Chapter 18 - Celia’s Last Offer
Elena kept a safe distance from the car. Pierce had warned her not to engage in private negotiations with a person under investigation. But Celia spoke loudly enough for the nearby reporters to hear.
"Marcus cared about those children," Celia said. "So do I. I can restore the scholarship program tomorrow. I can fund it for twenty years. No one needs to drag this family through a trial."
"You mean if I stop telling the truth," Elena replied.
"I mean there are better ways to honor the dead."
"You don't honor my brother by buying the silence you couldn't get from him."
Celia's mask slipped. "You were nothing when my son married you."
Elena remembered the first time she'd heard those words, after a Thanksgiving dinner when Celia thought Elena was out of earshot. She'd spent seven years trying to become someone Celia couldn't dismiss. The effort had left her feeling small. Now it seemed almost funny.
"I was a sister," Elena said. "I was a designer. I was a person who could look in a mirror. I had plenty."
Celia's driver raised the window. The car pulled away.
That encounter went public within minutes, unedited from several angles. It did what Elena's statements never could: showed the country Celia's method in plain view. Help offered as a price. Charity wielded like a weapon.
The prosecutor announced indictments related to the diversion of funds and obstruction of justice. Victor faced separate charges stemming from Marcus's death and the ballroom attack. Bellamy was charged in connection with falsified records. Celia denied every allegation. The legal process would take time, and Elena refused to predict verdicts.
In the meantime, the hotel board suspended Ward family authority and commissioned an independent review. Workers demanded a seat at the table. Noah, encouraged by Tessa, spoke at the meeting despite shaking hands.
"We carried the trays," he said, "but we weren't invisible. We heard you. We saw you. And we're done being scared."
The board voted to preserve the gala footage and cooperate with the investigation.
That night Dana called Elena with a complication nobody had expected.
May you like
"Victor wants to plead guilty," she said. "But there's a condition. He wants to speak to you first."
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