Aysel
For a moment, I couldn’t speak and it wasn’t that I was moved because I wasn’t.
But because the sheer audacity of the man rendered me temporarily speechless.
“You’re joking,” I finally managed.
Magnus’s expression remained perfectly serious.
“I never joke about matters of the heart, Aysel.”
“You barely know me.”
“I know enough.” He rose to his feet with fluid grace, closing the ring box and tucking it back into his pocket.
“I know that you’re fierce.
I know that you’re intelligent.
I know that you’d rather watch your childhood home burn to ashes than let your enemies claim it.” He gestured toward the inferno behind me.
“That tells me everything I need to know about your character.”
I scoffed.
“My character?
You think burning down a house reveals my character?”
He stepped closer “You’re willing to destroy something precious to you rather than let it be defiled.
That’s a rare quality.”
“And you find that…
attractive?”
“Captivating,” he corrected.
“I find it absolutely captivating.”
I shook my head, turning back to watch the fire consume the wooden beams.
The roof groaned and collapsed inward, sending a shower of sparks spiraling toward the sky.
“We need to leave,” I said.
“Before they arrive.”
Magnus nodded, gesturing toward his car.
“My driver will take us wherever you wish to go.”
I hesitated for only a moment before following him.
The fire was already too far gone to be saved, and I had said my goodbyes long ago.
There was nothing left for me here but memories and I had already decided to set those ablaze as well.
“Aysel.”Magnus began breaking the silence.
“The truth is that I need your help concerning Kael.”
“Kael Blackwood?
You knew him?” I asked turning to look at him.
Magnus’s eyes never left mine.
“He was my best friend.
I’ve been investigating his death for the past two years.
And I’ve come to believe that there’s more to the story than we were told.”
I blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I don’t think it was an accident.
I don’t think he was killed by a single rogue on that hunt.”
Wait, What?
“You must have evidence.”
Magnus reached into his jacket and produced a slim folder, which he handed to me.
“I’ve been gathering information piece by piece.”
I opened the folder to scan its contents.
“His lieutenant,” Magnus continued.
“The man who always followed him everywhere suddenly disappeared after his death.”
“You think he knows something?”
“I think he knows everything.” Magnus’s jaw tightened.
“And I need to find him because I can’t believe Karl would die so easily.”
I closed the folder.
“So how can I help with this?”
“Kael’s family won’t speak to me, but you…” He gestured toward me.
“Are close to them.
If there are secrets to be uncovered, you might be the key to unlocking them.”
I laughed again, “You think I know something?
I only had connections with Damon and that’s gone.
I don’t want to have anything to do with them.”
“This might change your mind though.”
He reached into the folder and pulled out a single piece of paper.
I read it the paper three times because I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing.
“A paternity test?” I looked up at him, my brow furrowed.
“Between Remus and Celestine?”
Magnus nodded.
“Kael arranged it.
In secret, shortly before his death.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” He leaned back in his seat.
“But whatever he found, it was important enough that he kept the results hidden.
No one knows where they are, or what they say.”
I had known Kael to be meticulous about everything.
If he’d arranged this test, he’d had a reason but…
“That’s impossible,” I said suddenly.
Magnus raised an eyebrow.
“What is?”
I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.
“The idea that Celestine could be Remus’s illegitimate daughter.”
“Is it?” Magnus seemed genuinely curious.
“Your father doesn’t seem like the faithful type.”
“You don’t know him my father.
He is cold, calculating, ruthless beyond measure.
The only reason he married my mother was because of her family’s influence.
If he were ever going to take a mistress, he would choose someone who could advance his position, A powerful woman from another prominent family.
Not….” I gestured vaguely.
“Not someone carrying the exact same bloodline as my mother.
To him, that would be nothing but a waste.”
Magnus was silent for a long moment, “I hadn’t considered that angle,” he admitted.
“It’s…
not something I would have thought of.”
“Because you’re not a monster.” I handed the paper back to him.
“But I grew up surrounded by them.
I know how their minds work.”
“I see.” He took the paper and tucked it back into the folder.
“Then this is more complicated than I thought.”
“Everything with my family is more complicated than it seems.” I turned to look out the window.
