All Chapters of Ruthless Vows: The Billionaire Revenge: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

“You’re late.”Celeste iced at the warehouse doorway, trying no longer to reveal the nerves twisting in her belly. Eight people sat around a long metal table — leaders from both families. People who had risked everything to meet here in secret.“Traffic,” she lied.In truth, she had been standing outside for 10 minutes, wondering if coming here was a terrible mistake.Damien stood beside her. His hand brushed hers — a small, quiet way of saying I’m here.They walked to the table together. Every eye followed them. Some faces were cold, some curious. One woman’s glare felt sharp enough to shoot bullets.“Let us begin,” Celeste stated, pulling out a chair. The sound of it scraping towards the concrete ground echoed through the anxious silence.“This better be good,” Victor grumbled. He was old-school Kavanagh… mean, proud, and tired. “I didn’t come here to waste time.”“You came because you are tired of the war,” Celeste replied calmly. “Just like everyone else.”“We’re tired of your fam

"She's a traitor to both houses."The accusation rang through the council chamber. Celeste stood in the center of the room, hands tied at the back of her again, guards on either facet.Days had exceeded after the poisoning— days of hiding, fear, and not knowing who to trust.Now she is here. Dragged from her bed at dawn. Brought before a makeshift tribunal.Twelve people sat in judgment—six Kavanaghs, six Belmonts. All old guards. All powerful. All looking at her like she was dirt."The evidence is clear," said Marcus—her bodyguard, the man she'd trusted for years. He stood before the council, alive. Not captured by Rylan like she'd thought.That had been the first shock of the morning."She's been meeting with enemies of both families," Marcus said. "Planning to overthrow the order. Using forged documents to claim power that isn’t hers.""They’re not forged," Celeste said, voice steady though her heart raced."Silence," barked Gerard, a Belmont elder with gray hair and cold eyes. "Yo

"I did it to save you."Celeste’s mother stood in the private room. They had barely escaped the compound. Rylan’s attack had given them cover, and now they were in a safe house—or so her mother claimed."Save me from what?" Celeste demanded. Her hands shook, from anger, from fear, from everything."From the prophecy. From what they wanted to turn you into."Damien stood near the door, silent. His gun was ready, his eyes sharp. He hadn’t said much since they escaped—just watched, and listened."Start from the beginning," Celeste said. "No more lies."Her mother sat down. She appeared older than Celeste remembered, worn-out in a manner that made her chest ache."My name is Catherine. I was born in Kavanagh. Married into the Belmonts. That part was true.""And the rest?""I faked my death six years ago. Went underground. Joined the Belmont leadership and worked my way up until I became one of their top advisors.""Why?""Because they were planning something terrible. A project called Sil

“There’s another room.”Celeste pressed her palm against the wall. It sounded hollow — like something was hidden behind it.They were back inside the Belmont estate. Risky. Maybe even stupid. But Celeste needed answers.The flash drive had told her how she was made, but not why.“Are you sure?” Damien asked from the door. He was keeping watch. They’d broken in through a service tunnel two hours before dawn — the quietest time of night.“I’m sure. Help me find the trigger.”They both ran their hands across the old wooden panels. Feeling for a switch or button.Then Celeste found it — a small indent, barely visible. She pressed it.The wall clicked and slowly slid open, revealing a narrow hidden passage.“Of course there’s a secret passage,” Damien muttered. “Why am I not surprised?”They stepped inside. The tunnel was dark and narrow. Celeste turned on her phone flashlight.The air was cold. The walls were made of stone — old, maybe even older than the house itself.“Where do you think

"You wanted the truth. Here it is."Celeste stood in her mother’s office again.She shouldn’t have come. Subject Twelve had warned her not to.Her instincts had screamed don’t go.But she needed actual answers — now not half-truths or guesses.Her mom sat behind her grand table, calm as ever, like she had been expecting this moment."I’m listening," Celeste said quietly."Sit down first.""I’ll stand."Her mother gave a faint smile. "Still stubborn. You got that from me.""I didn’t come here to talk about that. I want the truth about Silent Crown. What it really is. What you did. And why.""Where do I start?""The beginning. And don’t lie to me. I’ll know."Her mother poured herself a drink. She didn’t offer Celeste one.Typical."The project started forty years ago," she began. "Three families — Kavanagh, Belmont, and Cross. We’d been killing each other for centuries. No one could stop it. So we tried something new."Celeste crossed her arms. "You decided to play god.""We decided to