Chapter 5 - Trapped in the Shadows
Celeste didn't hesitate. She abandoned all thought of stealth, grabbed her skirt, and sprinted through the library doors, her heart pounding in her throat.
Behind her, heavy footsteps thundered across the hardwood floor.
"Catch her!" Bianca screamed. "She heard everything!"
Celeste burst into the main hallway, her eyes searching frantically for safety. The grand foyer was empty; Oscar and the guards were stationed at the perimeter gates outside. She ran toward the grand staircase, taking the steps two at a time, her breath coming in ragged, terrified gasps.
As she reached the top landing, a hand lunged from the shadows, grabbing her arm with a vise-like grip!
Celeste gasped, preparing to fight for her life, but a familiar face pulled her into the dark alcove beside a massive oil painting.
It was Finley.
"Celeste? What's wrong?!" Finley asked, his eyes wide with confusion and concern. "Why are you running? Why are you trembling like that?"
Celeste grabbed Finley’s shoulders, her hands shaking violently. "Finley! Listen to me very carefully! Your wife... Bianca... she is working with the Vulkovs!"
Finley stared at her, his face going completely blank with shock before settling into disbelief. "What? What are you talking about? Bianca loves me! She's my wife!"
"She is poisoning your brother!" Celeste cried out, her voice a desperate whisper. "She has been putting thallium in Elias’s tea for six months! I found Victor Vulkov in the study downstairs just now! They are planning to assassinate Elias tonight!"
"That's... that's impossible," Finley stammered, shaking his head in denial, tears welling in his eyes. "No... Bianca wouldn't... she wouldn't do that to us..."
Before Celeste could convince him further, heavy footsteps rounded the corner of the staircase. Two large men in dark suits with broad shoulders and cold, killer eyes stepped onto the second-floor landing. Guns equipped with silver silencers were drawn in their hands.
"There she is," one of the men growled, pointing his weapon directly at Celeste. "Boss said no loose ends."
Finley’s eyes widened in horror as he recognized the men—they were high-level Vulkov enforcers. The reality of Celeste’s words crashed into his mind like a physical blow.
"Run, Celeste!" Finley yelled, bravely throwing his body into the path of the first enforcer, tackling him around the waist!
"Finley!" Celeste screamed.
"Go to Elias! Protect my brother!" Finley roared as he wrestled the gunman on the floor.
Celeste didn't look back. She sprinted down the corridor, burst into the master suite, and slammed the heavy oak door shut, locking every deadbolt with trembling hands.
Elias was standing near the window, wearing a crisp black suit, fully dressed for the first time in months. His eyes snapped to her pale, terrified face.
"Celeste! What happened?"
"They're here!" she gasped, running into his arms, her body shaking as she held onto his chest. "Bianca... she's Victor Vulkov’s agent! The Vulkovs are inside the house! They have guns, Elias!"
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Elias wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against his firm, solid frame. The cold, terrifying aura of the legendary mafia Chairman flared to life around him like an inferno.
"They picked the wrong night to strike," Elias whispered coldly, kissing the top of her head. "Because the ghost is fully awake."
