Now that the truth is out... who’ll strike first in the final war Celeste or the ghosts she once served? Next chapter is a big one… are you ready?
The dawn filtered through the shattered windows of the safehouse like a warning light, streaking blood-red across the floor. Glass glittered like ice around them. The panic room's steel door stood open now, a testament to the night they had survived.But no one was breathing easily.Juliette paced in the small den, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her lips were dry, her heart a storm of grief and disbelief. Nicholas Hawthorne. The name rang in her ears like a bell tolling doom.Damon sat with his elbows on his knees, fingers laced, head bowed in silence. Mason was upstairs, sedated by the private medic Damon had flown in hours earlier. Safe, for now.Ryder stood near the door, flanked by two more guards, his voice low as he reported into a secure line.“He’s the most dangerous man alive”, Juliette whispered finally. “And now… you’re telling me he might be my son’s biological father?”Damon lifted his head. His eyes were weary, but steel lurked behind the storm. “Mason is our son.
The city never truly slept, but tonight, it mourned. Beneath humming streetlamps and the neon haze, two exhausted parents sat in silence not from defeat, but from the storm of truths still unfolding.Damon’s knuckles were raw as he gripped the steering wheel of their armored vehicle, not in pursuit but in retreat, driving his family away from danger. Beside him, Juliette held Mason close in the back seat, her heart in her throat, replaying everything the masked man had whispered into her son’s ears.Mason had been rescued.But the damage had already been done.Because the enemy hadn’t just tried to steal their child, they’d planted a truth so dark, it threatened to unravel everything.> “We traced a signal from the device the masked man dropped,” Damon said, voice like steel. “It pinged an abandoned airstrip outside the city.”Juliette inhaled sharply. “Are they planning to take him out of the country?”“They won’t get the chance.”Damon hit a button on the dashboard. “Ryder, update”.
The cold wind hadn’t touched the city yet, but inside Damon’s war room, winter had arrived.A wall of screens flickered. Maps. Security feeds. Blinking trackers.At the center of it all, Damon Thorne stood in silence, his jaw tight, his eyes wild.Mason was missing.Juliette sat nearby, arms wrapped around herself. Her lipstick was smudged. Her blouse wrinkled. Her heart shattered.It had happened fast too fast.A breach in the guesthouse. No alarm. No resistance. Mason’s bed was left empty, his favorite tiger discarded on the rug.Not a kidnapping.A message.“They were inside”, Damon muttered. “This wasn’t a random hit. They knew where the guards would be. Which doors weren’t rigged?”Juliette’s voice cracked. “How? We vetted everyone”.“We missed something”. His voice was pure steel. “Or someone”.------------------------------------------------------------------------One hour laterThe decrypted footage from the estate’s perimeter showed a figure slipping through the south hedges
The invitation came like a whispered dare.A sleek black envelope slipped under the door of Juliette’s boutique. No return address. No courier. Just an embossed red wax seal, the unmistakable emblem of Celeste.Inside, one sentence written in flowing cursive:> “Let’s talk. Woman to woman. Midnight. The Grand Terrace, Penthouse Suite. Come alone”.Juliette stared at it, her fingers tightening around the card.She didn’t need to guess who it came from.She didn’t need to ask what it meant.Celeste had made her move.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Later that night, Juliette stood before her bedroom mirror, fastening a slim black dress—sleek, simple, and deliberately unremarkable. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun. Underneath her jacket, Damon’s team had pinned a discreet body mic.Damon was pacing behind her, eyes full of fire.“This is a trap”, he said. “She doesn’t invite people for tea. She lures them into cages”.Juliette turned to f
Juliette stared at her reflection in the gilded mirror, barely recognizing the woman who looked back at her. Her hair was pinned in soft waves, her emerald gown hugged her frame with quiet elegance, and her makeup—flawless, sophisticated; turned her into someone who belonged in Celeste’s glittering world.But her heart thundered beneath the surface.She wasn’t just attending a party.She was infiltrating an enemy’s fortress.The invitation had come through a long-abandoned connection of Evelyn’s, someone who now believed Juliette was “Emily Wessex”, a discreet heiress from London interested in funding philanthropic projects. The cover was flawless. Damon had argued against it fiercely but Juliette refused to stay behind anymore.After what Celeste had done - endangering Mason, gutting Damon’s company, poisoning the public narrative - Juliette wouldn’t watch from the sidelines.Not again.The private event was hosted in a cliff-side villa just outside the city, guarded by Celeste’s per
The night air hung heavy with tension as Damon leaned over the war table in his study. Spread across the polished surface were photos, red-threaded maps, financial records, and documents that outlined every betrayal piece by piece. What began as a scandal had evolved into a full-blown war and tonight, the enemy was starting to take shape.Juliette stood near the window, arms crossed tightly over her chest, staring out at the moonlit skyline. Her reflection in the glass looked tired, determined. Her mind churned, just like his.“We’ve mapped out every transaction. Every whisper. Evelyn didn’t act alone”, Damon said, his voice low and clipped. “Celeste’s reach is deeper than we imagined”.Juliette turned. Her voice was edged with steel. “So who’s really pulling the strings?”Damon slid a photo forward; an image clipped to a police report. “Sebastian Grange”.Juliette’s brows lifted. “The hedge fund guy? The one you crushed during the Whitestone takeover?”He nodded. “I humiliated him pu