Chapter 12 - The Enemy Who Shared Her Blood

Celeste Harrington spent the next two days hiding from cameras.

The lobby video had gone viral.

Millions watched her drag Charlotte across the Solmere floor.

Sponsors canceled contracts.

Charities removed her name.

Society friends stopped answering calls.

Richard abandoned her publicly.

Victor did not.

Charlotte found Celeste alone inside Victor’s penthouse.

Celeste stood beside the windows drinking wine.

“You came to celebrate?”

“No.”

Charlotte placed a birth certificate on the table.

Celeste glanced at it.

Then froze.

Mother.

Caroline Vale.

Celeste looked up.

“What is this?”

“The truth.”

“You forged it.”

“I thought you might say that.”

Charlotte placed a DNA report beside it.

Celeste read silently.

Her hands began shaking.

“No.”

“Eleanor had samples stored from the family medical archive.”

“No.”

“Victor Harrington isn’t your father.”

Celeste threw the papers across the room.

“Get out.”

Charlotte did not move.

“He lied to you for thirty years.”

“You don’t know anything about him.”

“He helped murder my father.”

Celeste turned.

“You’re insane.”

“He helped imprison my mother.”

“Your mother is dead.”

“She’s alive.”

That stopped Celeste.

Charlotte showed her a photograph taken twelve hours earlier.

Eleanor sitting in a secure federal hospital.

Celeste’s face collapsed.

For the first time, Charlotte saw something beneath the arrogance.

A frightened girl.

Celeste whispered.

“Victor told me Eleanor caused my mother’s death.”

“He lied.”

“He said your mother abandoned Caroline.”

“She spent years trying to find you.”

Celeste sat down.

Charlotte remained across from her.

“You hated me before you even met me.”

Celeste laughed bitterly.

“I was taught to.”

“By Victor.”

“Yes.”

Silence stretched between them.

Charlotte thought of the lobby.

Her scraped hands.

The bruise.

Her humiliation.

Forgiveness did not arrive magically because they shared blood.

But truth did something else.

It changed the battlefield.

Celeste finally spoke.

“What do you want?”

“Victor’s private records.”

“You think he leaves evidence around me?”

“I think men like Victor never believe women are paying attention.”

Celeste looked at her.

Charlotte continued.

“You’ve attended every dinner.”

“Every meeting.”

“You’ve listened while they ignored you.”

Celeste’s expression slowly changed.

Charlotte knew that look.

Recognition.

Celeste stood.

“There is a safe in his bedroom.”

“What’s inside?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can you open it?”

“Yes.”

Charlotte waited.

Celeste poured the wine into the sink.

Then she looked at Charlotte.

“If I do this, I’m not doing it for you.”

“Fine.”

“I’m doing it for my mother.”

Charlotte nodded.

“That’s enough.”

Celeste opened the safe at midnight.

Inside were passports.

Cash.

Company seals.

And a black notebook.

She opened it.

The first page contained names.

Judges.

Police officers.

Politicians.

Board members.

Beside several names were dollar amounts.

Then Celeste reached the final page.

Her face turned white.

Charlotte looked over her shoulder.

At the bottom was an entry dated six days earlier.

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CHARLOTTE VALE.

STATUS: TERMINATE BEFORE BOARD VOTE.