Chapter 9 - THE WOMAN CELESTE FEAREDWe entered the Montreal hotel at midnight.
My mother wore a gray coat.
I wore black.
Dad remained outside.
Nathan stayed in the vehicle with security.
Room 1907 was unlocked.
Inside was Celeste.
She stood beside a window overlooking the city.
Victor Ashford sat in a chair.
And between them was a woman I had never seen.
She looked about forty.
Elegant.
Perfectly calm.
Celeste stepped forward.
"Elena."
My mother stared at her.
"You were always clever."
Celeste smiled.
"You were always underestimated."
Victor stood.
"This ends tonight."
My mother looked at me.
"No."
Then she looked at Celeste.
"It ends when you tell her who your employer is."
Celeste's expression changed.
For the first time, she looked afraid.
The unknown woman stepped forward.
"My name is Evelyn Cross."
My mother's face went pale.
She whispered:
"Adrian's sister."
Evelyn smiled.
"Finally."
She revealed the truth.
The council wasn't controlled by Adrian.
It was controlled by Evelyn.
Adrian had spent decades trying to dismantle the organization.
Evelyn had spent decades expanding it.
She had engineered Nathan's rise.
She had manipulated Celeste.
She had kept Victor alive.
And she had arranged the events that led to my marriage.
But there was one thing she hadn't planned for.
Me.
She turned toward me.
"You remember."
I felt a strange pressure in my head.
Colors.
Numbers.
A childhood melody.
A shipping route.
A bank code.
Then another.
And another.
Memories came flooding back.
My mother had been training me.
The entire ledger had been hidden inside my mind.
Evelyn smiled.
"Give it to me."
I shook my head.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
She laughed.
"You do."
Then Celeste stepped forward with a gun.
"You have sixty seconds."
My mother looked at me.
"Don't give them anything."
Evelyn raised a hand.
A man entered carrying a monitor.
The screen showed a live feed.
Dad.
He was surrounded by armed men.
Nathan was beside him.
Celeste smiled.
"Your father has ten minutes."
My heart dropped.
"You said sixty seconds."
"I'm changing the rules."
I looked at my mother.
She smiled.
Then she whispered something only I could hear.
"Remember the lullaby."
I did.
A song from my childhood.
Five notes.
Then seven.
Then three.
It wasn't a lullaby.
It was a code.
I looked toward the hotel room's security panel.
Then the cameras.
Then the sprinkler system.
I understood.
The ledger wasn't only information.
It was a map.
And I knew exactly where the council stored its money.
I looked at Evelyn.
"You want the ledger?"
She smiled.
"Yes."
"Fine."
I took a breath.
"I'll give it to you."
Celeste lowered her gun.
My mother stared at me.
I smiled.
"But you're going to need everyone in the council in one room."
Evelyn frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I don't carry the ledger."
I pointed at my head.
"I carry the key."
Her expression changed.
May you like
For the first time, Evelyn looked worried.
And then the hotel lights went out.
