Dark day
930 Words
Chapter 4POV: Celeste Sebastian“I never expected to see you here,” a voice hissed near me, cold as ice.I glanced sideways, meeting Clara’s fake smile as she linked her arm with mine. Sisters in public, rivals in private. I returned her smile, thin and controlled. “It’s my engagement day, after all. Of course, I’d come.”Her eyes flickered—something like hate, or was it fear? I couldn’t tell. But her carefully crafted mask didn’t fool me. We were about to begin the longest performance of our lives.From where I stood, the whispers swirling around us cut sharper than any blade.“When I saw Clara earlier, I thought she looked pretty,” one woman murmured loudly enough for me to hear. “But Celeste in the same dress? She outshines her completely.”“She doesn’t need makeup to glow. Clara’s all paint and powder—Celeste is radiant by nature.”I caught Clara’s tightening jaw and the way her fingers curled into fists beneath the satin fabric.“You always did have a way of stealing the spotlight,” she spat, but it came out too soft to sting.Viv appeared beside her like a shadow, her smile polite but her eyes deadly. “Celeste, you left Xavier heartbroken when you ran off with that man four years ago. Thanks to Clara, he moved on. Now that they’re together, you show up looking like a ghost from the past. How selfish can you be?”I bit back a retort and instead let my eyes meet hers, steady and unafraid.“Run off?” I echoed, voice calm but firm. “You mean the night I was drugged? When I woke on that hotel bed, alone and confused?”Viv’s smile faltered for the briefest moment before it hardened into something cruel. “Careful, Celeste. That story isn’t for everyone.”Everyone here thought they knew my truth—but they didn’t. None of them knew the danger I had escaped. Or the betrayal stitched into every moment since.Clara’s voice cracked as she clung to her mother’s hand. “Mom, please. Don’t humiliate her in front of everyone. Celeste was young and deceived. She deserves some kindness.”Kindness? I wanted to laugh, but held the sound back. Everyone was a player in this charade.“Deceived, huh?” The words tasted bitter. “If I remember correctly, I was the one who almost lost everything that night. Maybe I’m the only one who remembers.”Laughter, cold and hollow, rippled through the room.“That’s enough, Celeste,” Viv said sharply. “Today isn’t about you. It’s Clara’s day. Let’s keep it that way.”But then I saw it—a flicker of doubt in a few eyes, the kind that can turn to wildfire.I lifted my chin. “If we’re going to revisit the past, let’s do it properly.”I turned and pointed to the giant screen behind us. “Shall we all remember together?”Gasps broke out as the images shifted.What had been a slideshow of Clara and Xavier’s perfect smiles changed abruptly.Surveillance footage from that infamous night played—two men and a woman pacing a hotel corridor, voices clear despite the distance.“Mr. Gregory, she’s my daughter. Stubborn, yes, but still pure. Once a woman’s had her first experience, she becomes gentle… obedient, like a kitten.”“Exactly. Young girls bear healthy babies. It’s best for the family.”“Let me see her. If she’s suitable, the Riverton project goes to the Sebastians.”My heart pounded.Viv’s face turned ashen. Panic clawed at her throat.“Connor! Get backstage! Who leaked this?” she demanded, voice shaking.Connor vanished behind the curtains, but no amount of frantic clicking stopped the video.“Virus,” the tech muttered, sweat glistening.Connor slammed the table. “Turn it off!”No response. The footage played on.The whispers erupted louder now, voices thick with shock and accusation.“How could this happen?”“The Sebastians selling their own daughter… a family secret exposed!”Behind me, I heard Clara pinch her thigh hard, tears glimmering in her eyes.“Sister, you betrayed us first,” she whispered fiercely. “I’m with Xavier now. Let us be.”The crowd’s gaze turned venomous, hatred dripping in every look.“Celeste abandoned her family. She’s jealous and selfish, stirring trouble on her sister’s day.”A harsh voice spat, “Women like her were punished harshly in the old days—banished, imprisoned, worse.”Another sneered, “And wearing the same dress? Shameless.”I clenched my fists but said nothing.This was their play, their trap.Viv’s eyes burned with satisfaction.She believed today would be my downfall.But I wasn’t done yet.I raised my hand, stopping the murmurs.“Viv,” I said softly, “I remember that night differently.”She opened her mouth to interrupt.I cut her off, voice steady, “That night, I was drugged, knocked unconscious. When I woke, I was trapped in a hotel room. You tried to ruin me then, but I escaped.”The room fell silent.The air thickened with tension.Viv’s face twisted, lips curling in fury.Before she could order me away, I turned to the crowd and whispered, “So, who leaked the video? Who decided to tell the truth tonight?”Suddenly, the screen went black.Gasps filled the air.Then, from the side, a hand flicked the power cord.Xavier Jason stood there, calm, holding the unplugged cable.The banquet froze.The game had changed.
- Writer
