Chapter 18: The Woman Behind the Curtain
Chapter 18: The Woman Behind the Curtain
The name echoed through the darkness.
Celeste Monroe.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone remembered her.
The woman who stood beside Damian.
The woman who laughed while Evelyn suffered.
The woman who believed she had finally won.
Yet somehow...
She was still involved.
The emergency lights flickered back on.
Agent Brooks immediately turned toward the security team.
"Find her."
Two officers moved toward the exit.
But Richard stopped them.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
"Why?"
Richard's expression was serious.
"Because if Celeste wanted to hide..."
"She would already be gone."
Evelyn stared at the blank screen.
Her mind was racing.
Celeste.
Victor.
Amelia.
Damian.
Richard.
Too many secrets.
Too many lies.
Too many people who claimed they were protecting her.
And every single one of them had hidden something.
"Tell me the truth."
Evelyn looked at Amelia.
Her voice was calm.
But everyone could hear the pain beneath it.
"What did you know about Celeste?"
Amelia lowered her eyes.
"I knew her."
Evelyn's expression hardened.
"How?"
Amelia hesitated.
"Because Celeste's family worked for Victor."
Silence.
"Her family?"
Jonathan asked.
Amelia nodded.
"Her father was one of Victor Kane's earliest partners."
"He helped build the network that eventually controlled Cross Capital."
Evelyn looked confused.
"Then why was Celeste with Damian?"
Richard answered.
"Because Victor needed someone close to him."
Everyone understood.
A spy.
"She wasn't Damian's mistress."
Richard continued.
"Not really."
"She was Victor's eyes."
At the detention center...
Damian watched the same footage.
When Celeste's name appeared...
His expression changed.
"No."
Victoria Hale looked at him.
"You finally understand."
Damian stood.
"She used me."
Victoria nodded.
"Yes."
For the first time...
Damian looked genuinely hurt.
Not angry.
Not offended.
Betrayed.
"I trusted her."
Victoria looked at him.
"You trusted someone who told you what you wanted to hear."
A pause.
"Just like you did with everyone."
The words were painful.
Because Damian knew they were true.
Back at the abandoned factory...
Evelyn walked toward Richard.
"Where is Celeste?"
Richard shook his head.
"I don't know."
"You know everything."
"No."
His voice became serious.
"I know the past."
"Celeste belongs to the present."
Agent Brooks received a notification.
She checked her device.
Then her face changed.
"What?"
Jonathan asked.
She looked up.
"Celeste Monroe disappeared."
"From where?"
"Everywhere."
She showed them the report.
"Her apartment is empty."
"Her bank accounts are closed."
"Her identity records were altered."
Evelyn frowned.
"Someone erased her."
Brooks nodded.
"Exactly."
Amelia looked at the screen.
A strange expression crossed her face.
Fear.
Evelyn noticed.
"You know something."
Amelia didn't answer.
"Mom."
The word came out naturally.
The first time Evelyn had used it.
Amelia looked at her.
And for a moment...
Everything stopped.
Then Evelyn continued:
"Tell me."
Amelia took a deep breath.
"Celeste was never important."
Everyone looked confused.
"She was a messenger."
"For who?"
Amelia looked at Evelyn.
"The person Victor fears."
The room became silent.
Victor Kane feared someone?
Impossible.
He was the man who controlled everything.
"Who?"
Amelia whispered:
"Alexander Cross."
Everyone froze.
"He's dead."
Amelia nodded.
"Yes."
"That's why Victor was afraid."
Richard stepped forward.
"Explain."
Amelia looked at the old factory walls.
"Alexander knew Victor was dangerous."
"So he created a plan."
"A plan that would continue even after his death."
Evelyn remembered the messages.
The documents.
The hidden files.
The succession agreement.
Everything.
Alexander had planned for this.
"Then why didn't he tell me?"
Amelia looked at her.
"Because he didn't know who he could trust."
A pause.
"Not even me."
Suddenly...
The factory doors opened.
Everyone turned.
A security officer entered.
"Agent Brooks."
"What happened?"
The officer looked nervous.
"We found something."
He handed her a small device.
A recording.
Brooks activated it.
A man's voice filled the room.
Alexander Cross.
"If this recording is playing..."
"Then my plan failed."
Everyone froze.
"Victor Kane is more dangerous than anyone understands."
"But there is one person he cannot control."
A pause.
"My son."
Damian.
Everyone looked surprised.
Alexander continued:
"Damian will make mistakes."
"He will hurt people."
"He will lose himself."
"But deep inside, he still has the ability to choose differently."
Evelyn closed her eyes.
Because she remembered Damian before everything changed.
The man who loved her.
The man who protected her.
The man who became someone else.
Alexander's voice continued:
"If Damian and Evelyn ever stand together..."
"Then Victor Kane loses."
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Jonathan finally whispered:
"He planned this."
Richard nodded.
"Yes."
"Alexander knew the only way to defeat Victor..."
"Was to unite the two people Victor had spent years separating."
At that moment...
A phone rang.
Everyone looked.
It was Evelyn's phone.
Unknown number.
She answered.
No one spoke.
Then a voice.
Damian.
"Evelyn."
Everyone became silent.
"What happened?"
His voice was different.
Not arrogant.
Not controlling.
Just exhausted.
"I found something."
"What?"
"A file."
"From my father."
Evelyn listened.
"It contains the final piece."
"What piece?"
A pause.
"The identity of the person who ordered everything."
Evelyn's heart tightened.
"Who?"
Damian's voice became quiet.
"The person who killed my father."
A long silence.
Then he said:
"The person who destroyed your family."
The factory lights suddenly flickered.
A new message appeared on the main screen.
Everyone turned.
A live video feed.
A woman sitting in a dark room.
Elegant.
Calm.
Smiling.
Celeste Monroe.
But she looked different.
Powerful.
Confident.
No fear.
No desperation.
She looked like someone who had finally stopped pretending.
"Hello, Evelyn."
Evelyn stared.
"Celeste."
Celeste smiled.
"You spent so much time looking for monsters."
A pause.
"But you never looked at the person standing closest to you."
The camera moved slightly.
Another figure appeared beside her.
Everyone froze.
Because the person standing next to Celeste...
Was someone nobody expected.
A man.
Older.
Gray hair.
Wearing a dark suit.
Alive.
Richard stepped back.
"No."
Amelia covered her mouth.
Jonathan whispered:
"Impossible."
Because the man on the screen...
Was the person everyone believed had died five years ago.
The founder of Cross Capital.
The man whose death started everything.
Alexander Cross.
Evelyn couldn't breathe.
Her father-in-law.
The dead man who left behind a mystery.
The man whose secrets had destroyed an empire.
Was alive.
Alexander looked directly into the camera.
And spoke one sentence:
"Evelyn..."
"I'm sorry."
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Then the screen went black.
And the entire world changed again.
