Chapter 27: The Breaking Point

(Celeste's POV)

Celeste had spent years perfecting the art of control.

She knew how to manipulate, how to read people, how to get what she wanted without ever looking like she was trying. She was a strategist, a tactician. Nothing ever truly surprised her.

But Sapphire Langford?

Sapphire was the one person who managed to get under her skin without even trying.

Celeste wasn't sure when the game had stopped being just a game.

Maybe it was the way Sapphire never backed down. The way she held herself with such poise, such authority, as if the world revolved around her and she dared anyone to prove otherwise.

Or maybe it was the way Sapphire looked at her sometimes, with fire in her eyes, like she wanted to rip Celeste apart and then kiss her senseless in the same breath.

Either way, Celeste was enjoying this more than she should.

Which was exactly why she decided to push Sapphire just a little further.

---

That morning, Celeste made sure Sapphire saw her with Rebecca Sinclair.

Rebecca was beautiful in an obvious way—voluptuous, sultry, the type of girl who knew exactly how to turn heads. And right now, she was laughing at something Celeste whispered in her ear, fingers playfully tugging at Celeste's tie.

It was a calculated move, and it worked.

Celeste didn't even need to look to know that Sapphire was watching.

She could feel her.

That sharp, unreadable gaze. The tension in the air, thick enough to cut.

Good. Let her stew in it.

Celeste wasn't about to be the only one left affected in this game.

---

Sapphire's retaliation came swiftly.

Celeste had barely settled into her seat at lunch when the whispers started.

Sapphire is getting cozy with Daniel again.

Celeste resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Really, princess? That's your move?

Sure enough, when she entered the student council office later that afternoon, there was Daniel Raines, sitting at Sapphire's desk, leaning back like he belonged there.

Sapphire stood beside him, leaning just a little too close, a coy smile playing on her lips. Their conversation was quiet, intimate—staged, obviously, but still annoying.

Celeste wasn't jealous.

She wasn't.

She was just irritated that Sapphire thought Daniel of all people would be enough to rattle her.

She leaned against the doorway, crossing her arms. "Well, isn't this cozy?"

Sapphire barely looked up. "Oh, Celeste. Didn't see you there."

Celeste smirked. "That's surprising. I thought you always had an eye on me."

Sapphire's lips curled. "Not today."

Daniel, ever the opportunist, grinned. "Ladies, let's not fight over me all at once."

Celeste shot him a look. "Relax, pretty boy. No one's fighting over you."

Sapphire chuckled and closed the distance between them, her gaze sharp and knowing. "Come on, Daniel. We have plans to discuss."

She walked past Celeste without a second glance, but—

Celeste felt it.

That barely-there touch. The brush of fingers against her wrist.

A challenge.

Celeste smirked. Game on, princess.

---

That night, Celeste found herself pacing her bedroom, restless in a way she hadn't been in a long time.

She had been playing with fire for weeks now, testing Sapphire, seeing how far she could push before she finally broke.

But something had shifted.

It wasn't just about power anymore.

It wasn't just about winning.

Sapphire made her feel something—something Celeste couldn't quite name, something dangerous.

She could handle rivals. She could handle obsession.

But this?

This was different.

Sapphire wasn't just a game to her anymore.

And Celeste wasn't sure whether she wanted to break her—

Or fall with her.

---

Sapphire Langford was not someone who lost.

She didn't lose her composure. She didn't lose her battles. And she certainly didn't lose to Celeste Calloway.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

But the truth?

The truth was far more frustrating.

Celeste was under her skin, in her thoughts, everywhere. The smirk, the way she looked at her like she knew, like she could see through every carefully built wall—

It was infuriating.

And worse, Celeste was enjoying every second of it.

Sapphire could see it in her eyes.

The amusement, the challenge.

Like she was daring Sapphire to slip.

To fall.

Sapphire clenched her jaw as she leaned back against the student council desk, watching Celeste with cool detachment. "You've been awfully bold lately."

Celeste, lounging in a chair like she owned the place, arched a brow. "Bold? Or just honest?"

Sapphire scoffed. "Honesty isn't your strong suit."

Celeste smirked. "Neither is pretending you don't want me."

Sapphire's fingers curled into the edge of the desk.

She would not react.

She would not let Celeste win.

So instead, she smiled—a slow, practiced expression, the same one she used whenever she wanted to unnerve someone.

"You have quite the ego," she murmured.

Celeste leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "And you have quite the tell."

Sapphire stiffened. "Excuse me?"

Celeste's gaze was sharp, knowing. "You don't get mad when people flirt with you, Sapphire. You don't even blink."

She stood up, closing the distance between them in slow, deliberate steps.

"But me?" Celeste continued, voice barely above a whisper. "I touch your wrist, and you freeze. I tease you, and you bite back like you're trying to convince yourself it doesn't affect you."

Sapphire's breath caught.

Celeste was too close now, her warmth pressing into Sapphire's carefully maintained space.

And then—

Celeste reached up, fingertips tracing the edge of Sapphire's jaw.

The touch was feather-light, almost teasing.

"You can lie to yourself all you want," Celeste murmured. "But you react to me, Sapphire."

Sapphire's heart was pounding, but her expression didn't waver.

She refused to give Celeste the satisfaction.

Instead, she let out a slow breath, tilting her head slightly—just enough to make Celeste's fingers trail lower, down the column of her throat.

"You're playing a dangerous game," Sapphire whispered.

Celeste's lips curled. "I love dangerous games."

For a single, breathless moment, neither of them moved.

Then—

Sapphire stepped back.

Cold. Controlled. Untouchable.

Celeste's smirk didn't fade, but there was something in her eyes—something unreadable.

"I hope you're prepared to lose," Sapphire said, voice smooth, unshaken.

Celeste's gaze darkened. "I never lose."

Sapphire turned, walking away without another word.

But her hands were trembling.

And Celeste knew it.

---

That night, Sapphire sat on her balcony, staring up at the sky.

She should have been angry.

Should have been planning her next move, strategizing how to throw Celeste off balance.

Instead, all she could think about was the way Celeste had looked at her.

Like she was something Celeste wanted.

And the worst part?

For the first time in her life—

Sapphire wasn't sure if she wanted to win.