Chapter 24 #2
Dean answers for them both. “Dean and Asher Kensington, sons of Elizabeth and Everett Kensington.”
He jots down the notes before glancing up at me. “And for you, miss?”
Adrianna’s grandiosity is playing in our favor tonight, and that very greed is what I’m using against her to turn her world completely upside down and to right mine for the first time in a decade.
I tell him what I’d like him to say, and I don’t miss the slight shock that widens his eyes as he writes it down verbatim.
“All right. I’ve got it. I will wave you over, announce you, and then you’ll make your descent down the stairs. Have a good evening,” he instructs us, walking back over to his podium, placed behind the railing next to the staircase, overlooking the entire party.
My heart beats erratically in my chest, sound fading in my ears as I try to gather myself. After a few deep breaths, along with one of my guys gently rubbing my back, I’m feeling much better.
Dean and Asher face forward, each offering me their arm. I loop mine in theirs as Jules pulls my hair behind my shoulders.
She leans forward, squeezing my shoulders, and whispers in my ear, “I’m so proud of you, Ciri. Gus, my mom, and I will be cheering you on. You’ve got this.”
Glancing behind me, I smile, a feeling of invincibility shifting over my shoulders like armor. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She smiles. “Now go get the witch.”
With Gus in her hands, she and Myra head back the way we came.
Facing forward, I stand taller, stealing a quick glance up at Asher and Dean, who look so damn attractive in their custom suits—an easy thing to tell when the waist fits like a glove.
They don’t fit like that straight off the rack.
But I’m not surprised the guys have a closet of custom suits.
They’re Dean and Asher Kensington after all … and I’m their girl.
The announcer waves us over, and I swallow hard, trying to force any remaining nerves down. But the only thing that’s really going to make me feel better is getting this over with.
The noise from the mingling, the orchestra, and the dancing is already overwhelming, but as we step out of the shadows, strolling past the balcony, the full room comes into view, and bile builds in my throat.
That’s a lot of people …
Eyes already flock to us, latching on and refusing to let go as we stride to the top of the staircase, stopping and positioning ourselves to face the crowd.
With Dean and Asher standing guard at my sides, I feel truly bulletproof. This is it—a moment years in the making.
Adrianna doesn’t see me yet, but I see her, standing in the center of the dance floor with Everett in her arms.
Couples spin round and round the dance floor, but as the announcer clears his throat in the mic, they slow, turning to us, including the two lovebirds of the evening.
Adrianna’s stare locks on to me immediately, and it takes a moment for her to recognize me. She blinks rapidly, like she’s unsure if what she’s seeing is real.
Everett’s expression is similar, disappointment and anger in his stare as he looks at his sons. But he has no idea what’s coming.
“Presenting Mr. Dean and Asher Kensington, sons of Elizabeth and Everett Kensington.”
Here it comes. The castle is finally going to crumble.
Ever so slightly, Adrianna shakes her head side to side, and for the first time in my life, I see real fear in her gaze. My lips tip up into a smile as the power between us shifts into my hands.
She mouths something, but I don’t care enough to decipher it. That ship has sailed.
The announcer continues, “They’re accompanying Ms. Cirella … Chamberlain, daughter of Kristina and Patrick Chamberlain, stepdaughter of Adrianna Chamberlain.”
And the curtain Adrianna has held to shield me from this world finally falls.
The room is dead silent for a split second as my dad’s old colleagues and associates process what they heard. But that silence abruptly ends as gasps ripple through the audience, whispers and murmurs like a windstorm tearing through the room.
Dean, Asher, and I take our first step down the staircase, and with each one, I feel Adrianna’s control over me disappearing more and more.
I am Cirella Chamberlain. Taking control of my name and my life is my right. I have the power now, not my stepmother. Her crown has been made of gold-coated lies, and mine is true and pure.
Everett steps back, away from her, shock wreaking havoc on him as he stares forward, watching me and his sons descend the stairs with widened eyes and parted lips. He knew my father and this is all a grand surprise to him.
Adrianna stands frozen by his side, but I can see the unbridled panic taking over, the quick rise and fall of her shoulders. She’s crumbling … finally.
My dad might not have loved attending parties and events held by the high society in Evermore, but he still did his part, showing enough face to keep the vultures at bay.
