CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 5
Celeste Monroeâs Last Move
Celeste Monroe had always believed she understood people.
That was her greatest talent.
And her greatest weakness.
She could read a room within seconds.
She knew who wanted approval.
Who wanted money.
Who wanted power.
Who wanted to be admired.
She knew exactly which words to say and when to say them.
A compliment here.
A little sympathy there.
A carefully placed secret.
That was how Celeste climbed.
Not through hard work.
Not through loyalty.
Through understanding people's weaknesses.
For years, it worked.
Until she met someone whose weakness was bigger than everyone else's.
Nathan Ashford.
Nathan did not need love.
He needed worship.
And Celeste gave him exactly what he wanted.
At least, that was what she thought.
The first time Celeste met Nathan, she immediately recognized something.
He was not like other wealthy men.
Other powerful men knew they needed people.
Nathan believed people needed him.
That difference fascinated her.
He walked into meetings expecting everyone to agree.
He entered rooms believing they belonged to him.
He never asked:
"How can I succeed?"
He asked:
"Who is standing in my way?"
Celeste saw opportunity.
A man like Nathan could be dangerous.
But a man like Nathan could also be controlled.
All she needed to do was become the one person who never challenged him.
The one person who always understood him.
The one person who made him feel like a king.
And kings rewarded those who made them feel powerful.
For two years, Celeste played her role perfectly.
She became Nathan's advisor.
His confidante.
His escape.
When Nathan complained about the pressure of running Ashford Global Logistics, Celeste listened.
When he complained about me, Celeste agreed.
Not immediately.
That would have been too obvious.
She was smarter than that.
She started slowly.
"Maybe she doesn't understand your responsibilities."
"Maybe she doesn't appreciate how much you sacrifice."
"Maybe she doesn't see the pressure you carry."
Every sentence sounded supportive.
But every sentence planted a seed.
Nathan did the rest.
Because narcissistic people do not need enemies.
They only need someone to confirm what they already believe.
The night Nathan was arrested, Celeste learned something important.
She had never been his partner.
She had been his shield.
And shields were disposable.
After leaving the interrogation center, Nathan's lawyer called her.
The first thing he said was not:
"Are you safe?"
Not:
"Are you okay?"
It was:
"Mr. Ashford needs your cooperation."
Celeste stopped walking.
"My cooperation?"
"Yes."
She smiled bitterly.
"Interesting."
The lawyer hesitated.
"Ms. Monroeâ"
"No."
Her voice became colder.
"Let me guess."
She looked through the hotel window at the city below.
"Nathan needs me to explain everything."
Silence.
"He needs me to say I handled the accounts."
Silence.
"He needs me to say I acted alone."
The lawyer did not answer.
He didn't need to.
Celeste already knew.
Nathan was sacrificing her.
Exactly as she would have sacrificed him.
That night, Celeste opened every file she had collected.
At first, she told herself it was insurance.
Everyone in Nathan's world kept insurance.
Executives.
Lawyers.
Business partners.
Nobody trusted anyone.
But deep down, she knew the truth.
She had always known.
She collected evidence because she never believed Nathan would protect her.
She simply hoped he would need her long enough.
Now she realized something.
Nathan had never needed her.
He had only needed what she provided.
Information.
Excuses.
A person to blame.
The next morning, Celeste visited Ashford Global Logistics headquarters.
For the first time in years, nobody opened the door for her.
The security guard stopped her.
"Identification?"
Celeste stared.
He had never asked before.
Everyone knew her.
Everyone knew she walked through those doors beside Nathan.
She slowly removed her access card.
The guard scanned it.
A red light appeared.
ACCESS DENIED.
That small sound destroyed something inside her.
Not because of the door.
Because of what it represented.
Yesterday, she belonged here.
Today, she was nobody.
The world moved quickly.
People loved powerful people.
But they loved abandoned powerful people even less.
Inside the building, employees avoided eye contact.
Some looked afraid.
Some looked satisfied.
Some looked at her with disgust.
Celeste noticed.
She noticed everything.
A woman who spent years manipulating others was very good at recognizing when people were judging her.
She entered Nathan's former office.
The nameplate was already gone.
That shocked her.
Not the investigation.
Not the accusations.
The speed.
How quickly they removed him.
How quickly the world erased him.
A company that Nathan spent twenty years building had forgotten him in one day.
That was when Celeste finally understood.
Power was not ownership.
Power was permission.
