Celestine's POV
Secure your place, Celestine. An heir will bind him.
My mother understands the only true currency is leverage.
I ease my foot on the accelerator. Doubt has been seeded into Kaelen over that stupid song played by that masked b!tch. He has forgotten the value of my presence. If I wait for him to remember, I'll be left with nothing but his pity, and I refuse to be a footnote.
When I reach his house, the darkness is complete. I let myself in. The scent of whiskey confirms the state of things.
Good.
The half-empty bottle on the counter is a welcome vulnerability. Kaelen, when he drinks, becomes predictable, less armored. He ceases to be a man and becomes a target.
I smooth my dress and take a slow, deep breath. My mother was right. Love is immaterial. He will be bound
