Chapter 11 - The Mistress Discovers the Price|
Seline had imagined that wearing the Donna necklace would make her untouchable.
Instead, it made her the most watched woman in America.
Every public appearance became a test. Every meeting became a negotiation. Every family that had once smiled at Damian now asked Seline questions she could not answer.
She had not realized how much of the syndicate's stability depended on Vivien's quiet work.
A dispute in Boston escalated because two captains refused to recognize Seline's authority. A shipping agreement in Chicago stalled. The Romano family withdrew from a joint investment without explanation.
Then Kanti sent a message.
The necklace does not make you Donna.
Seline threw her phone across the room.
Damian entered moments later.
"What happened?"
"They're humiliating me."
"Ignore them."
"I can't. The council has frozen the trust, and the bank has suspended the transfers Thomas promised would be available."
Damian looked at her.
"What transfers?"
Seline hesitated.
She had known Thomas was moving money through the legacy companies. She had believed the arrangement was temporary, a way to secure resources while the old council adjusted to the new leadership.
Now the accounts were frozen, and investigators were asking questions.
"Thomas said the money was part of the restructuring."
"How much?"
She told him.
Damian's face went pale.
"You authorized transfers worth that amount without telling me?"
"I thought you knew."
He stepped away.
For the first time, Seline saw genuine anger in his expression.
"You told me the necklace was a symbol. You told me the council would adapt."
"I believed it."
"You wanted to believe it."
The words silenced her.
Damian looked at the necklace.
"Take it off."
Seline's hands moved instinctively to the clasp.
"No."
"Take it off."
"You gave it to me."
"And now I'm asking for it back."
She stared at him.
"You don't get to change your mind because the room has turned against you."
Damian reached for the clasp.
Seline stepped backward.
"If you touch me, I'll tell them everything."
He stopped.
"What does that mean?"
"It means Thomas has records of your approvals. Your signatures. Your meetings with the investors. If you try to make me the scapegoat, I'll make certain the council sees every document."
Damian looked at her as if he had never known her.
Perhaps he hadn't.
A knock sounded at the door.
Thomas entered without waiting for permission.
"We have a situation."
Damian turned.
"Another one?"
"Helena has contacted the council. She intends to challenge the trust at the summit."
Seline looked up.
"Helena Vale is dead."
Thomas shook his head.
"Apparently, not everyone in this family has been telling the truth."
He placed a photograph on the table.
It showed Helena standing beside Margaret Ashcroft and a young girl.
The girl was Seline.
She stared at the image.
Her mother had told her she was an orphan.
She had spent her entire life believing that the Ashcrofts had abandoned her family.
Thomas looked at her carefully.
"There's something you need to know about your past."
Seline's voice trembled.
May you like
"What?"
"You were not brought into Damian's life by accident."
