"Don't press it."
Celeste’s voice was calm — too calm. Her mother’s finger hovered over the detonator.
"Give me one reason," her mother said.
"Because you’re bluffing. You won’t kill yourself. You love power too much."
Her mother smiled faintly. "You think you know me."
"I do. Better than you think."
Silence filled the room. Every second stretched.
Then her mother lowered the detonator — just a little. "You’re right. I won’t die today. But you’re not winning either."
She pressed another hidden button on the desk.
Gas hissed through the vents. Sweet-smelling. Chemical.
"Sleep gas," her mother said. "You’ll wake up in your cells. Where you belong."
Celeste held her breath. So did Damien and Elena. But the guards didn’t. They breathed it in and began collapsing.
Her mother slipped
