Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 87

Chapter 87

“Celeste, wait!”

She reversed out of the driveway without so much as a glance in my direction.

I stood there, watching her car disappear down the street. My fists clenched at my sides.

Her behavior was getting out of hand. Way out of hand. Even if that whole handyman thing was staged, she was still being insufferable. Ignoring me. Walking out on me. Making me look like a fool in front of my family.

She needed to be checked. And I knew exactly who could do it.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found the name I was looking for.

Celeste’s mother.

I called.

She picked up on the second ring.

“Julian! What a pleasant surprise, sweetheart. How are you?”

“I’m well, Mom. Thank you. How are you and everyone else?”

“We’re fine, we’re fine. It’s so good to hear from you. You don’t call enough.”

“I know, I’m sorry. Work has been hectic. But I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Of course. What is it?”

sighed, putting just the right amount of heaviness into my voice. “It’s about Celeste. Mom, I don’t know what’s going on with her lately. She’s been acting very strange. She moved into the guest room. She

locks herself in there with men…”

“With men?”

“I’m not accusing her of anything, but Mom, she brought a handyman into the house today. A tall, handsome man. She locked herself in the guest room with him for over thirty minutes. My mother and sister were here. They heard things. Moaning sounds. And when I got home, there was… evidence. On

the bed.”

There was silence on the other end.

“I know Celeste isn’t like that,” I continued. “I know she’s a good woman. But something is wrong. She’s not herself. I thought you should know. Maybe you can talk to her. Knock some sense into her.”

My mother-in-law’s voice came back, horrified. “Celeste? My Celeste? Julian, that doesn’t sound like her at all. She would never…”

“I know, Mom. I know. That’s why I’m worried. Something must be wrong. She’s been different ever since

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that investment from Veil Holdings came through. The money changed her.”

“Oh my God. Oh my God. I’ll call her right now. I’ll talk some sense into her. Don’t worry, Julian. I’ll handle

this.”

“Thank you, Mom. I knew I could count on you.”

“Of course, sweetheart. Of course. Let me call her immediately.”

She hung up.

I smiled down at my phone. That should do it. Celeste could ignore me all she wanted, but she couldn’t ignore her mother. Not for long.

I pocketed the phone and headed back into the house. I needed a shower. I needed to clear my head. The scent of that redhead was still on my skin, and I didn’t want anyone asking questions.

I walked into the living room and stopped.

Riley was sitting on the couch, staring at her iPad with a dazed expression on her face. She looked like someone had hit her over the head with a frying pan. Her mouth was slightly open, her eyes wide, her body completely frozen.

“Earth to Riley,” I said, snapping my fingers in front of her face.

She blinked. Looked up at me. The shock was still written all over her face.

“I don’t believe it,” she said.

“You don’t believe what?” My mother walked in from the kitchen, a dish towel in her hands.

“This… this man.” Riley turned the iPad around. “This is the man that just left. The man who pretended to be a handyman. How can he be a billionaire? And the richest in this city?”

“What?” I snatched the iPad from her hands.

Staring back at me from the screen was a face I recognized immediately. Clean-shaven. Sharp jawline. Expensive suit. Standing at a podium with the Veil Holdings logo behind him.

Dominic Ford.

I scoffed. “How can this be? This is Dominic Ford. The richest billionaire in the city. Why would he sneak into my house as a handyman? Do you think Celeste can even afford to pay him?”

“I’m not joking, Julian,” Riley insisted. “When he first came, he had a beard on. I kept staring at his face because I found him very handsome. When he was leaving, his face looked like he’d just taken a shower. He’d taken off the beard. I was at the door. I looked at his face more clearly and I knew I’d seen that face somewhere. Now there’s news about his wife being shot at, and I stumbled on his picture online. I recognized him without a doubt.”

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