Page 31 of Knot in My Wildest Dreams: Part 2
Elijah had told me he'd met with Arnault. If the timelines didn’t add up, then Elijah had never actually met with the ex-staff of Harringday. He would have had to receive the Tedena documents from someone else, likely Gideon himself.
And if Arnault wasn’t alive… that meant Elijah had lied.
Chapter 31
Celeste
I was resting, checking my emails when Liam stepped into the room. He shut the door behind him before coming to me. His eyes found mine, and the weight in them made my throat go dry.
“We have it,” he said simply. His voice was steady, but his jaw flexed as if he was holding back a storm. He held up the drive between two fingers like it was both a weapon and salvation. “Proof. Your uncle won’t be able to wiggle out of this one.”
I blinked, struggling to catch up. “What did you find?” I asked, excited and nervous at the same time.
Liam’s lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile. “Proof. It’s all here.”
Relief slammed into me so fast it stole my breath. We finally had evidence. Now, we just needed to find a way to get it in front of the people who mattered. For the first time in weeks, the crushing weight on my chest eased, letting me take in a full breath. Liam came closer, crouching so he was eye-level with me, his free hand brushing against mine in a fleeting, grounding touch.
But as I stared at that flash drivel, another sensation slid into me, nagging at my mind - anxiety. It wormed its way through my relief, making it harder to breathe again. Something about this moment felt off. Gideon was clever, meticulous, ruthless. But it was more than that. I felt like something shifted, something happened, and I couldn’t explain it. Something was wrong. I couldn’t pin it down, but the unease dug in deeper with every second.
Chapter 32
Dante
My blood ran cold as I hung up the phone. I needed to know whether Elijah had lied.
“What was that about?” He asked as I came back to the room.
“Oh, they were just checking in. I told them we have plenty of evidence against Harringday, and we have a plan to drop the news soon.” I lied, trying to buy time. Elijah looked at me curiously.
“You’re remarkably calm for someone who just found out the key to taking down Celeste. I figured you’d want to hunt her down yourself after getting the proof.” He said, throwing a stack of papers on the table.
“I mean, she’s at a spa, so I figure it will be all the worse once everything crashes down around her.” I said, then pretended to look through several documents. I’d been going over the files again, pacing the edge of the conference table like a caged wolf. The numbers were wrong. The dates didn’t line up.
And then I saw it - the report Elijah claimed came from Arnault, the last time they supposedly met. The problem was, Arnault had been dead for at least a year before the date stamped on the damn thing.
My pulse went cold. I didn’t say anything right away. I just let it sit there, burning in my mind.
“Speaking of what started all this, were you able to get in touch with Arnault?” I asked casually, and Elijah shook his head.
“Not yet. He’s out of town at the moment, but rest assured, I will get him to meet with you.” He said, and I looked up.
“You have met him in person, right?” I asked, and Elijah nodded.
“Of course. I vetted him.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“Just before your contract with Celeste.” The words fell like a stone on cement. That couldn’t have been possible. Arnault had been gone long before then. I stared at Elijah, memories flying through my head.
“Are you ok?” he asked, cocking his head at me.
I studied him for a long moment before I spoke. “Yeah. A question.”
His brow lifted. “Shoot.”
“How’d Arnault get these papers to you if he was already dead?”
For a second - just a second - there was something in his eyes. A flicker of calculation. Then his smile returned, practiced and easy. “Dante, what are you on about? You’re talking paranoid. I just spoke to him.”