They may not know the name Cirella, but they certainly know the name Chamberlain.
My dad’s legacy speaks for itself, no matter how much Adrianna erased of it.
This room will throw her to the wolves once the truth is accepted, protecting the unknown daughter of their friend over a gold-digging stranger.
They may question my legitimacy, but it’s easily proven with my birth certificate, my face that shares resemblance to my dad, and even my blood. She is losing this battle.
It might have taken me far too long to take control back, but I’m finally doing it, once and for all.
“Doing okay?” Dean whispers, and I nod, feeling more powerful than I ever have.
The gossiping crowd parts like a roaring sea as we reach the floor, leaving a perfect path toward Everett and Adrianna, who are watching us grow closer with terror in their eyes, each for different reasons.
Everett’s probably concerned his sons are here to ruin his event, making up some story about a secret Chamberlain daughter, but he has no idea what’s really coming.
Something shifts over Everett’s face as we approach, the distance between us dwindling to mere feet.
I recognize the look in his eyes, one I’ve seen in the mirror many times—denial.
I masked mine with silence and hard work for years, hiding out inside of my mind. But he masks his with anger and disappointment, disguising his choices as logical when they’re really just avoidant.
The orchestra playing loudly is the only thing stopping the entire room from being able to hear his next words. “I told both of you to stay away from tonight.”
I feel Adrianna’s eyes burning into my head, but I refuse to acknowledge her just yet.
Dean scoffs. “Is that what you’re focusing on right now? Really?”
“Your mother would have hated to see how meddling and … and …” He swallows after the break in his voice, and as much as he wants to fight it, tears are welling in his eyes. “You should leave.” Everett’s face is turning red, a vein popping in his forehead, his breathing ragged.
I step toward him. This might be the dumbest thing I can do, and it might only escalate the situation. But I have to try, as someone who understands the fear disguised in his voice and pain in his eyes.
He is just a man who lost his wife and is desperately trying to not feel anything at all. To distance himself from the world and reality until he becomes numb permanently.
“Just stop,” I snap, my voice crackling in the air between us.
“Don’t you dare—” He tries to interrupt me, but I stop him, saying the only thing I know that will shut him up.
“Patrick Chamberlain is my dad. Kristina is my mom.” Reaching down to my neck, I open the locket and show him the pictures inside. “This isn’t a fabricated story as much as you’d like to believe that to be true. You know, deep down, that I’m telling the truth.”
He bites his top lip to fight the emotion that’s desperate to break free.
I continue, “He wanted to protect me from the spotlight until I was ready to make the decision for myself. But after he passed, Adrianna chose for me.” Mustering up the strength, I turn to her for the first time, looking her dead in the eyes before turning back to Everett and continuing on.
“I know what it’s like to desperately want to believe anything but the truth. I spent many nights doing it myself. To focus your mind on your work, on your craft, blocking everyone else out so you don’t have to feel the pain of losing the person you loved the most. I know exactly what it’s like.”
Adrianna grabs my arm, yanking me toward her, her grip painfully tight. “Little girl, I don’t know what your problem is, but I think we’ve had enough.”
Something’s changed within me. Something broke and has healed completely new. I don’t cower from her voice or her grip on my arm. Instead, for the first time in my life, I fight back.
She scowls. “Leave us alone! This is no time for cruel games—”
Ripping my arm from her hand, I slap her, hard and true, silencing the rest of her rant. “Enough, Adrianna. Drop the act. It’s over.”
“Y-you hit me,” she gasps, stunned, caressing her stinging cheek.
A flood breaks within me, years of pent-up rage and emotion bubbling to the surface.
My eyes well up with tears, but I embrace it, allowing everything to pour out of me. I don’t hold back, letting every thought I’ve held back and every shred of agony out through my words.
“Yes, I did. Just like you have struck me a thousand times over!” Pointing my finger at her, I shout, my voice raw and sharp, “Cirella, clean this! Cirella, do that! You’re worthless!
You’re nothing! Even your dad didn’t want to be with you anymore!
Remember saying that to me, over and over again, until I believed every word to be true?
!” My voice cracks, but I can’t stop myself, the room fading around us.