Chapter 9 - THE DAY CELESTE TRIED TO TAKE VALENTINA AWAY
Celeste Bowmont entered the penthouse as though she already owned it.
White coat.
Diamond earrings.
A leather folder pressed against her chest.
Beside her stood Dr. Leonard Price, the physician whose assessment had described Valentina as mentally incompetent.
I watched from the hallway.
Dante stood near the living room windows.
His expression was cold.
"Why are you here?"
Celeste smiled.
"I'm here to help your mother."
"She's receiving appropriate medical care."
"According to whom?"
"Her treating physicians."
Celeste's smile tightened.
"Leonard has been managing her condition for months."
Dante looked toward the doctor.
"Without my mother's informed consent?"
Leonard's expression changed.
"Mr. Moretti, there are complicated medical issues—"
"Then explain them to her attorney."
Silence.
Celeste stepped forward.
"Dante, you're making this unnecessarily difficult."
He didn't move.
"Why are you trying to obtain control over my mother's treatment?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"Because she can no longer make rational decisions."
I felt anger rising.
Valentina had been clear-minded when she asked me to recover Luca's letter.
She remembered dates.
Names.
Financial concerns.
The fact that she occasionally became drowsy after receiving unknown medication didn't mean she had lost the right to decide her own life.
Dante looked toward Celeste.
"Her independent physicians disagree."
Celeste went pale.
For the first time, I saw fear beneath her polished expression.
Then she noticed me.
Her eyes hardened.
"You."
I remained still.
"Yes?"
"This is your fault."
I stared.
"My fault?"
"Ever since you arrived, you've been filling Dante's head with lies."
Dante stepped forward.
"Celeste."
She ignored him.
"You're a housekeeper. You don't understand anything about this family."
I looked directly at her.
"I understand that Valentina deserves to know what medication she's taking."
Silence.
Then I continued.
"And I understand that nobody has the right to treat her like a financial asset."
Celeste's face reddened.
"You insolent little—"
"Enough," Dante said.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it stopped her.
He looked toward Leonard Price.
"You're no longer authorized to make decisions concerning my mother's care."
The physician stiffened.
"Mr. Moretti—"
"Her own medical team will determine what's appropriate, and her wishes will be respected."
Celeste looked furious.
Then something unexpected happened.
Patricia entered carrying a small envelope.
"Mr. Moretti, this arrived from the hospital."
Dante opened it.
Inside was a copy of Valentina's signed statement.
She'd met privately with an independent attorney and confirmed that she did not want Celeste involved in her financial or medical decisions.
Dante looked toward his fiancée.
"It's over."
Celeste stared.
"What?"
"Our relationship."
The room went silent.
For four years, Chicago society had treated them as an inevitable marriage.
Now Dante was ending it in front of the staff.
Celeste's face changed.
"You can't do this."
"I can."
Her voice trembled.
"After everything my father has done for you?"
Dante looked toward the financial records.
"That's exactly what I'm investigating."
Then Celeste stepped backward.
Her expression shifted from anger to something colder.
"You think Serena is innocent?"
My stomach tightened.
She smiled.
"Ask her what her brother Mateo has been doing at Northwestern."
I stopped breathing.
"What?"
Celeste reached into her folder.
She removed a photograph.
Mateo stood outside a university research building.
Beside him was Arthur Bowmont.
Celeste looked directly at me.
"Your brother isn't just a student, Serena."
My heart pounded.
May you like
Then she delivered the revelation that changed everything.
"He's been working for my father for six months."
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