enjoyebooks Chapter 15
Chapter 15
KAEL’S POV
That evening found me outside the Hestrel mansion, standing stiffly on the front steps, adjusting my tie with clammy fingers. The heavy air clung to my skin, dense with the scent of roses blooming too perfectly in the garden behind me.
I forced a deep breath into my lungs, steadying the storm inside me. Just hours ago, I’d stood in front of Celestina, desperate for forgiveness she refused to give, and now I was here—about to dine with the family that had orchestrated her attempted murder.
The irony stung.
Liora was still my fiancée. The title left a bitter taste in my mouth. Our engagement had always been transactional, a lifeline thrown to the crumbling Veridan estate. I had agreed to the terms knowing exactly what it meant. Duty. Sacrifice. Loveless nights and strategic smiles. Back then, it felt necessary. Now, it felt like a cage made of silk and gold.
The door swung open before I could knock. Governor Hestrel greeted me with a politician’s handshake—firm, warm, and utterly hollow.
“Kael, welcome,” he said, ushering me in with a gesture that carried decades of power behind it. “Liora’s waiting in the dining room.”
I nodded, forcing civility. “Thank you, sir.”
The foyer swallowed me in marble and grandeur. Each step echoed across the floor like a warning. Gilded frames of ancestors stared down at me with lifeless eyes. The wealth on display didn’t impress me; it suffocated me.
In the dining room, a grand chandelier hung overhead like an executioner’s blade. The mahogany table gleamed under its light, stretched long and imposing. Liora sat at the far end, a glass of red wine in her hand, her emerald dress sharp against her porcelain skin. Her expression tightened when she saw me.
“Kael,” she said, her tone clipped and cold. “You’re late.”
I offered a faint smile, sliding into the chair across from her. “My apologies.”
The distance between us wasn’t just physical. It was years of unspoken resentment, of calculated moves made without care for the other’s heart.
Dinner began with the practiced ease of people who lied for a living. Governor Hestrel asked about the estate, and I gave vague answers. Liora droned on about our engagement party—floral arrangements, venues, menus. I barely heard her. Every word sounded like static. My eyes flicked over the room, scanning for signs, clues—anything to confirm what I already suspected.
“And of course, we’ll need to finalize the guest list,” Liora said, drawing my attention back.
“Of course,” I replied, not missing a beat. But my mind wasn’t on the party. It was on Celestina. On the blood that had stained her gown. On the fear that had clung to her like a second skin.
When dessert was served, I forced down a spoonful of something sweet I couldn’t even taste. My body was present, but my soul had already begun drifting toward action.
The Hestrels excused themselves, retreating to the drawing room. Liora rose last, offering me a rehearsed smile. “I’ll be right back. Just going to powder my nose.”
I waited until her footsteps faded before standing. My heart pounded with every movement, my pulse thundering in my ears. I moved slowly, casually, until I reached the sideboard. That’s when I saw it—a leather folder tucked beneath a stack of innocuous papers.
Something about it pulled at me.
Glancing toward the hallway, I reached out and slid it free. The leather was warm to the touch, worn at the corners. I flipped it open—and everything inside me stilled.
The first page was a dossier. An assassination, years ago. Detailed logistics. Routes. Backup plans. It read like a military op sheet. The victim? A high-ranking official who had vanished under mysterious circumstances. The public never got answers.
My hands trembled as I turned the pages. Each one worse than the last. Recent files showed surveillance images—of the palace. Diagrams. Marked exits. Timelines. Contingency plans. Then I saw it—the blueprint of the attack on Celestina. The exact formation. The exact moment they’d struck.
My throat tightened, nausea rising.
This was it. The smoking gun.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Panic clawed up my spine. I fumbled for my phone, snapping picture after picture, not bothering with angles or clarity. Just proof. I emailed everything to Celestina. Her private inbox—the one she used as Zorina. She’d know what to do. She had to.
The footsteps grew louder.
I shoved the folder back into place, heart hammering against my ribs like it wanted out. I turned, wiping the sweat from my palms onto my slacks.
Then I heard her.
“Kael,” Liora’s voice rang out, sharp and unmistakable. “What the hell are you doing there?!”
I froze.