She’d endured us. Lived among us. Fallen for us. And all the while, I plotted her downfall. When I finally thought I had proof, it all unraveled. And once I took my head out of my ass, I realized she wasn’t guilty - she’d never been guilty. Through every accusation, every betrayal, she had carried Harringday with honor. She’d fought for us, even when we hadn’t deserved it. She’d led with vision, and despite every scar we carried, every horrible thing we’d done for her - she had cared for us, for our pack, as if we were already hers.
So it was only right that I give her something back. Something that was hers - truly hers - to build and lead with the same strength she was born for.
The look in her eyes when she understood what I had done was worth more than any fortune, more than any vengeance I’d ever craved. She held my hand, and in that single touch, I knew. My biology had known from the start, and my heart had finally caught up. She was it. She was the one.
Celeste turned then, facing the stunned board. Their murmurs buzzed like static until one voice rose above the others, trembling with disbelief.
“Celeste… is this true?”
“Yes,” she said clearly, her voice steady as steel. “Pack Lockwood blackmailed me into the courtship, to save their reputations. Theentire time I was with them, it was never real. Not then.” Her statement, now the final key to a true blending of leadership, also sent a shock through the room.
Celeste turned to me, giving me a smile. “Mutually assured destruction, remember?” I squeezed her hand. This woman was my soulmate, my perfect match, and I couldn't believe I’d denied it for so long.
Vigo stepped forward. “I have a copy of the contracts we signed. This paperwork states that in the event we, Pack Lockwood, ever release the Tedena papers, Celeste gets a stake in our company. There would be the creation of a board for Manticore Tech, with Celeste as one of the members. And on our side,” He said, victoriously reading from the agreement we’d made so long ago, “If she were to publicly state that our PR courtship wasn’t real, then we get an equal stake in Harringday, as well as a seat on the Harringday board. These were agreed upon by all parties, including Gideon and witnessed by the Harringday family lawyer.” He put the contract down on the table.
The board was silent, and Gideon’s face was pale as he realized the implications.
“So, since we now have a seat on the board, as per the contract. I think it’s only right that we assign someone to be the deciding vote on whether to keep Celeste as CEO.” Liam said, with a winning smile.
“I think Dante would be a fantastic choice.” Celeste said, looking at me with the most beautiful expression of trust.
“I agree. Pack Lockwood would like to officially nominate Dante as the newest board member of Harringday, as per the agreement. Dante, would you like to do the honors?” Vigo asked.
I looked at Gideon, the one who was behind the order to massacre my people in Arkala. The one who was behind so much pain and suffering. The one who almost got in the way of me finding Celeste, our missing piece.
“I vote for Celeste to stay on as CEO.” And with that, I broke the tie, shifting the vote to her favor.
The room was in an uproar.
“This cannot be accepted!” Gideon screamed, slamming his hands down on the podium. “Your whole charade isn’t even valid. Your little show of documents and agreements in the privacy of a closed room board meeting doesn’t count!” He yelled, and Celeste rolled her eyes at him.
“Legally, it does. The Tedena papers are public now, already released to the press along with the contract that, might I remind you,yousigned off on as well. The documents state as much and legally will be shown as valid. Whether you accept it now, or later, it makes no difference.” She stepped forward, all confidence and power as he stood across from her uncle. “It’s over, Gideon.” She said, her words final.
“You can’t be serious!” He said, looking around for support. Then, he lost any and all remaining threads of control. His facecontorted as he realized he’d lost the board, and was soon to lose everything else.
“I’ll fucking kill you. And all of them. You know I can do it. You have no evidence that I did anything!” He threatened, and I growled, moving to shield Celeste as she shook her head.
“No. There’s one thing you forgot, uncle.” Celeste pulled her phone out of her blazer pocket. “I always come prepared.” She stepped forward, the camera lens of the phone pointing toward him, as it had been the entire time the phone was peeking out of her pocket.
His eyes widened. “What did you-”
She gave him one of her award winning, celebrity, heiress smiles. “I’ve been streaming this live since before we got into this room. Say hi to the world, Gideon.”
He froze, the color draining from his face. His mouth opened, then snapped shut, and for the first time, it seemed that he finally was at a loss for words as the reality of his situation set in. Celeste Harringday was a social media star. She had millions of followers, who hung on her every word.
Gideon could get away with his sins behind closed doors, even threatening board members in private, but he could never get away with his plans with the eyes of the world on him - with the entire Eastern and Western province watching it all play out.
He looked around wildly, realizing that everything he’d fought for all these years was crashing down around him. The manipulator, the actor, the man who had been pulling the strings to take down Celeste all this time, was about to be undone by the very stage he thought he owned.
The boardroom was chaos - voices raised, papers scattered, Gideon’s mask cracking with every passing second. I could smell the fury rolling off him, sharp and poisonous, like acid searing the air. He knew he had lost.
Then, his hand moved inside his jacket. I knew he might do something desperate like this. And I was right - he pulled out a pistol, aiming it right at me and Celeste.
My instincts roared as time slowed down, my body acting instinctively as I shielded Celeste with my body. I felt my pack through the bonds, ready to spring into action and tear him apart.
But before he could even level it, Sterling was there, swiftly gripping Gideon’s wrist with such precision that I was shocked. He twisted his wrist hard, the gun falling and skittering across the table. Gideon snarled, spitting curses, but Sterling didn’t flinch. With a practiced motion, he popped the magazine free and let it clatter to the wood. Empty.
My chest heaved as the realization hit me - Sterling had already stripped the bullets before this meeting even began. He’d anticipated Gideon’s desperation.
