Chapter 11 : Celia 'The First Crack'

The moment Adrian asked me what happened, the entire room went silent.

For a second, I genuinely thought I had misheard him.

Because in twenty-four years, nobody had ever asked for my version first.

Not when Sienna broke Mother's favorite vase and blamed me.

Not when Father accused me of losing an important contract.

Not even on my wedding day.

Everyone always decided I was guilty before I opened my mouth.

Yet Adrian was looking at me now.

Waiting for MY answer.

The realization hit me so unexpectedly that my chest tightened.

"What happened?"

His voice was calm.

Controlled.

But his eyes never left mine.

Around us, the tension became unbearable.

I could practically feel Sienna staring at me.

Panicking.

The way she always did whenever things stopped going according to plan.

"I didn't push her."

My voice sounded strange to my own ears.

Quiet but steady.

"I wasn't even near the staircase."

Sienna immediately gasped.

As though I'd slapped her.

"Celia!"

Tears filled her eyes instantly.

How convenient.

"You hate me that much?"

I almost laughed

Because it was absurd.

All these years later and she was still using the same tricks.

The same tears.

The same trembling voice.

The same performance.

Only this time something felt different.

For the first time, Adrian wasn't looking at her.

He was waiting for me.

And somehow that terrified me more than anything.

"Where were you?"

His question caught me off guard.

I blinked.

"With Grandmother."

"For how long?"

"Most of the afternoon."

His expression didn't change.

But I noticed something.

He was asking questions.

Not just laying accusations.

Actual questions.

As though he was trying to understand.

The realization sent a strange warmth through my chest.

The kind I shouldn't be feeling.

Especially toward him.

Sienna must have noticed it too.

Because suddenly her crying became louder.

More dramatic.

"I can't believe this is happening."

She buried her face in Marianne's shoulder.

"I only wanted us to get along."

I nearly rolled my eyes.

Marianne wrapped her arms around her precious daughter immediately.

"My poor baby."

There it was.

The familiar scene.

The role they had perfected years ago.

Sienna cried.

Mother comforted.

Everyone else blamed me.

Except this time...

Nobody was blaming me.

Not yet.

A maid standing near the doorway suddenly spoke.

Softly.

Almost to herself.

"I thought Miss Sienna slipped."

The room froze.

Every single person turned toward her.

The poor girl immediately went pale.

Vivian's expression darkened.

"What did you say?"

The maid looked terrified.

"I-I only meant—"

"Then don't."

The warning in Vivian's voice was sharp enough to cut glass.

Silence followed.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

And impossible to ignore.

Because the damage had already been done.

One sentence was all it took. 

Yet suddenly the story wasn't so clear anymore.

Sienna knew it.

I knew it.

And judging from Adrian's expression...

So did he.

That evening I found myself sitting beside Eleanor's fireplace.

My favorite place in the entire mansion.

The room smelled like lavender tea and old books.

Safe and warm. 

Nothing like the tension downstairs.

Eleanor glanced at me over the rim of her teacup.

"You look troubled."

I laughed weakly.

"That's one way to put it."

The older woman smiled.

Then her expression softened.

"What happened today affected you."

It wasn't a question.

I stared into my tea.

The steam blurred my reflection.

"Maybe."

Eleanor waited.

Patient as always.

Eventually, I sighed.

"Why did he ask me?"

The words escaped before I could stop them.

For a second, neither of us spoke.

Then Eleanor smiled.

A knowing smile.

The kind that made me nervous.

"Because he wanted your answer."

My cheeks immediately warmed.

"No."

"Oh?"

"He was just being fair."

"Hmm."

The sound told me she didn't believe that one bit.

I groaned.

"Eleanor."

The older woman laughed.

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

Her eyes sparkled.

Then she reached across the table and squeezed my hand.

The simple gesture nearly broke me.

Because it was gentle and it was genuine.

Because nobody had ever chosen me the way Eleanor did.

Not my parents.

Not my sister.

Nobody.

"You deserve to be listened to, Celia."

My throat tightened unexpectedly.

I looked away.

Blinking rapidly.

Eleanor pretended not to notice.

For which I was grateful.

After a moment, she spoke again.

"A person doesn't start looking for the truth unless they suspect they've been lied to."

My breath caught.

Immediately, I knew who she meant.

Adrian.

No.

Absolutely not.

I refused. 

Hope destroyed people.

I knew because it had destroyed me before.

Yet that night, long after I returned to my room...

Long after the mansion fell silent...

Long after I should have been asleep...

The words refused to leave me.

A person doesn't start looking for the truth unless they suspect they've been lied to.

And for the first time in months...

I wondered what would happen if Adrian finally learned the truth.

The thought was enough to make my heart ache.

Across town, another woman was having a much worse evening.

Sienna Rowan stood beside the window of her luxury apartment.

The tears were gone.

The trembling was gone.

Only fury remained.

Her phone rested against her ear.

A man answered after the second ring.

"What happened?"

Sienna's nails dug into her palm.

"This isn't working anymore."

Silence.

Then

"What do you mean?"

She looked out at the city lights.

At the Lancaster mansion in the distance.

In the room where Celia was probably sleeping.

Dreaming.

Falling in love.

The thought made her sick.

For years Celia had stayed beneath her.

Exactly where she belonged.

So why was everything changing now?

Why was Adrian looking at Celia differently?

Why was he questioning things?

Why was he starting to notice her?

Sienna's expression darkened.

Because she already knew the answer.

If she waited much longer...

She might lose control of the story.

And she couldn't allow that.

Not ever.

Her lips slowly curved into a smile.

Cold.

Cruel.

"We need something bigger."

The man chuckled.

"What do you have in mind?"

Sienna's eyes glittered.

She smiled.

"Trust me."

Her voice was soft.

Almost cheerful.

"I'll think of something."

Then she ended the call.

Because one thing was certain.

If Adrian Lancaster was beginning to see Celia...

Then it was time to remind everyone exactly why Celia Rowan could never be trusted.

No matter what it costs.