Chapter 5 - THE MISTRESS’S VISIT
I was surprised when Celeste showed up at my office at noon.
She wasn't the glowing,
triumphant woman from the gala.
She looked haggard,
her eyes red-rimmed,
wearing a coat that looked a season too old.
Security tried to stop her,
but I signaled for them to let her in.
I wanted to see the wreckage for myself.
"He told me you were a monster,"
she said,
standing in the middle of my office.
"He told me you would take everything from him."
"I am taking back what belongs to me, Celeste,"
I said,
not rising from my chair.
"There is a difference."
She sat down,
her hand going to her stomach out of habit.
"I'm pregnant with his child,"
she lied,
her voice trembling.
"You can't leave us with nothing."
"You can stop the act, Celeste,"
I said,
sliding the medical report across the desk.
"I know about the IVF clinic."
"I know you aren't pregnant."
She froze,
her hand dropping from her waist.
The silence in the room was deafening.
"He...
he doesn't know?"
she whispered.
"Not yet,"
I said.
"But he will."
She looked at the report,
then at me,
a look of pure desperation in her eyes.
"I had to,"
she said.
"He was going to leave me."
"He said he couldn't leave you unless he had a reason the public would accept."
"He said he needed an heir to secure his place in the family."
I felt a wave of disgust.
Daniel hadn't just cheated,
he had planned a coup.
He wanted to use a child as a weapon to bypass the morality clause.
"You both deserve each other,"
I said.
"But you don't deserve the Bennett name."
"I'm filing criminal charges against Daniel for embezzlement."
"And since you were the recipient of the funds,
you're an accomplice."
She began to cry,
real,
ugly tears this time.
"Please, Maya.
I have nothing."
"I was a waitress when he met me."
"He promised me the world."
"He promised you my mother's world,"
I corrected her.
"I'll make you a deal, Celeste."
"Give me a full statement."
"Every conversation,
every plan,
every bank account he told you about."
"Do that,
and I'll leave you out of the criminal filing."
May you like
She didn't even hesitate.
"I'll tell you everything."
