marriage to your son goodbye. A thief as an in-law is bad enough. But a snitch?” Her voice dipped like a blade. “I won’t tolerate that at all.”