Chapter 24
Lysander nearly crushed the plume in bigrip. Tinly after several deep breails lid be regain a semblan ofcontrol
“Hang tight. Fo
He raced back to headquaters at breakneck speed, only to find Celeste lounging in his executive chair.
“Sn. Lysander,” the drawled, “satisfied with how things turned out? I told you I didnt want you bothering Navier
In that moment, everything clicked. This entire catastrophe was Celeste’s handiwork.
A bitter laugh escaped his throat as he snarled through clenched teeth.
“Well played, Celeste, I clearly underestimated you. But the Vanderbilt empire won’t going down because of your little games. You think I won’t the ow you into a cell and leave you there to rot?”
Celeste’s smile remained soft and gentle–retly similar to phelia’s–but her words cur
You won’t”
“Just imagine poor Ophelia in a jail cell, eating terrible food, sleeping on a hard link being bullied by other inmates. You couldn’t bear it.”
Her sande brightened further.
“Relax, Lysander. This little mess? Consider it my gift to you. You should actually thank me–1 just helped you get rid of the dead weight in your company
“I haven’t broken any laws. I simply revealed the rot that was already inside your organization”
“Why not just stay here and fix your business? Why do you keep chasing after Navier? She’s happy now.”
“Tour beloved Ophelia is right here by your side forever. What more could you possibly want?”
Celeste couldn’t comprehend Lysander’s inner conflict.
He wanted everything, but life doesn’t work that way.
Gaining something means losing something else–a perfectly fair exchange
He should learn to be content.
Lysander’s gaze shifted rapidly as he studied her, nearly choking on his rage.
“Celeste Starley. You’re just banking on the fact I won’t hurt that face of yours. But what happens when you stop looking like Ophelia Ever think about that?”
“When that day comes, I won’t hesitate to destroy you.”
Celeste embraced him tenderly, perfecting Ophelia’s signature gaze.
“That day will never come, Lysander. But if it did, you’d be the one with regrets and fear, not me. After all, you love Ophelia more than anything– right?”
Her words left Lysander feeling utterly pooverless..
He angrily pushed her away,
conflicted as he stared at her face–a face he both loved and hated.
If only she didn’t look so much like Ophelia‘
Then he wouldn’t need to hold back. He could deal with her however he wanted.
Put that damn face was too similar,
13:20
Almost in Love with You: Before That Cruel Summer Took Everything
Celeste dialed Navier’s number with satisfaction.
“Navier! I hope you’re happy. And if Aubagy ever mistreats you, Til be the first one to ser him straight.
Navier laughed, wopprised that Celeste’s flast weils after getting her number would be this.
“I pass that along to Aubory, thut how are you doing with Lysander? Everything okay?
“Don’t force yourself to endure mistreatment. With that face, he’d never harm you.
To be honest, I regret asking you to stay by his side forever. I hope you get the chance to be your
well someday.”
Celeste felt a wave of warmth at Navire’s coneren.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let myself be mistreated agam. And this is my true self now–I don’t mind playing Ophelia occasionally, I actually enjoy it ”
“That’s great” Navier felt a felief,
After chatting for a few more mines, Celeste finally hung up.
She turned to find Lysander still standing there, but felt no concern about his reaction
There was nothing left to hide.
Lysander felt as though he’d been plunged into an icy abyss.
Never before had he realized with such clarity that Navier truly no longer loved him.
In the past, he could have deladed himself that this was just another of her tactics to win his attention
But now, she was marrying another man. Her claims shout moving on had been genuine from the start.
The only one stuck in the past was him.
After making basic arrangements to stabilize the company, Lysander bought several bottles of whiskey and placed a bouquet of lies at Ophelia’s
He sat beside the headstone and spoke in a hoarse voice
“Ophelia 1think I screwed up. A lot.”
“I regret everything. Since you left me, every choice I’ve made–regret it all.”
*If you were here, knowing what I’ve done, you’d probably hate me, wouldn’t you? You were always so kind.”
He looked down at his hand, watching blood drip from her fingertips, staining the documents on the floor.
“I couldn’t let you go, yet I grew accustomed to Navier and her body. It’s all my full…
But no matter how many bottles he emptied. Lysander remained painfully sober, not feeling even slightly intoxicated.
He stumbled back to Buskale Villa but chose to sleep in the master bedroom, inhaling Navier’s lingering scent as he drifted off.
Tomorrow, he would continue his battle with Celeste.
Five years later, Celeste had successfully carved off a substantial portion of the Vanderbilt Group. Knowing when to quit while ahead, she cashed out and left. Then flew to England to join Navier and Aubrey.
Lysander remained with his wounded company, staring at a photograph on his desk showing Navier and Aubrey together.
With cold exprosion, he cut out Aubrey’s portion of the picture and burned it to ashes.
He placed Navier’s remaining image next to Ophelia’s photograph
Surrounded by these two pictures, he lived out the rest of his days in solitude.
Chapter 24
Love or not love–Lysander had long since lost the ability to distinguish between the
Only habits etched unto his bones continued to haunt him
In the end, he was left with nothing.
