Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96

SERAPHINE

My mother called at exactly the moment I was about to lose my mind.

“What is going on?” she demanded. “I’m seeing people bashing your social media. Claiming you’re lying. That you’re not Dominic’s wife.”

“Mom, I don’t know. I’m going crazy.”

“Explain it to me. I spoke to you yesterday after the shooting. You told me everything was fine.”

“Everything is not fine.” My voice cracked. “I’ve been lying to you, Mom. Ever since Dominic revealed himself as the chairman of Veil Holdings, he has been avoiding me. I haven’t heard from him personally. I haven’t seen him. He hasn’t come home. The only news I hear about him is from social media.”

“How can he treat you this way? After everything you’ve been through together?”

“I don’t know, Mom.”

“Relax.” Her voice softened. “Maybe Dominic just doesn’t want to let the world know he’s married yet. He might have his reasons for keeping things on the low. He loves you so much. He practically used to worship the ground you walked on. Remember? He cooked for you. He cleaned for you. He did everything for you. That kind of love doesn’t change overnight.”

“You’re right. It doesn’t.”

“But I feel this tightness in my chest, Mom. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“That should be the least of your problems. Once people realize the truth, they will stop. You have to find a way to get in contact with Dominic no matter what. You know how he feels about you.”

“Yes.”

“Something might be in the way of him coming back home or publicly admitting you’re his wife. So do everything you can to meet with him. Once you meet, whatever misunderstandings exist, you can settle them. And then you can proudly show him off to the world.”

“You’re right. You’re right.”

“Okay. Think of something. Let me know.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

I hung up and took a breath. Then another.

She was right. Crying didn’t solve anything. I needed to act.

I found our marriage certificate in the safe. Took a picture. Posted it on social media without a single word.

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The response was immediate. The trolls who had been tearing me apart went quiet. A few insisted it was fake. But enough people came out to say it was real that the heat eventually died down.

I had bought myself time.

But time wasn’t enough. I needed to see Dominic. Face to face.

And there was only one person who could get me to him.

I drove to Helix Research Laboratory at five PM.

Except I forgot they had moved locations. I ended up at the old building, locked and empty, feeling like an

idiot.

I called Kingsley.

He answered on the second ring. “You completely forgot about me after I helped you get the job, right?”

“Come on. I’ve been very…”

*Just give me the new Helix address.” I cut him off. “I need to find Celeste.”

The drive to the new facility took fifteen minutes. The building was impressive. Modern. Glass and steel. A far cry from the cramped old space they had before.

The receptionist recognized me immediately. “Mrs. Ford! Welcome. Who are you here to see?”

“Celeste, and Pat.”

“Right this way.”

She led me through the lab. People looked up from their workstations. Some smiled. Some whispered. I ignored all of them.

Pat came out of an office and froze when she saw me. She opened her mouth like she wanted to smile, but I didn’t give her the chance.

“Take me to Celeste.”

She nodded. “Okay. Come with me.”

She led me to a glass-walled office at the back. Celeste was inside, typing on a laptop. She looked up when we walked in.

“Sera…”

“Don’t.” I held up my hand. “Don’t ‘Sera’ me like we’re friends. Neither of you bothered to call when I was in the hospital. Not one phone call. Not one text.”

Pat shifted her weight. “We were going to…”

“No, you weren’t.”

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Celeste set her laptop aside. “Look, Sera. Things have been crazy here. The move, the setup, the…”

“I don’t care about any of that. I need your help.”

She blinked. “With what?”

“I need you to reach out to Dominic. I need to talk to him.”

“I don’t have a way to reach him. He’s been…”

“I know he’s been unreachable. But you have a partnership with Veil Holdings. You have contacts. You

can find a way.”

Celeste hesitated. Her eyes flicked to Pat, who gave perfect suggestions.

“Okay,” Celeste said slowly. “Let me see what I can do.”

While Celeste was out of the room, Pat tried to make conversation.

“So how’s your research lab?” Pat asked.

“Fine. I have capable hands there. I don’t even need to show my face.”

“You’re lucky. Over here, we still have a lot of work. Everyone is so busy. It’s exhausting.”

“And my husband made that possible. Remember? If I didn’t say anything to my husband, he wouldn’t have invested in Helix.”

Pat nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. I was even meaning to thank you. It may seem like just a few words to you, but to us, you’ve practically changed our lives.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Celeste came back. “Okay. I was able to reach out to the CEO’s office. He said we can make a call on Helix’s official line. Once I call back, they’ll put the chairman on. But I have to introduce myself first and explain why I’m calling. Then I’ll hand the phone over to you.”

“Why do you have to introduce yourself? Just make the call and give me the phone.”

“I’m sorry, Sera. I know this is your husband, but this is Helix’s main line. We have a partnership with Veil Holdings. If I overstep or do anything wrong, he might get angry and cut us off completely. You’ll get to speak to him. Just let me do things the proper way.”

P

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