Chapter 11 - Delaney Had One Choice
Celeste Ror entered the mansion carrying white roses.
That detail disturbed Delaney more than a weapon would have.
The woman was thirty-one.
Elegant.
Blonde.
Perfect coat.
Perfect posture.
The kind of person who looked as though winter had been arranged around her for aesthetic purposes.
She stopped in the foyer when she saw federal agents.
Then smiled.
"Busy evening."
Emmett stood at the top of the staircase.
Lily remained behind Sloan.
"Celeste."
His voice held no warmth.
Celeste looked up.
"Brother."
Delaney watched her face carefully.
No fear.
No surprise.
"Where's Marco?" Celeste asked.
Emmett's expression hardened.
That was the mistake.
She knew Marco was involved before anyone told her.
Sloan saw it too.
"Celeste Ror," she said, stepping forward. "Federal agent Rachel Sloan."
Celeste looked at her badge.
"Do you have a warrant?"
"Not yet."
"Then unless my brother invited you—"
"I did," Emmett said.
Celeste's smile disappeared.
Nolan had been moved to the sitting room, where a medic treated him.
Delaney stayed beside him.
She didn't want to leave.
But the moment Celeste appeared, Nolan whispered, "That's her."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"She visited me."
Delaney stared.
"While you were captive?"
"Twice."
"Why?"
"She wanted the ledger."
"Did you give it?"
"No."
Nolan smiled weakly.
"Married to a stubborn woman. It rubbed off."
Delaney almost cried.
Celeste entered the room.
Her gaze immediately found Nolan.
"Mr. Cross."
Delaney stood between them.
"Stay away."
Celeste looked at Delaney's stomach.
Recognition flickered.
"So you are pregnant."
Delaney's blood chilled.
"How did you know?"
Celeste ignored the question.
Emmett entered behind her.
"You've been tracking Delaney."
"No."
"Nolan says otherwise."
Celeste sighed.
"Nolan has been held captive and assaulted. His perception may be unreliable."
Nolan laughed.
"You used the same perfume."
Celeste's eyes sharpened.
"I could smell it before they took the hood off."
Sloan entered.
"You're going to answer questions."
Celeste looked at Emmett.
"You're letting federal agents interrogate family?"
"Family doesn't kidnap family witnesses."
"Did I kidnap anyone?"
"Marco worked for you."
"Marco worked for you."
That was true.
Celeste's composure returned.
"Victor manipulated your security chief. Vale manipulated the accountant. Now everyone needs a larger villain, so naturally the inconvenient sister becomes useful."
Delaney watched Emmett.
He wanted to believe her.
That was obvious.
Family had gravity, even in broken households.
Then Nolan spoke.
"Tell him about Eleanor."
Celeste's face changed.
Tiny.
But enough.
Emmett noticed.
"What about our mother?"
"Nothing."
"Celeste."
She looked at him.
For the first time, emotion entered her voice.
"Do you really want this conversation in front of strangers?"
"Nolan nearly died."
"So did Mother."
Silence.
Celeste looked at the floor.
"She trusted the wrong people."
"Did you know about Winter Account?"
"Yes."
Emmett went still.
"How?"
"Mother told me."
"When?"
"The week before she died."
Emmett stared.
"You were nineteen."
"And you were twenty-two and busy trying to impress Father."
The accusation landed hard.
Celeste continued.
"Mother knew Father was using Ror companies for trafficking and weapons. She collected evidence."
"We know."
"No, you know the cleaned-up version."
Her voice sharpened.
"She didn't just collect evidence. She recruited people. Paid informants. Threatened corrupt officials. Built leverage."
"To expose Father."
"At first."
Nolan shook his head.
"Don't rewrite her."
Celeste turned toward him.
"You knew her for one night."
"My father worked for her."
"Your father got her killed."
Nolan went pale.
Delaney looked at him.
"What?"
Celeste continued.
"Thomas Cross panicked. He tried to take Eleanor to federal agents. Vale intercepted them."
