Chapter 32
32
Cecely
The words sink in, creeping into my bones, wrapping around my ribs like a vise. I stagger back, shaking my head.
No.
That doesn’t make sense.
I never even met Gabriel until… well never, apparently.
“How could I have killed him? I never even met him!”
Claudius is silent, watching me. Waiting for me to put it together. When I don’t, he sighs.
“Did you know my brother wanted out of the Brotherhood?” He lets out a dry laugh. “But there is no ‘out’. Not unless you die. It’s the golden rule, after all.”
My mind races.
“Why did he want out?”
“Who knows? Maybe he was tired of being at their beck and call. Maybe he saw something he couldn’t live with. Either way, he went to your father and asked to be released.”
Something clicks.
“Blanc killed him?”
He nods.
“That’s right.” His voice is smooth, almost approving.
I swallow hard. “Why?”
Claudius steps closer, eyes flickering with something dark.
“How does that make you feel, mama,” His smirk hardens. “That your dear father put a bullet in my brother’s head?”
“Why did he do it?”
“He told himself it was justified.” His voice drops lower, colder. “Said Gabriel made a mistake.”
I swallow. “What mistake?”
Claudius’ smirk fades. For the first time, his amusement dims. And when he speaks, his voice is deadly.
“Gabriel wanted you dead.”
My stomach drops. “What?”
Claudius nods.
“That night. On the cliff.” His jaw tics. “Gabriel threatened to kill you. Said if Blanc wouldn’t let him out, then he’d take something from Blanc.”
I feel like I can’t breathe. Like the air has been sucked from my lungs. Gabriel… wanted me dead? My knees weaken. Claudius watches, his lips curling back into a slow, dark smile.
“And Blanc?” He tilts his head. “He chose you. He put a bullet in Gabriel’s skull to protect his precious secret daughter.”
The words land like a slap. I stagger back. Because it’s true. I know it’s true.
Because it makes sense.
If Gabriel wanted out of the Brotherhood and Blanc said no, then Gabriel would have wanted leverage. Me. And when Blanc found out, he took Gabriel out of the equation.
“What happened that night? After you got to the cliff?”
I need to know so I can piece everything together. To understand completely.
“Ah, that’s a tale in its own.” He gestures toward the chaise. “You two should sit.”
Millie eyes me, but we both move, unsure what Claudius might do. So, we sit.
“Now. Where do I begin?”
He paces in front of us, fingers drawn together as he thinks.
“I got a call that Gabriel was in deep with traffickers and was out of control. That part is true. What I left out is that it was Blanc who directed him to buy the women.” His gaze meets mine. “Your father knew one of the Elite Members had a…taste for young boys. DeLeon was getting sloppy, so Blanc came up with a solution.”
Bile creeps up my throat.
“He let Gabriel handle it. Let Gabriel be the one to buy the shipments. That way, when things eventually went south, guess who would take the fall?” His pause is dramatic. “Gabriel.”
My pulse pounds. Blanc set him up. Used him as a pawn.
And when Gabriel realized it?—
When he knew he was going down for this?—
That’s when he snapped.
Claudius steps closer, his voice darkly amused. “And that’s when he did something stupid.”
I force the words through my tightening throat. “He threatened me.”
“Yes. You were Blanc’s weakness. And Gabriel made the mistake of trying to use you against him.” He leans in, voice practically a whisper. “And that’s when Blanc finally made his choice.”
Claudius straightens. His voice turns casual, like he’s discussing the weather.
“Gabriel was on his knees, unarmed, when Blanc pulled the trigger.”
The room spins. I hear the gunshot in my head. The echo of it. The scream Gabriel never got to finish. I clamp a hand over my mouth. Millie lets out a soft, horrified noise.
“I was making my way up the cliff when I heard the shot. The best part? Blanc never even hesitated. He killed my brother without a second thought and turned to me, telling me I was now a member of the Brotherhood and to clean up the mess.”
He lets out a bitter laugh.
“By mess he meant my brother’s brains that were splattered on the rocks. So I did, and then I spun a tale that Gabriel and I were the ones fighting, letting everyone think I was the one who killed him.”
“But why did you do it? Why didn’t you fight Blanc?”
“Fight him?” His voice is calm. “Why would I fight him when I can destroy him?”
Claudius’ words hang in the air, thick and suffocating.
Why would I fight him when I can destroy him?
A shiver rolls down my spine. Because I believe him. Because I see it in his eyes. This isn’t about justice. This isn’t about exposing the truth. This is about burning Blanc to the ground. And he’s already started the fire.
I force out the words, my voice hoarse. “What have you done?”
Claudius’ smirk deepens. Like I just asked his favorite question. He tilts his head, studying me, his amusement a slow, measured thing.