And permission could be revoked.
That afternoon, Celeste met with federal investigators.
She walked into the room carrying a folder.
The same kind of folder Nathan believed could never exist.
Inside:
Bank transfers.
Emails.
Private messages.
Company records.
Everything.
The investigator looked at her.
"Why are you giving us this?"
Celeste sat down.
Because she knew honesty was useless here.
Nobody would believe she was suddenly a good person.
So she gave them the only thing they respected.
A reason.
"Because Nathan Ashford was planning to destroy me."
The investigator raised an eyebrow.
"You were his partner."
Celeste looked away.
"Yes."
A pause.
"That's why I know exactly what he was capable of."
The investigator opened the folder.
"Are you admitting involvement?"
Celeste remained silent.
Because she understood the game.
The truth was not about innocence.
It was about survival.
Finally, she said:
"I'm admitting that Nathan Ashford was never the man people thought he was."
Meanwhile, Nathan received news that changed everything.
His lawyer entered the detention room.
Nathan immediately stood.
"Finally."
The lawyer did not sit.
That bothered Nathan.
Everyone sat when speaking to him.
"What happened?"
The lawyer placed a document on the table.
"Nathan."
A pause.
"You need to prepare yourself."
Nathan frowned.
"For what?"
The lawyer looked at him.
"Celeste made a deal."
Silence.
For several seconds, Nathan simply stared.
Then he laughed.
"No."
The lawyer said nothing.
"She wouldn't."
Another laugh.
"She knows what happens if she betrays me."
The lawyer's expression did not change.
"She already did."
Nathan's face slowly hardened.
"What did she give them?"
The lawyer looked down.
"Everything."
The word echoed.
Everything.
The accounts.
The meetings.
The conversations.
The plans.
Every secret.
Every crime.
Nathan sat down.
For the first time, he looked exhausted.
Not angry.
Not powerful.
Just tired.
Because betrayal hurt him differently.
Nathan could accept enemies.
He could accept competition.
But he could not accept that someone he considered his possession had acted independently.
That night, Nathan sat alone in his cell.
No phone.
No assistants.
No employees.
No Celeste.
No one.
For the first time in decades, he had nothing.
Then a guard appeared.
"You have a visitor."
Nathan looked up.
"Who?"
The guard hesitated.
"She didn't give a name."
Nathan stood.
Maybe his lawyer.
Maybe an ally.
Maybe someone coming to save him.
Hope returned for half a second.
Then he entered the visitation room.
And froze.
Because the person waiting there was not someone from his world.
It was me.
I sat across from Nathan.
The glass between us reflected two completely different people.
The man who believed he owned everything.
And the woman he believed he had destroyed.
He picked up the phone.
"What do you want?"
I looked at him.
The old Nathan would have expected fear.
An apology.
A request.
He didn't understand.
I wasn't there for him.
I was there for myself.
"I wanted to see something."
His eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"The moment you realized nobody was coming to save you."
His expression darkened.
"You think this is over?"
"No."
I looked directly at him.
"It's just beginning."
Nathan leaned closer.
"You have no idea what you're involved in."
The words caught my attention.
Not because they scared me.
Because they confirmed something.
"You know about Victor."
His face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
And that was all I needed.
Nathan noticed.
"You don't know what you're dealing with."
I stood.
"Neither did you."
I turned away.
Before leaving, I stopped.
"One more thing, Nathan."
He looked up.
"Celeste didn't betray you because she became brave."
A pause.
"She betrayed you because she finally understood something I learned a long time ago."
His eyes followed me.
"What?"
I smiled faintly.
"People like you don't have partners."
Silence.
"You have temporary followers."
I walked away.
Leaving him alone.
Hours later, in a hidden apartment across the city, Celeste opened a new phone.
A message was waiting.
From an unknown sender.
YOU HAVE BEEN USEFUL.
She frowned.
A second message appeared.
BUT YOU STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND THE GAME.
Her expression changed.
Then the final message appeared.
NATHAN ASHFORD WAS NEVER THE TARGET.
Celeste stopped breathing.
Because suddenly...
She understood.
She had not escaped Nathan's downfall.
She had simply moved closer to the real danger.
The same danger watching Elias Vale.
The same danger watching me.
The same danger that had been waiting twenty-five years.
A name appeared.
VICTOR VALE
And beneath it:
May you like
THE KING WHO NEVER DIED.
END OF CHAPTER 5
