CHAPTER 59: THE HIDDEN VILLAGE

"Who else knows?"

Celeste looked at Vera, her mother's old friend.

Vera poured tea with steady hands. "About you and Damien? Or Marcus?"

"Both."

"Very few. Your mother kept it close."

"The Belmonts," Celeste said. "My mother called them the real enemy."

Vera's face darkened. "They've manipulated both families for decades. Creating conflict. Keeping the war alive."

"Why?"

"Control. Power. Money. As long as the families fight, the Belmonts profit. They own weapons companies, security firms, and half the underground market."

Celeste felt sick. "So my sister's death, the attacks—all because of them?"

"Most of it."

"Is my mother alive?"

Vera went quiet.

"Tell me."

"I don't know, child. She disappeared six months ago. Said she was going after the Belmonts."

"Where?"

"The Alps. The Belmonts have an estate there. Very secure."

"Take me there."

"That's a death sentence. Your mother had training, connections, resources. You don't."

"I have motivation."

"Motivation gets you killed. The Belmonts