Chapter 7: The Leaks

The steam from Celeste’s shower had barely faded when her phone – finally turned back on – vibrated with notifications. She was toweling her hair dry when the first message flashed across the screen.

BREAKING: Leaked Emails Put Celeste Montaire’s Competence Into Question.

Her blood ran cold. She opened the article.

Screenshots. Dozens of them. Emails pulled from the internal system of her sustainable brand – out of context, deliberately edited, framed to make her look inexperienced, reckless, even unethical.

The worst of them:

“We need faster production. Find cheaper labor.” — C.M.

Her chest tightened. She never wrote that. Never.

She scrolled, her hands shaking as more distortions filled the screen – fake approvals, falsified instructions, manipulated correspondence.

Someone was trying to destroy her.

Her father? Her investors? Her old board? Arrow’s mother?

Or—

Her gaze flicked to the bedroom door.

No.

She shook her head immediately. Arrow had been the only one defending her.

He wouldn’t do this.

But fear has sharp edges, and doubt creeps in through cracks the heart can’t seal.

Celeste slid her phone onto the dresser and forced herself to breathe. She dressed slowly—silk blouse, fitted trousers, a blazer sharp enough to hide the tremor in her hands.

When she stepped out, Arrow was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, expression tight. He looked up the moment she entered, eyes scanning her face like he was searching for bruises only he could see.

“You didn’t come back,” he said quietly.

“I needed time,” she replied.

His jaw ticked. “I gave you your space.”

“I know.”

Neither moved.

Finally, he nodded toward the counter. “I made coffee.”

She blinked. “You… made it?”

He shrugged, as if embarrassed. “I Googled how.”

Her heart betrayed her by softening. “Thank you.”

He poured her a cup and slid it across the counter. She lifted it to her lips – and froze.

Perfect. Even the milk-to-coffee ratio. He noticed that too?

She set the cup down too quickly. “Arrow… there’s another problem.”

His eyes narrowed instantly. “What happened?”

She handed him her phone. His brows lowered as he read, the muscle in his jaw tightening with every line.

When he reached the last screenshot, he slammed the phone down a little too hard.

“This is fabricated,” he said through clenched teeth.

“I know.”

“Someone framed you.”

“I know.”

He met her eyes – intense, sharp, furious. “Do you think I’d ever allow this?”

Her breath caught. “That’s not what I—”

“You think this is my doing?”

“Arrow—”

His voice dropped, dangerous and wounded. “Do you trust me so little?”

Her silence was a mistake. One she didn’t know how to fix.

Arrow stared at her like she had struck him. “Unbelievable.”

“Arrow, I didn’t say you did it.”

“You didn’t have to,” he said. “The doubt was enough.”

She stepped closer. “I’m scared.”

He inhaled sharply. “So am I.”

The admission disarmed her completely.

He turned away, if only to calm the storm rising under his skin. “I’ll handle it. I’ll find out who did this.”

Celeste exhaled. “Arrow—”

He held up a hand. “Breakfast meeting in thirty minutes with the investors. Get ready.”

She nodded.

And for the first time, she saw a fracture in him she hadn’t noticed before: Arrow wasn’t angry at her. He was angry that someone hurt her. And angry that she thought it might be him.

The investors’ meeting was hell.

They stared at Celeste like she was already a liability. Two of them whispered into each other’s ears. Another asked, with a fake polite smile:

“So, Mrs. De La Vega… are these leaked emails real?”

Arrow cut him off before she could speak.

“Every single one of them is fake.”

“But—”

“Faked,” Arrow repeated. “And if you question my wife’s integrity again, it will be the last time you sit in this room.”

The man paled.

Celeste stayed silent, her heart pounding.

Arrow didn’t defend her as a strategy. He defended her like instinct. Like breathing.

And that was almost worse.

When the meeting ended, Arrow placed a firm hand on the small of her back as they left – a gesture that looked gentle from afar but felt grounding, steadying.

“Are you okay?” he murmured.

“I don’t know.”

“We’ll fix this.”

His voice was low enough that only she could hear.

“We’ll fix everything.”

Something in her cracked. “Arrow… I didn’t mean to doubt you.”

He didn’t reply. But his hand remained on her back until they reached the car.

They barely stepped into the penthouse before a sharp voice cut through the air.

“Celeste!”

Arrow’s mother.

She stood in the living room in an expensive suit, pearl earrings gleaming like polished stones. Her smile was a blade.

“Look at you,” she purred. “Dragged through the media again. I warned you, dear – love is not required for these arrangements. Only competence.”

Arrow stiffened. “Mother—”

“And yet,” she continued, ignoring him, “your brand is collapsing. Your image is unstable. You’ve brought nothing but chaos into my son’s life.”

Celeste’s throat tightened.

Arrow stepped in front of her. “That’s enough.”

His mother raised a brow. “You’re defending her again?”

“Always.”

Celeste’s breath faltered.

His mother’s smile vanished. “Remember what’s at stake. Clause Five exists for a reason. Do not let emotions ruin everything.”

Arrow’s shoulders tensed – dangerously.

Celeste’s hands curled into fists. This woman didn’t care about the marriage. Not the alliance. Not even Arrow. Just control.

Arrow’s mother grabbed her purse. “Fix your mess, Celeste. Before it destroys us all.”

She swept out of the penthouse without another word.

Silence settled like dust.

Celeste whispered, “She hates me.”

“She hates anything she can’t manipulate,” Arrow said.

“I don’t want to ruin your family.”

“You’re not.” His voice softened. “You’re the only part that feels human.”

The words struck her like an arrow straight to the ribs.

Before she could respond, a soft ding echoed from the elevator.

A courier.

“Delivery for Mrs. De La Vega.”

Celeste took the envelope, confused. Inside was a single folder.

No sender. No note. No signature.

She opened it—

And her blood went cold.

Photos. Documents. Time-stamped meetings.

Evidence suggesting Arrow had met the model – the one in the scandal – months before the wedding.

It looked real.

Pain lanced through her chest.

Arrow took one look at her expression and froze. “What’s wrong?”

Celeste lifted the folder with trembling hands.

The enemy wasn’t just outside anymore. Someone was trying to turn her against her husband.

And it was working.