Chapter 44
Celeste
Police filled the boardroom, quickly grabbing the laptop, the flash drive, and the gun as evidence and while the rest of us held up our arms to show we were not the threat.
By the time everything had been sorted, I stood aside, surrounded by the Lockwood pack and Sterling while the police questioned the board members individually.
I checked my phone. It had been my idea to livestream directly to my social media accounts as a failsafe, in case anything went wrong. Although the Eastern Province had corruption, there were more good people than bad. If anything bad happened to us, I knew the world would at least see the truth.
The notification counter on the livestream had been climbing steadily since I started, but by the time it ended, the number was almost unreal.
Almost a million people had started watching since we first arrived at the board meeting.
The press had been alerted and began streaming it along with everyone who followed my platforms.
The police had seen enough. They pulled my uncle to his feet, his wrists already yanked back and cuffed.
And finally, I saw the real him. His mask of the polished, patient man who had been secretly working against me - it was gone.
His face was now twisted with fury, his skin blotchy and his eyes dark as he stared daggers toward me.
He was no longer the upstanding, genteel man he tried so hard to portray.
Instead, we saw him as he really was - petty, desperate and unworthy of the family name.
And yet, he still tried to fight his way out of his fate.
“No!” he spat, his voice guttural. “You can’t do this! This is a mistake, do you hear me? She’s manipulating you all - she’s an alcoholic, she’s too stupid to lead, for god’s sake, she’s just an omega!”
“Enough,” one of the officers said firmly, cutting him off. They hauled him to his feet, but even as they did, he lunged forward, shoulders straining against their grip. His eyes locked on me, searing with venom.
My men surrounded me, instinctively forming a protective circle. But I held my arms out. “Let me deal with this on my own.” I started walking toward him. Sterling reached for my shoulder, trying to keep me from him, but I looked back at him and shook my head. I needed to do this.
I walked up to my uncle slowly. For once, I wasn’t worried about his disapproval. I wasn’t constantly feeling the weight of his authority hovering over every decision. Now, I was only calm and certain. Despite everything he’d done to make me feel otherwise, I’d always been enough.
Gideon glared at me as if he could still cause me to feel that weakness he’d always accused me of. But he could never again make me feel small.
“Oh, uncle.” I sighed, looking at the man who had done so much harm to his own family. Deep down, he was an insecure narcissist. I could see it now, so clearly. “You should have known to never underestimate an omega.”
The words left my mouth like a blade, clean and precise. His snarl deepened, his body jolting forward before the officers jerked him back with a sharp command. “You’ll regret this, Celeste!” He sneered, and I just shook my head.
“No, I won’t. And I’m disappointed, uncle. You really turned out to be…” I looked at him, a sniveling man, who couldn’t achieve much in life without cheating. “...quite mediocre.”
His eyes burned with fury, but underneath it I saw something else - fear. It was small, but it was there. He knew that I saw who he really was.
And then I felt pity. Here was a man who had spent so much of his life clawing for a crown he could never truly wear. He mistook cruelty for power. And he had yet to learn that he never needed to resort to that.
Harringday had survived. Not because of Gideon and his backdoor deals, or the way he undercut everyone else, but because of me.
I’d refused to give up when everyone told me I should.
I’d given everything to protect not only the company, but the people it employed, and the legacy it represented.
I had been the one driving Harringday forward all along, and the fact that I hadn’t seen it before almost made me laugh.
I’d underestimated myself, let him get into my head. But I’d never do that again.
The board was in a state of discombobulation. Some of them seemed to be in shock. But others, the ones who voted against me, who I was sure helped my uncle out - they seemed to be already calculating how fast they could realign themselves now that the tide had shifted.
I sighed. “I’m going to have to really clean house after this.” I said, looking at Dante, his face finally looking at ease for once. “And you will be there with me, every step of the way, newest board member.” I said with a grin, nudging him slightly with my shoulder.
Dante couldn’t keep his eyes off of me. They were filled with admiration, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I knew he finally got some vindication for what happened to his family, but we had a long way to go. I needed to make things right for him, and for the workers on Arkala.
“And you, Miss Harringday, need to get up to speed on Manticore Tech. We have quite the collaboration ahead of us.” He said, his deep voice like velvet along my skin. But before I could get too lost in him, Reginald approached me.
“Celeste, we have much to sort out. It will take weeks to unravel all of this, not to mention the criminal charges your uncle is facing. And you, as well.” He added nervously.
Crap. That was right - the documents leaked meant that I’d initially been on the hook for the fraud, racketeering and other slew of crimes that had been done under my forged name.
Luckily, the police and press seemed to be aware that there was more to the story, especially after seeing the video from the flash drive that Sterling had shown during the meeting.
No one wanted to falsely accuse me of something now.
We also had to let them know about Elijah’s involvement, and where we’d left him at the safehouse.
They were on their way to collect him, and I wasn’t sure if we’d get charged for holding him there.
Luckily, one of my family’s lawyers was already working with the police to resolve the matter.
He worked with me, not my uncle, so I wasn’t worried about him handling things.
“Well Reginald, until we get things sorted, let’s take a pause on any major decisions, yeah?” I asked, and he quickly agreed.
“Yes, this will be quite the shakeup.” He said, shaking his head. “I’m so disappointed in Gideon. If I’d had any idea…” He said, his brow furrowing. I reached out, patting his arm.
“Even I didn’t know. And I want to thank you for always supporting me.” I said earnestly. Reginald looked at me, his face softening.
“Your parents would be so proud of you.” He said, and I felt a pang of pain at his words.
My parents were likely killed by Gideon, and while I might never get solid proof, their loss felt new now that I knew that it wasn’t an accident.
Dante gripped my hand, sensing my emotions.
We were the same, me and him. Both orphans in our own way.
“Celeste!” A reporter yelled, practically bursting from the barrier the police had put up to keep them out of the hallway. “Celeste, any comment on your uncle’s arrest?”
“Celeste! Do you still intend to remain as CEO of Harringday after this scandal?”
“Was the livestream pre-planned or spontaneous? Who set it up?”
The questions came one after another, and I turned to face Liam, Vigo, Dante and Sterling.
The police were done with questioning us at this point, and it was time for us to face the public.
Without having to ask, Sterling took my other hand, and we marched toward the press, ready to tell the world the truth.