Chapter 6: The Threat from Within

Evelyn Sloane waited patiently in the sunlit conservatory of the Sloane Estate, her perfectly manicured hands drumming on the armrest of her chair. Lucas stormed back and forth across the room in front of her, his outraged face flushed with anger. Elliot's marriage had hit the headlines, and neither of them could hide their annoyance.

"He actually did it," Lucas sneered, venom oozing from his words. "The son of a bitch married her. I didn't think he would be able to find someone desperate enough to sign up for this."

Evelyn's lips curled into a wicked grin, her sharp eyes glinting with calculation. "Oh, Lucas, don't be so dramatic. This doesn't change anything. If anything, it gives us an opportunity."

Lucas stopped pacing and turned to her. "A chance? How? He's married now. The stipulation of the will is met. He's off limits."

Evelyn leaned back further, smiling widely. "Unless his marriage doesn't fall apart. And I'll bet you a dollar it will. We just have to make sure of that."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, curious. "What do you intend to do?"

Evelyn's tone dropped to a whisper. "We ruin her. We destroy Celeste Monroe's reputation so thoroughly that Elliot will have no choice but to divorce her. And when he does, the company will be ours."

Lucas's eyes glinted with a wicked glint. "I approve of the way you think, Mother."

The First Attack

The next morning, the media went wild with a new scandal. Headlines blazed across all news outlets:

"Celeste Monroe's Secret Affair with an Ex-Lover!"

Next to the article was a doctored photo of Celeste and Damien Hale, their faces inches from each other, their stance intimate. The photo was convincing enough to incite outrage, and within hours, it was viral. Social media was ablaze with speculation, and the comments section was a cesspit of judgment and hate.

"I knew she was trouble!"

"Elliot Sloane deserves better than this gold digger."

"She's using him to save her career."

Elliot was also in the process of a tight business meeting when his assistant Claire handed him a tablet with the breaking news. His jaw taut, he read the headlines, but the expression on his face did not change. He returned the tablet to Claire in silence and pressed on with the meeting as usual.

But under his calm facade, his mind was racing. He had expected something of this nature—Evelyn and Lucas were trouble, after all. What he had not expected was that they had moved so quickly. They were becoming more and more brazen, and that was making them dangerous.

The Billionaire's Fury

Celeste flung into Elliot's office; her cheeks fiery with anger. She slapped a tabloid down in front of him, the headline screaming out at them:

"Secret Affair of Celeste Monroe with a Former Lover."

"You know this is not true!" she cried, her voice quavering with rage. "This is a trap. Someone is attempting to destroy me—destroy us!"

Elliot sat back in his chair, his expression chilly and unresponsive. "You didn't expect I wouldn't be prepared for this?" he stated, his voice icy. "That's why I chose you, Celeste. You're already familiar with being in the middle of public scandal. You can ride out the controversy."

Celeste winced as if he had hit her. His words hurt more than she wanted to admit. She had known this was a business transaction, but for him to say it so bluntly—so brutally—was a harsh reminder of her position. He had never trusted her. Not ever.

You're unbelievable," she said to him, her low voice trembling. "Do you even care that someone's attempting to destroy me? Or is this all part of another game for you?"

Elliot's eyes flashed anger, but he said nothing. Instead, he stood up and walked over to the window, his back turned to her. "This is not about you, Celeste. This is about them. And I will handle it.".

Celeste glared at him, her pulse racing. She ached to protest, to demand explanations, but she knew she was wasting her time. Elliot Sloane was a fortress, and she stood outside, gaping in.

As Celeste left the office, Elliot's gaze followed her, his expression unchanging. He suspected Lucas and Evelyn of the scandal, but he didn't approach them—yet. He was playing a game of longer strategy, one that required patience and precision. But what was he really looking for? Revenge? Control? Something deeper, something he wasn't ready to face himself?

And with the shadows of their enemies coming closer, Celeste couldn't help but get the feeling she was just a pawn in some infinitely larger game she had no clue about.