Emmett's fists clenched.
"Who killed her?"
Celeste looked at him.
"Father."
The room went silent.
Emmett's face became empty.
"No."
"You always knew."
"No."
"You just preferred Victor because he was easier to hate."
Emmett took one step toward her.
Sloan moved between them.
Celeste laughed bitterly.
"There he is. Father's son."
Emmett stopped.
The words worked better than any weapon.
Delaney understood then that Celeste knew exactly where to cut him.
Nolan whispered, "She's telling part of the truth."
Delaney looked down.
"Which part?"
"Emmett's father probably ordered Eleanor killed."
"Then what is Celeste hiding?"
"The last twelve years."
Celeste turned to leave.
Sloan blocked her.
"You aren't going anywhere."
"Am I under arrest?"
"Not yet."
"Then move."
Nolan spoke louder.
"The Winter Account payments didn't stop after Eleanor died."
Celeste froze.
Everyone looked at him.
Nolan continued.
"They increased."
Emmett stared at his sister.
"Celeste."
She remained facing the door.
"Nolan traced authorization codes," he said. "They used Eleanor's credentials."
Celeste slowly turned.
"So?"
"Those credentials required biometric confirmation after 2016."
Her face changed.
Nolan looked at Emmett.
"Someone recreated her access under a successor identity."
Emmett's voice was barely audible.
"Whose?"
Nolan stared at Celeste.
"CR-02."
Emmett closed his eyes.
"Celeste Ror. Second child."
Celeste's composure finally cracked.
Sloan stepped closer.
"You continued Winter Account."
Celeste turned on Emmett.
"Somebody had to."
"Why?"
"Because you were weak!"
The shout startled everyone.
Celeste's eyes filled with furious tears.
"You thought cleaning the legal companies would make Father's enemies disappear? You thought closing routes meant men like Victor would politely retire?"
"I was dismantling it."
"You were exposing us."
"So you kept it alive?"
"I controlled it."
"By kidnapping Nolan?"
"To prevent a war!"
Nolan laughed painfully.
"You caused one."
Celeste looked at him with hatred.
"You found things you weren't meant to find."
Delaney stepped in front of Nolan.
"Touch him again and I promise the FBI will be the least of your problems."
Celeste looked at her.
Then unexpectedly smiled.
"I understand why he loves you."
Delaney felt no compliment in it.
Sloan reached for handcuffs.
Celeste moved.
Too quickly.
She grabbed the lamp.
Threw it.
Darkness.
Again.
A side door slammed.
Agents chased.
Emmett rushed after them.
Delaney stayed with Nolan.
Then his hand tightened around hers.
"Delaney."
"What?"
"She has one more thing."
"What?"
"The original Winter Account ledger."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"Why does it matter?"
"Because it names everyone."
"Then Sloan can use the copies."
"No."
Nolan swallowed.
"The copies are evidence."
He looked toward the doorway Celeste had escaped through.
"The original is insurance."
"Against who?"
"Everyone."
Delaney understood.
Judges.
Police.
Politicians.
Criminals.
If Celeste released it indiscriminately, the city wouldn't simply see prosecutions.
It would see panic.
Retaliation.
People destroying evidence.
Witnesses disappearing.
Emmett returned minutes later.
Celeste had escaped through an old service tunnel.
Sloan looked furious.
Emmett looked devastated.
Then his phone buzzed.
A message from Celeste.
COME ALONE TOMORROW. OR I RELEASE EVERYTHING.
Attached was a second photograph.
Eleanor Ror.
Alive.
Dated three weeks after her supposed death.
Emmett stared.
Nolan struggled upright.
"That's impossible."
Delaney looked at Emmett.
His mother had supposedly been dead for twelve years.
Yet the photograph suggested something far more dangerous.
Either the woman in the picture was not Eleanor—
or someone had lied about her death from the beginning.
May you like
And Celeste knew exactly where the truth was buried.
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