- Chapter 4
- The black car glided through the city streets, carrying Celeste away from her old life. Her younger brother Dante sat behind the wheel, his presence both familiar and strange after years apart.
- “Welcome back, Celeste,” he said, catching her eye in the rearview mirror.
- The name felt right on her tongue now, like slipping back into her own skin after wearing someone else’s for too long.
- Celeste Beneventi.
- Not Valerie, the quiet fiancée. Not the woman who had spent years making herself small.
- Street lights flashed across her face as memories surfaced. She had never told Stephan her real identity.
- Never mentioned that her father was Salvatore Beneventi, one of the most powerful men in the criminal underworld.
- She had hidden that truth, believing it would keep her safe from her family’s enemies. Or perhaps from the life her father had prepared Celeste her entire life.
- What a fool she had been.
- The car pulled up to a sleek high-rise in the heart of the city. Unlike the cold, ornate halls of the De Luca estate, this building reached toward the sky like a blade of glass and steel.
- Modern. Powerful. Unapologetic.
- “Home sweet home,” Dante said, leading her through the private elevator.
- The penthouse doors opened to a vast living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. The city sprawled below them, a carpet of lights stretching to the horizon.
- This was what real power looked like—not the stuffy traditions of the De Luca family, but something sharper, more toxic.
- Her father stood by the windows, a glass of whiskey in his hand.
- Salvatore Beneventi hadn’t changed much in the last long eleven years. His pepper-salt hair was still perfectly styled, his suit impeccable. His light eyes, when they met hers, held a mixture of concern and satisfaction.
- “They finally broke you, my dear, didn’t they?” he asked, studying her carefully.
- Celeste felt the last pieces of ‘Valerie’ falling away.
- “No, Papa,” she said, her voice stronger than it had been in years. “They simply set me free.”
- Her father’s lips curved into a small smile.
- He had never approved of her relationship with Stephan, never understood why she would choose to play at being ordinary when she was born for so much more.
- Dante moved to the bar, pouring two glasses of whiskey.
- “Tell me what you want me to do,” he said, handing her one.
- The amber liquid caught the light as Celeste swirled it in her glass. Everything felt clearer now, sharper.
- The path ahead was dark, but for the first time in years, she wasn’t afraid of this darkness.
- She was ready for it. Waiting for it to crawl into her deepest parts of self.
- “Information,” she said, taking a slow sip. “I want every detail about De Luca operations. Their weaknesses, their allies.” She met her father’s eyes. “And most of all, I want to know who Stephan really fears.”
- Salvatore raised his glass, pride glinting in his eyes.
- “My daughter is finally home.”
- The words settled around her like a cloak of power.
- She walked to the windows, looking out at her city. Somewhere out there, Stephan was probably still celebrating with Catherine, thinking he had won.
- Thinking he had discarded something worthless.
- He had no idea what he had really done.
- For six years, she had played a part. She had been quiet, accommodating Valerie, the perfect mafia princess bride.
- She had buried her true nature so deep she had almost forgotten it existed.
- But now the mask was off. Now she could remember who she really was—the oldest daughter of Salvatore Beneventi, raised in the shadows of power and her father as his heir, trained to command fear and respect.
- “We’ll need to move quickly then,” Dante said, already pulling out his phone. “The underworld will be buzzing with news of the De Luca-Durand engagement.”
- Celeste nodded, her mind already racing with plans.
- “Good. Let them talk. Let them think this is just about a woman scorned.” She turned back to her father and brother, letting them see the steel in her eyes. “By the time they realize what’s really happening, it will be too late.”
- A slow smile spread across Celeste’s face.
- Yes, it was time for change. Time to remind everyone why the Beneventi name was whispered with fear.
- Time to show Stephan exactly what he had thrown away.
