Chapter 4 – Celine’s Mockery

Chapter 4 – Celine’s Mockery

****Althea’s POV****

Morning sunlight spilled through the resort’s wide glass windows, turning the marble floors into sheets of gold. It was beautiful painfully so. My eyes were still heavy from restless sleep, my heart tangled in a fog of guilt and confusion.

I hadn’t slept much after that night. The taste of salt on my lips, the heat of that moment, the way his voice murmured my name it haunted me. Every memory replayed in fragments, distorted by emotion and disbelief.

I’d told myself it was Damian. My husband. The man I loved.

But something about that night felt... off. There was tenderness in him, a gentleness I hadn’t seen in Damian in years. His hands were warm, his words almost careful. Damian never was.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror pale, drained, uncertain. I straightened my blouse, forced on my corporate smile, and walked out of the suite as if nothing had happened.

Today was the second day of the retreat meetings, brainstorming sessions, and company workshops on “team synergy” and “development strategies.” I had to keep it together.

“Ms. Rivera!” a voice called as I stepped into the main hall. It was Celine Navarro, Damian’s cousin tall, graceful, and dressed in a silk white blouse that probably cost more than my month’s salary.

Her red lips curved into a perfect smile, the kind that didn’t reach her eyes. “You look... well-rested,” she said lightly, her tone threaded with something sharp.

“Good morning, Ms. Navarro.” I returned her smile, polite but tight.

“Oh, please. Call me Celine.” She waved her hand elegantly, though her eyes flicked over me assessing, dissecting. “You work under Damian, correct? Head of Marketing?”

“Yes.”

“Of course,” she said, voice sweet as honey but dripping with venom. “I’ve seen your department’s numbers. Quite... ambitious. I assume you enjoy the extra hours with him?”

My stomach tightened. “I’m dedicated to my work.”

Her smile widened, a blade hidden in silk. “I’m sure you are.”

She turned gracefully toward the staff gathering in the lounge. “Ah, everyone’s here! Perfect timing. Let’s get started, shall we?”

Celine was in charge of hosting the corporate retreat Damian’s decision, though I’d long suspected it was Samantha who had pushed for it. Both women shared that same flawless poise and subtle cruelty that came from knowing their power.

As the group gathered, I felt eyes on me. Whispers lingered in the air faint, curious, cruel.

Damian hadn’t arrived yet, and somehow, that made it worse.

Celine stood in the center of the lounge, speaking with effortless charm. “We’re here not only to strengthen our company but to celebrate those who make Navarro Enterprises exceptional.”

Her gaze swept the room like a blade, pausing briefly on me before continuing. “Of course, excellence takes... dedication. Commitment. And sometimes, knowing your place.”

Laughter rippled faintly through the crowd polite, nervous, unsure.

I forced myself to keep my composure. I’d been here before, this quiet battlefield of smiles and power. But Celine’s words weren’t casual they were aimed.

“Take Ms. Rivera, for example,” she continued smoothly. “Our Head of Marketing. Young, passionate, and eager. I’ve heard she’s quite... close with our dear CEO.”

The laughter came louder this time, more certain.

My heart lurched. My throat tightened. “Ms. Navarro,” I said softly, “I think that’s inappropriate—”

“Oh?” Her brows lifted delicately. “Did I strike a nerve?”

Every eye turned to me. My pulse thundered.

Celine smiled again, perfect and poisonous. “Relax, dear. It’s all in good fun. After all, we’re one family here, aren’t we?”

I wanted to disappear.

Behind the professional mask, humiliation burned like acid. I could feel Samantha’s smug gaze from across the room, her lips curved in satisfaction. She didn’t need to say anything — Celine was doing her work for her.

I tried to breathe, to steady my voice. “I’m proud of my position here,” I said quietly. “Whatever I’ve achieved is because of hard work, not favoritism.”

“Oh, how noble,” Celine said, voice dripping with mock admiration. “So humble. You should teach the rest of us your methods. Late nights, personal meetings, perhaps?”

The staff chuckled uneasily.

The world blurred at the edges. My nails dug into my palm. “You’re crossing a line.”

Celine tilted her head, smile unwavering. “Am I? Then perhaps you shouldn’t give people reason to talk.”

Her words hit like a slap.

I swallowed the sting, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me break.

Before I could respond, a deep, familiar voice cut through the tension calm, steady, but edged with warning.

“That’s enough, Celine.”

The room went still.

Damian stood near the entrance, his presence commanding, his expression unreadable. He wore his power like armor dark suit, sharp jaw, eyes that saw everything and revealed nothing.

“Cousin,” Celine greeted smoothly, unbothered. “We were just having a bit of fun. Don’t tell me you’ve lost your sense of humor.”

His gaze shifted briefly to me, then back to her. “There’s a difference between humor and humiliation.”

“Oh, please. She’s fine,” Celine said, waving a manicured hand. “If anything, she’s lucky to be noticed.”

My chest ached. Damian didn’t defend me beyond that didn’t say my name, didn’t meet my eyes. He simply looked through me, detached, professional.

“Focus on the meeting,” he said curtly. “We’re here to work, not gossip.”

The air thickened with tension. Celine’s smile faltered for half a second before she laughed lightly, brushing it off. “As you wish, Mr. CEO.”

The staff quickly dispersed into smaller groups, murmuring quietly. I could feel the weight of every stare.

Damian walked past me without a word, his cologne faint, familiar, and distant.

For a moment, I thought I saw something in his eyes guilt, maybe, or restraint but it vanished as quickly as it came.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of meetings and exercises. My body was present, but my mind was miles away. The humiliation replayed in my head on loop, every word a reminder of how invisible I truly was.

By late afternoon, I slipped out onto the terrace overlooking the sea. The wind was soft, carrying the scent of salt and rain.

I needed air. Distance. Anything but that suffocating hall.

“You handled that well,” a voice said behind me.

I turned and there he was.

Darius Navarro.

He leaned casually against the railing, sleeves rolled up, eyes calm but searching. His presence was quieter than Damian’s, yet somehow heavier.

“I didn’t expect you to be watching,” I said softly.

He shrugged. “Hard not to notice when someone’s being torn apart in public.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t have to be.”

I looked away, staring at the horizon. “People like Celine thrive on humiliation. It’s sport for them.”

Darius studied me for a moment, his expression unreadable. “She’s jealous.”

I frowned. “Of what?”

“Of whatever it is that makes you stand your ground, even when the world tries to crush you.”

His words unsettled me not because they were kind, but because they felt too sincere. Too familiar.

“You shouldn’t say things like that,” I murmured.

“Why not?”

“Because you’re his brother.”

He smiled faintly. “And you’re his... what, exactly?”

The silence stretched, heavy and sharp. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

Darius didn’t push. Instead, he looked out at the sea, voice low. “You deserve better than to be treated like someone’s secret.”

I froze.

My breath caught. “What did you say?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly, eyes softening. “Just an observation.”

He turned to leave, but before he did, he paused his gaze lingering on me for a moment that felt far too long.

“Don’t let them break you, Althea.”

Then he was gone, leaving me alone with the roar of the waves and the echo of his words.

I pressed a hand to my chest, my pulse racing.

Something was changing inside me, around me.

The shame from earlier still burned, but beneath it, something else stirred a quiet defiance.

Maybe Celine wanted to humiliate me. Maybe Damian wanted to forget me.

But I wouldn’t let them erase me.

Not anymore.