Chapter 122 The Wedding #3
He crossed the floor in two long strides, pulling Celina firmly into his broad chest, his strong arms wrapping around her as she wept silently against his shirt.
"I am so incredibly sorry, beautiful," he murmured into her hair.
"I know exactly how much Teresa matters to your life."
"She is my anchor, Justin," Celina choked out, her fingers gripping his lapels. "And now... she is legally wed to the man trying to destroy your empire."
"He isn't going to destroy a damn thing," Justin whispered, his voice dropping into a lethal, chilling baritone as he held her tighter.
"He wants to use a fraudulent marriage to threaten our stability? Tomorrow morning, I am going to show Carlos Mason exactly what happens to people who target my family's inner circle."
Celina closed her eyes tightly against his chest, the cold dread in her stomach intensifying.
The impending corporate war between Justin and Carlos was no longer merely about boardroom seats or equity shares.
The lines had been crossed. The battle had officially become deeply, violently personal.
And Teresa was trapped dead in the center of the crossfire.
Teresa - The Guilt
Teresa Mason sat frozen on her wooden stool, her unblinking gaze locked entirely on the glowing display of her phone as Celina’s text message burned into her eyes.
Celina: I know exactly what you executed at the courthouse with Carlos this morning, Teresa. We require an immediate conversation. Right now.
Teresa felt a sudden, violent wave of hot tears spill over her lashes, tracing down her pale cheeks. She knows. Of course Celina knew. The Quinn dynasty possessed ears in every single federal and municipal office in the tri-state area.
And now, the hour of reckoning had arrived. She was forced to stand before her best friend and somehow defend the madness of her choices. She had to justify why she had signed her name to a Mason license in absolute secrecy.
Except... she was legally barred from offering a single shred of real explanation. She couldn't tell Celina about the two-million-dollar transaction. She couldn't disclose the layout of the gallery installment plan, or the business-driven exit clauses of the contract.
The confidentiality mandate was ironclad: a single slip of the truth would permanently dissolve her funding and unleash a massive fraud lawsuit upon her head.
So Teresa was forced to construct a massive facade. She would have to look her sister in the eye and pretend this sudden marriage was driven by a whirlwind romance. A sudden, electric connection. A real love.
Even though it was a corporate transaction. Even though she had bound herself to a legal contract. Even though she had prioritized her own artistic ambitions over her lifelong loyalty to her best friend.
Her fingers noticeably shaking against the glass screen, Teresa typed out a desperate response.
Teresa: I am so incredibly sorry, Celina. I know how terrible the timing looks from where you are sitting. But I desperately need you to trust my heart right now. Please.
She rammed the send icon before her defenses could talk her out of it. A fraction of a second later, Celina’s electronic retaliation snapped onto the display.
Celina: Trust your heart? Teresa, you legally married my husband's lethal rival without affording me a single heads-up. You bound your life to the rogue element trying to ignite a corporate coup against Justin. How on earth am I supposed to trust you right now?
Teresa squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of devastating guilt compressed her chest, fresh tears streaming down her face.
Teresa: I know the optics are horrific. But Celina... I need you to believe me when I swear to you that I did not execute this move to inflict pain on your family. I did this for my future. For my survival. Please, try to understand.
Celina: I am tearing my mind apart trying to locate a reason, Teresa.
But you have to speak to me face-to-face.
You have to explain this s to me. Because right now, from where I am standing, it looks exactly like you chose Carlos Mason over our entire friendship. And I don't know how to forgive that.
Teresa buried her face in her trembling hands, the sheer, suffocating weight of the guilt completely crushing her spirit. She had made her choice. She had signed the contract. She had taken the billionaire's ring. and now, she was being forced to pay the ultimate emotional price.
Teresa: Can we meet tomorrow afternoon? A neutral location? I will explain every single detail that I am permitted to share, Celina. I promise.
Celina: Tomorrow. Two o'clock. My office at Quinn & Co. And Teresa... your explanation better be flawless. Because I honestly don't know if our friendship can survive the fallout of this choice.
Teresa slowly lowered her phone to the table, burying her face completely in her hands as a heavy sob tore through her quiet studio. She had secured the future of her masterpiece gallery. She had gained a dangerous, beautiful husband who vowed to protect her with his life.
But as the darkness completely swallowed her studio floor, Teresa looked down at the gold band shining on her finger and felt an absolute terror settling into her bones. She had won her dream... but she was about to lose her soul to the contract.