“But I appreciate you sharing this with me.
The sincerity, at least, is something I can trust.”
Magnus smiled again.
“Does that mean you’ll consider my offer?”
“What offer?
The marriage proposal?”
“Yes.” He replied, wriggling his eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes.
“No, Magnus.
I’m not going to marry you but I am willing to make an alliance.”
And maybe, I could find a way to make peace with the past.
“And I have my terms.” I said.
“Anything.”
“I won’t be controlled.
I won’t be manipulated.
And if I feel like you’re hiding something from me, the alliance is over.”
Magnus inclined his head.
“Agreed.”
“And one more thing.” I turned to face him fully.
“You should not bring up the proposal again.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Excuse me?”
He leaned closer to me and my breath caught in my throat because his scent was doing something to me that I absolutely didn’t want to explore.
“I told you, Aysel.
I find you captivating.
And I don’t intend to give up on something just because it’s difficult.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Perhaps.” He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a murmur.
“But you’re intrigued.
I can see it in your eyes.”
“I’m intrigued by the mystery of Kael’s death,” I corrected.
“Not by you.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself.” He settled back in his seat, looking entirely too satisfied.
“But I’ll propose to you every single day until you say yes.”
“And if I never say yes?”
“Then I’ll die trying.” He shrugged.
“There are worse ways to go.”
I think I may just have met the most crazy man ever.
***
Evelyn
The news reached me through my maid and I quickly hurried down the hallway toward the guest quarters where Celestine was.
Aysel had always been volatile, but this…this was beyond anything I’d expected.
Celestine was sitting on the edge of the bed when I entered.
She looked up at me with wide, tear-filled eyes, and my heart clenched.
“Evelyn,” she breathed.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry?
What do you have to be sorry for?”
“For ruining everything.” She shook her head, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.
“Aysel did this because she hates me so much that she couldn’t stand the thought of me living in that house.”
“That’s not true,” I said, sitting beside her.
“Aysel has always been…
difficult.
This isn’t your fault.”
“But it is.” She gripped my hand, her fingers cold against my skin.
“She blames me for everything.
For Damon, for the rift between you, for….” She broke off with a sob.
“She was never going to accept me.
I should have known.”
I felt a flash of anger toward Aysel.
She hadn’t even lived in Moon Valley in years.
What difference did it make if Celestine had the house?
We would provide Aysel with even more in the future, anyway…more money, more opportunities, more of everything she could possibly want.
But no.
She had to destroy it.
She had to hurt people.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Aysel’s number.
It rang three times, and then…
“What?” Her voice was flat and cold.
“Aysel, how could you do this?” I demanded.
“How could you destroy your own family’s home?”
Aysel laughed bitterly.
“My family’s home?
Mom, that house was mine.
Grandma gave it to me when I turned eighteen.
You were the one who transferred ownership to Celestine without even consulting me.”
“You weren’t living there!
You hadn’t set foot in Moon Valley in years!”
“And now I never will.” Aysel’s voice was calm, terrifyingly so.
“Consider it a gift.
I’ve given you exactly what you wanted, a clean break.”
“This is ridiculous.
You’re being unreasonable.”
“Am I?” Another pause.
“What I did to that house is nothing compared to what I’m going to do to the people who wronged me.”
“Aysel….”
“Goodbye, Mother.”
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone, my blood running cold.
Then I tried to call her back but the line tripped.
The number you are trying to reach has been blocked by the recipient.
I stared at the screen for a long moment, unable to process what had just happened.
My own daughter had blocked me.
“She blocked me,” I said aloud, stunned.
“She actually blocked me.”
Celestine reached out and took my hand.
“I’m sorry, Evelyn.
I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head, still staring at the phone.
“This isn’t your fault.
None of this is your fault.”
But even as I said the words, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered something else.
What if Aysel was right?
I pushed the thought away.
It was ridiculous.
Celestine had been nothing but kind, nothing but grateful.
She had suffered so much, and she deserved peace.
Aysel had always been the difficult one.
This was just another tantrum.
It had to be.
I looked down at my phone and felt a twinge of disappointment.
But I couldn’t think about that now.
Celestine needed me.
And I would not abandon her.
Not for anything.
Not for anyone.