Chapter 23: Damage Control

“Call Silas,” Caelum said immediately, his hand finding Arwen’s under the table. “We need to get ahead of this before Viktor can weaponize it.”

Marcelline was already reaching for her phone. “I’ll have him here within an hour.”

Arwen couldn’t breathe. The signature, the one she’d practiced a hundred times until it looked exactly like Isolde’s.

“Hey...” Caelum’s voice cut through her panic. “Look at me.”

She forced her eyes to meet his.

“It’s going to be fine,” he said, his thumb tracing circles on her palm beneath the table. “This is just Viktor trying to stir up trouble. We’ll handle it.”

“But the timeline...”

“We’ll explain the timeline. You signed remotely, sent the documents back from Switzerland. It happens all the time with charity paperwork.” His grip tightened on her hand. “This is manageable.”

Marcelline watched them both with those sharp eyes that saw too much. “Viktor wouldn’t bring this up unless he had more. What else is he looking for?”

“Anything he can use to destabilize the merger, he’s been trying to find cracks in our family for years. This is just another attempt.” Caelum stood, pulling Arwen up with him. “But right now we need to focus on containing this one issue before it spreads.”

Silas Moreau arrived forty-five minutes later. His expression was neutral as Marcelline explained the situation.

Silas looked at Arwen. “Mrs. Ravencroft, do you remember this particular charity event?”

Her mouth was dry. “I... yes. It was the Children’s Hospital Foundation gala.”

“Were you there in person or did you sign remotely?”

“Remotely. I was in Switzerland at the time, preparing for the wedding.” She tried to keep her voice steady despite the lies.

“And the signature was verified by the charity’s administration?”

“Apparently so, or they wouldn’t have accepted it.”

“Good. That gives us plausible deniability.” Silas made more notes. “We’ll issue a statement confirming that Mrs. Ravencroft handled several charity obligations remotely during the pre-wedding period.”

“Will that be enough to satisfy Viktor’s questions?” Caelum asked.

“It should be, unless he has additional evidence that contradicts the timeline.” Silas looked up. “Is there any reason to believe he might have access to other documents with similar discrepancies?”

Silence fell over the room.

Arwen felt Caelum’s eyes on her, and wanted to crawl out of her own skin.

“No,” she said quietly. “I don’t think so.”

“You don’t sound certain.”

“I’m certain.” She forced herself to meet Silas’s gaze. “There shouldn’t be any other issues.”

“Shouldn’t be, or aren’t?” Silas’s voice was sharp. “Because if there are more problems waiting to surface, I need to know about them now so I can prepare our defense.”

“There aren’t any other problems.” The lie came easier this time.

Silas studied her for a long moment before nodding. “Very well. I’ll draft a statement and have it ready for review by end of the day. If anyone approaches you about this, just smile and say your lawyers are handling it.”

“I understand.”

“Excellent. Then unless there are other concerns, I’ll get started on damage control.”

Marcelline stood. “Thank you for coming so quickly, Silas. I’ll walk you out.”

They left, and Arwen was alone with Caelum for the first time since Marcelline had dropped the bomb about Viktor’s investigation.

He moved toward her immediately, his hands cupping her face. “Hey, you’re shaking.”

“I’m fine.”

“You look terrified.” His thumbs brushed her cheekbones. “Talk to me, what’s going on in your head?”

“I just... what if Silas’s explanation isn’t enough? What if Viktor keeps digging?”

“Then we’ll handle it when it happens.” He kissed her forehead. “We’re not going to let him win.”

“You’re not worried?”

“About a signature on a charity document? No.” He pulled her closer. “I’m more worried about you. You’ve been tense since my mother brought this up.”

“Of course I’m tense. Your business rival is investigating me.”

“He’s investigating my family, not you specifically.” Caelum’s arms wrapped around her. “And even if he finds something, we’ll deal with them together. You’re not alone in this.”

She wanted to believe him and lean into his warmth and let him fix everything like he seemed to think he could.

But did he know what he was really fixing.

“I should let you get back to work,” she said, pulling away gently.

“Stay.” His held her. “Please. I have calls to make but I want you here while I make them.”

“Caelum...”

“Please.” He kissed her, soft and pleading. “Just stay with me.”

She nodded, unable to refuse him when he looked at her like that.

He settled her on the couch in the study and went to his desk, making call after call to board members and investors, assuring everyone that Viktor’s inquiry was baseless and would be dealt with swiftly.

Arwen watched him command the room even over the phone, and felt the weight of her deception pressing down on her chest.

After the fifth call, Marcelline returned with a message that Silas wanted to see Arwen before he left.

“He’s waiting in the east parlor,” Marcelline said, focusing on Arwen’s face.

Caelum looked up from his desk. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, I’m sure it’s just details about the statement.” She forced a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

She found Silas in the parlor, his expression was grave.

“Close the door,” he said.

She closed it, her hands trembling.

“Sit down, Mrs. Ravencroft.”

She sat.

Silas leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his voice low and urgent. “I need you to tell me the truth right now.”

“About...”

“The signature.” He cut her off. “You signed that charity document yourself, didn’t you? You were trying to imitate your sister’s handwriting.”

The denial stuck in her throat. She opened her mouth. Closed it.

“How did you know?”

“Because I’m very good at my job.” He pulled out his phone, showing her a magnified image of the signature. “The pressure points are wrong. The angle is off. This was signed in person by someone trying very hard to make it look like Isolde’s handwriting.”

Arwen felt tears burning behind her eyes. “Please don’t tell him.”

“Don’t tell him?” Silas’s voice was sharp. “Do you have any idea what Caelum will do if he finds out about this from someone other than you?”

“He already knows I’m not Isolde. He knows I’ve been lying.”

“Does he know you’ve been signing your sister’s name to charity paperwork that could be used to implicate this family in fraud?” Silas stood, pacing. “Because those are very different levels of deception, and if Viktor Ashbourne figures out what I just figured out, he won’t just use it to embarrass you. He’ll use it to destroy everything Caelum has built.”

“I didn’t think...”

“No, you didn’t think. You just did what you had to do to keep playing the role your father forced you into.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “How many documents did you sign as Isolde?”

“A few charity things, some social invitations, nothing important.”

“Everything is important when it can be used as evidence of fraud.” He turned to face her fully. “You need to tell him, today. Before Viktor digs deeper.”

“I can’t, he’ll never forgive me.”

“He might not forgive you anyway if he finds out from Viktor’s lawyers instead of from you.” Silas’s voice softened slightly. “I’ve known Caelum for many years. I’ve seen him destroy people who betrayed his trust. I’ve also seen him fight for the people he cares about. If you tell him the truth now, you might have a chance. But if Viktor finds what he's looking for, Caelum won’t just leave you.” His voice was final. “He’ll destroy you.”