“It’s already happening, mama.”
“How?”
“I’ve spent years playing the perfect little soldier.” He steps closer, but I don’t move. “But now? I’ve turned their own game against them.”
I swallow hard.
“What does that mean?”
His lips curve into a slow, wicked smile. “It means Blanc will fall by his own hands.”
The words send ice through my veins. Because Claudius doesn’t make empty threats. And yet… there’s something deeper here. Something he hasn’t said yet.
I wet my lips, forcing myself to ask the question I’m not sure I want answered. “How?”
His smile widens.
“He’s going to get exactly what he fears most.” A slow, deliberate pause. And then, he says, “The truth.”
“What do you mean? What did you do?”
Claudius chuckles. And it’s dark. Cold. So unlike the man I’ve shared a bed with for nearly a month.
“I gave the right people the right information.” His gaze locks onto mine. “And by tomorrow morning, the entire world will know who Charles Blanc really is. And the Brotherhood will fall.”
“You exposed them?”
Claudius tilts his head, as if the question amuses him.
“I didn’t just expose them. I put a target on their backs.” His smirk sharpens. “And now? The people they’ve been hiding from? The enemies they thought they buried? They’re coming.”
“No.” My voice is barely a whisper.
“Oh yes, mama.” His eyes gleam. “I made sure every single name, every deal, every secret transaction… It’s all out there. And there is nothing Blanc can do to stop it.”
The weight of his words crashes into me and I feel like I’m drowning. Like I’m suffocating on something I can’t take back.
Because if what he’s saying is true—if he really did leak everything—then this isn’t just about Blanc anymore.
It’s about Lili and Dimitri. The other Elite Members.
“Innocent people will be hurt.”
My voice trembles because I know it’s true. This isn’t just about exposing the corrupt. This isn’t just about vengeance. This is war. And war doesn’t care who gets caught in the crossfire.
“Innocent people already have been.” He shakes his head, his expression hardening. “So many people that the world never knew about. But they will tomorrow.”
I can’t stop him. It’s too late for that. But there’s something else gnawing at me. Something I need to say.
I lift my chin, meeting his gaze head-on. “And what about you?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.” I let out a bitter laugh. “You’re in the Brotherhood. You’re going to fall, too.”
The words hang in the air. But Claudius… he doesn’t look surprised. Doesn’t look afraid. He just smiles.
“So be it. I’m ready to face the punishment for my sins.”
A chill rolls through me. I force the words past my tight throat. “And what are your sins?”
His lips curve into a slow, wicked smile.
“I believe your father should be here for that conversation.”
My pulse thrums. But before I can push further, he keeps going.
“Let’s go. Your dear-old-dad is waiting for us.”
Claudius leads the way, his pace unhurried, deliberate.
My pulse pounds in my ears. Something is very, very wrong.
When we step into the living room, my breath catches. Blanc is there. But not as I expected. He’s tied to a chair. Wrists bound. A strip of duct tape slapped across his mouth. His suit is disheveled. His usually perfectly combed hair is mussed. A bruise blooms on his cheekbone.
My stomach drops.
“What the hell?” I jerk my gaze to Claudius, heart slamming against my ribs. “What did you do?”
Claudius just tilts his head, his smirk deepening.
“What did I do?” He lets out a low, amused chuckle. “Oh, mama, I think you mean what did he do.”
Blanc is thrashing against his restraints, his furious muffled shouts barely breaking through the tape. His eyes burn into Claudius, full of rage and something else. Fear. Claudius moves closer, crouching to Blanc’s level. His smirk sharpens. I watch as he grips the armrest, leaning in.
“You don’t look so powerful now, do you, old man?”
Blanc lets out a furious sound, his fingers curling into fists. But Claudius just grins, feeding off the anger. Feeding off the fear. Then, slowly, he reaches out… and rips the tape from Blanc’s mouth.
Blanc sucks in a sharp breath, chest rising and falling heavily. His glare cuts to me.
His voice is hoarse, but razor-sharp. “Don’t believe a word he says, Cecely.”
My stomach twists. Because I don’t know what to believe anymore. Everything I thought I knew about this entire situation has been shattered. Twisted and turned into something I don’t know how to feel about.
I take a step closer, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Then tell me the truth.”
Blanc's jaw tightens. “I have.”
Claudius lets out a low, mocking laugh.
“Oh, come on now, Blanc. You’ve never told the truth a day in your life.” He paces around the chair, slow and casual, like a predator circling its prey. “Should I start for you? Or would you rather confess?”
Blanc’s fists clench against the bindings. “Go to hell.”
Claudius just smirks.
“Oh, I will. But you’re going first.” He turns to me, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement. “Shall we start with the most recent betrayal? Or should we go back… to the beginning?”
