All Chapters of LOVE AGAINST LEGACY: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Chapter 11CELESTE POINT OF VIEWDinner sits untouched between us, steam rising from plates of food neither of us wants to eat. The dining room feels huge for just two people, the long table stretching between us like a canyon I can't cross. I watch Adrian push salmon around his plate, his mind clearly somewhere else.Somewhere that isn't here with me.A clock ticks somewhere in the house, marking seconds of silence that feel like hours. Forks scrape against china. Wine glasses empty and fill again. Small sounds that seem loud in the absence of any real conversation."You're quieter than usual tonight," I say finally, my voice soft but pointed.Adrian looks up, startled, like he forgot I was sitting across from him. "Am I? Just tired, I suppose.""You've been 'just tired' for weeks now." I keep my tone gentle, though the words themselves cut. "Almost since we came back from our honeymoon."His fingers tighten around his fork. A tiny tell, but I've become an expert at reading his face

Chapter 13ADRIAN POINT OF VIEW My phone won't stop buzzing. Notifications pour in messages, calls, emails, alerts, a digital nightmare that started at 5:43 AM and shows no sign of stopping. I sit on the edge of my bed, dawn barely breaking outside, scrolling through the chaos with terror clawing up my throat.The headline blazes from my screen like fire: "LANCASTER LEGACY: DYNASTY BUILT ON DECEPTION?"Marcus Dane's byline beneath it feels like a death sentence.I skim the article, my heart hammering so hard I think it might explode. Vague accusations. Unnamed sources. Hints about "long-buried secrets" and "questionable business practices" and "personal scandals hidden from public view." Nothing specific enough to sue over, yet damaging enough to destroy everything.The stock is already dropping. The damage control team already scrambling.My hands shake as I count six missed calls from the PR director.The bedroom door opens. Celeste enters, already dressed, phone in hand. Her face

Chapter 15CELESTE POINT OF VIEW I didn't mean to snoop. The drawer was partially open, a corner of paper sticking out like an invitation. I only meant to push it closed while organizing Adrian's desk, a task he never asked me to do, but one I took on during these strange, tense days after that newspaper article.But the paper caught, dragging out several others, spilling them across the polished surface. And there among business documents and meeting agendas lay a photograph that caught my attention.Adrian, smiling with a dark-haired man with striking features. Both hold drinks, a cityscape visible behind them on what looks like a rooftop bar. They look relaxed, casual, like colleagues unwinding after a successful day.I pick up the photo, studying it carefully. Nothing unusual about it, just two professionals enjoying drinks. But I realize I know so little about Adrian's work friendships, his life before our marriage. The genuine smile on his face makes me ache because I rarely se

Chapter 17CELESTE POINT OF VIEW The ballroom of the Whitehall Hotel glitters with wealth and power, bankers, politicians, celebrities, old money and new all gathered under the pretense of charity while conducting the real business of social influence. As Adrian and I enter, conversation stops for a moment, heads turning to watch the Lancaster heir and his bride making a rare public appearance together.I feel Adrian's arm tense under my hand. I squeeze gently, a silent promise that we'll face this together. Strange how our roles have flipped, him nervous, me steady when so often in our marriage it's been the opposite."Lancaster stock dropped seventeen points today," I murmur, smiling for the cameras that track our every move across the room. "Let's see if we can bring it back by midnight."The challenge brings a real smile to Adrian's face, and my heart skips because I so rarely see him look genuinely happy. "Never underestimate the power of society gossip on market confidence."We

Chapter 19ELIAS POINT OF VIEW Rain hammers against the cabin windows, drops racing down glass like tears. I pace the small living room, checking my watch again. 8:42 PM. Adrian is late. Adrian is never late.Unless he's not coming at all.The thought sends fresh panic through me. After watching that gala footage, after seeing Adrian with his wife, doubt has taken root in places I thought were sealed by trust. Has he changed his mind? Chosen the safer path of his marriage? Decided I'm not worth the risk?Headlights sweep across the walls suddenly, a car approaching through the storm. I move to the window, peering through rain-blurred glass at the vehicle pulling up outside. Relief floods through me as I recognize Adrian's car, followed immediately by the tension of what's about to happen.I open the door before he can knock. We stand facing each other across the threshold—Adrian soaked from the dash from car to porch, water dripping from his hair, his clothes, his eyelashes. For a mo