Chapter 2 - THE SECRETS IN THE STUDY
Viral Hook: “The billionaire thought his fiancée was a saint. But a hidden voice recorder under the mahogany desk was about to expose a four-year-old conspiracy that would tear high society apart.”
The tension in the Ashford study was thick enough to choke. Celeste paced back and forth across the Persian rug, her mind racing. This couldn't be happening. She had spent three years positioning herself to become the next Mrs. Ashford. She had endured Nolan’s emotionally distant behavior, his long hours, and his obsession with his late mother’s memory—all for the title, the wealth, and the social status.
And now, a maid’s bastard child was going to ruin it all.
The door opened, and Nolan walked in. He had changed out of his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. His face was a mask of cold, unyielding anger. Behind him, Dr. Sterling, the Ashford family's private physician for over two decades, walked in carrying a silver briefcase.
“The swabs have been taken,” Nolan said, shutting the heavy oak door behind him. “Mae and Nora are resting in the guest suite. Dr. Sterling will have the rapid results in exactly forty-five minutes.”
Celeste forced a laugh, trying to regain her composure. She walked over to Nolan, putting her hands on his chest. “Nolan, darling, think about this logically. Mae Harper was your assistant. She was a quiet, desperate girl. Who’s to say she didn't sleep with half of Manhattan after she left you? She’s using you. She saw your face on the news, saw our engagement announcement, and decided to paint her child’s eyes to match yours. It’s a classic setup!”
“Paint her eyes?” Nolan looked at her with pure disgust. He stepped back, letting her hands fall into the empty air. “Do you hear yourself, Celeste? You pushed a three-year-old girl. I saw the security footage from the parlor corridor just now on my phone. You didn't just 'move her away.' You shoved her off the bench.”
Celeste’s heart did a violent flip. “I... she was dirtying your mother’s piano! I did it for you, Nolan! I know how much that Steinway means to you!”
“My mother loved music, and she loved children,” Nolan growled, his voice rising in anger. “She would have hated you for what you did today. In fact, I’m starting to realize I don’t know who you are at all.”
Before Celeste could reply, Dr. Sterling stepped forward. He had his laptop open, connected to a portable analysis machine. His face was grim.
“Nolan,” Dr. Sterling said quietly. “The results are compiling. But while we wait... there is something else you should see. A few years ago, when Mae Harper suddenly left her job, she visited my private clinic. She was pregnant. She asked me to keep it confidential, and I did, under HIPAA laws. But she left a letter in her medical file, to be delivered to you only if she ever went missing or if something happened to her.”
Nolan’s eyes widened. “A letter?”
“Yes. She was terrified, Nolan. She didn't leave you because she wanted a new life. She left because she was threatened.”
Celeste’s breath hitched. Her hand flew to her collarbone, her fingers brushing against her diamond necklace. Her mind flashed back to four years ago—to a dark alleyway behind a Manhattan restaurant, where she had stood face-to-face with a trembling, pregnant Mae Harper, offering her a choice: leave the country and never see Nolan again, or watch her sick mother die in a hospital because her insurance was suddenly canceled.
“What letter?” Celeste stammered, her voice cracking. “Dr. Sterling, you can’t trust anything that woman wrote! She’s a liar!”
“I have the digital copy right here,” Dr. Sterling said, turning his laptop toward Nolan.
Nolan leaned in, his eyes scanning the screen. As he read the words, the blood completely drained from his face. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles popped.
“Nolan,” the letter read. “If you are reading this, it means I failed to hide. I am pregnant with your child. I wanted to tell you, but Celeste Wainwright found out. She threatened to cut off my mother’s cancer treatment through her father’s medical foundation. She told me if I didn't disappear, she would make sure my baby was taken by child services the moment it was born. I’m so sorry. I love you, but I have to protect our baby...”
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Nolan slowly looked up from the screen. The look in his gray-green eyes was no longer just angry. It was murderous.
“Celeste,” he whispered, his voice dangerously low. “What did you do?”