My throat is tight, my pulse hammering.
“Start with Gabriel.”
Blanc stiffens. Claudius chuckles, pleased with my answer.
“Ah, yes. The golden son. The one who was supposed to be standing where I am now.” His gaze flicks to Blanc. “Tell her, old man. Tell her why you really killed him.”
I say, “He said it was because Gabriel wanted me dead. That he was going to use me against you.”
Blanc doesn’t deny it. He just watches me, his face carved from stone. I shake my head, my voice rising.
“But that’s not the entire story, is it?”
It can’t be. This man may be my sperm donor, but he doesn’t know me. He wouldn’t kill a member of his own organization for someone he’d never even met.
Claudius grins. “No, it’s not.” He leans down, voice dropping to a silken whisper. “Tell her, Blanc. Tell her why you really killed him.”
Blanc shakes his head, not saying a word.
“She already knows,” Claudius says smoothly, his voice edged with dark amusement.
He circles Blanc, every step measured, like a predator toying with its prey.
“Knows how you used him.”
His fingers trail over the back of Blanc’s chair, light, almost affectionate.
“Knows how you were going to frame him.”
Blanc’s jaw tightens. He doesn’t deny it. Doesn’t even try.
But Claudius isn’t done. He turns to me, his smirk deepening.
“What she doesn’t know…” A slow, purposeful pause. “Is everything that happened after that.”
Blanc goes rigid, his fists clenching against the bindings.
Claudius watches, reveling in his reaction. Then, he motions to the chairs.
“Take a seat, mama.”
One next to Blanc. One facing him. I don’t hesitate. I settle into the chair where I can see Blanc’s face. Where I can watch his reaction. Where I can see every lie he tries to tell.
Claudius’ smirk widens.
“Well,” I say, my voice sharper than I intend. I lean forward, my gaze locked on his. “I’m all ears.”
Claudius chuckles, low and pleased. “I knew I liked you.”
He winks, like this is all a game. But we both know it isn’t. He rests his hands on the back of Blanc’s chair, looking down at the man who has controlled so much for so long.
And then, in a voice mockingly soft, he says, “Where, oh where, do I begin?”
Blanc’s throat bobs. For the first time I see it. Fear.
Claudius snaps his fingers. “I know. Why don’t we start with how you let all the Elite Members fall for things you had done? DeLeon. Zhāng. Jones. Smith. Men you’d known your entire life.”
Those names mean nothing to me, but they mean something to Blanc. His face pales, and he shakes his head.
“What’s the matter, old man? Don’t like hearing their names?”
“Who are they?” I demand.
Claudius doesn’t look at me. His eyes are still locked on Blanc, like a predator watching prey.
“They were his closest allies. His friends. His Brothers.” He lets the words sink in. Then, with mock sympathy, he says, “And one by one, he let them take the fall for him. Tell me, Blanc, did it ever keep you up at night? Watching them fall while you sat back and thrived?”
Blanc’s teeth grind together and then he says, “And what about you? You’re so proud of flaunting my sins in front of me. What about your sins?”
Claudius' eyebrow lifts, smirking as if this is nothing more than a game. “I’m all ears.”
Blanc's gaze hardens.
“Yes, I shot Gabriel, but you were the one who threw his body off the cliff.” Blanc’s gaze flicks to me. “Did he tell you that Gabriel was still alive after I shot him?”
His words hit like a bullet. I snap my head toward Claudius. Waiting for him to deny it. To call Blanc a liar. But he doesn’t. He just watches me. Expression calm. Unbothered. Unrepentant.
Blanc presses forward.
“He killed his brother, Cecely. And then, in some kind of—what? Fit of rage? Mental breakdown?” He shakes his head. “He took over his life. He targeted the Elite Members, picking them off one by one. He also made threats to the new Elite Members, ensuring they stayed on his side.”
I shrug. “I don’t really see what the problem is.”
Blanc's nostrils flare.
“The problem is,” he snaps, “that it wasn’t his call to make.”
I let out a slow, bitter laugh.
“Oh. I see.” I tilt my head, my gaze narrowing. “You’re pissed because he’s better at this than you are.”
Claudius lets out a low, deep chuckle.
“Damn, mama. You may be onto something.”
“He’s not better than me!” Blanc snarls. “If he were, he would have killed me!”
Claudius tilts his head, studying him. “That’s why you’re here, Blanc. I’m surprised you haven’t figured that out.”
Blanc freezes. Something passes over his face. And then he understands. His face drains of color.
“No…”
Claudius’ smirk widens. “Oh, yes.”
A pause.
A slow, deliberate pause.
Then Claudius pulls a gun from the back of his waistband and presses it to Blanc’s forehead.
“I’ve just been letting you enjoy the last few hours of your life.”