The Devil Who Claimed Me

Celeste gritted her teeth.

"Then tell him to sign the divorce papers," she shouted. "This marriage is already dead."

Tears burned in her eyes.

"He promised me he would cut ties with that woman. He promised he would never bring his bastard son into our lives."

Her voice trembled. "And I believed him." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

She pressed a hand against her chest as tears streamed down her face. "I gave him two sons. My family gave him influence. My family gave him money. We helped him build everything he has today."

Pain flashed across her features. "But he forgot all of it. He forgot every promise he made."

Bitterness seeped into every word. "He brought Max home. He made him his successor."

Her lips quivered. "He locked me away and treated my sons like enemies."

Hatred filled her eyes. "I will never forget what he did to us. And I will never forgive him."

"Then don’t." Dominic’s calm response stunned her.

Celeste froze. For a moment, she simply stared at him. Then irritation returned.

"Stop playing games with me." She pointed toward the door. "Get out. Tell Luke to come here himself."

Her eyes turned red. "If he doesn’t, I’ll burn this place down and die here."

Dominic chuckled softly and slid his hands into his pockets. "What would be the point of that?"

His voice remained infuriatingly calm. "If you do something reckless, you’ll lose everything."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "I already lost everything."

"No." The certainty in his voice made her frown. "You haven’t."

Confusion crossed her face.

Dominic met her gaze. "You can still win."

Celeste stared at him. The words made no sense.

"What are you talking about?"

Dominic glanced toward the entrance. The guards were still outside.

"Can we talk somewhere private?"

Celeste studied him for a long moment. She didn’t trust him. Yet something about his confidence made it difficult to refuse.

Finally, she turned. "Come with me."

She led him upstairs.

Moments later, they entered a study.

A large mahogany desk sat in the center of the room. Bookshelves lined the walls.

The tall window stood open, allowing the cool evening wind to sweep inside.

Celeste stopped beside the window. Her posture remained rigid. "Say what you came to say and leave."

Dominic let out a low laugh. "You still want me to leave, Mrs. Bellini." His eyes narrowed. "I thought you’d be interested in hearing how to get revenge on your husband."

Celeste spun around. Shock flooded her face.

"What did you say?"

For a second, she thought she had misheard him. Then suspicion surfaced. Her eyes hardened.

"Is this Luke’s trick?" She took a step toward him. "Did he send you here to test me?"

Dominic expected that reaction.

Trust was never going to come easily.

"I mean every word." His voice was steady. "I’m here because I want Luke Bellini destroyed."

Celeste stared at him. The statement only confused her more.

"Why?" She narrowed her eyes. "You are his secretary, his most trusted man. Why would you betray him?"

Dominic’s expression turned cold. "Because he never treats me well. I am tired of being humiliated every day."

His voice was flat. "I’m beside him for one reason. To bring him down."

The room fell silent.

"If you work with me, your sons will inherit everything."

A flicker of emotion crossed Celeste’s face. But the suspicion remained.

"Why should I trust you?"

"You don’t have to." Dominic stepped closer. "But if you don’t fight back, Luke will eventually throw you and your sons aside completely."

His words struck a nerve. Celeste looked away. Her hands tightened around the windowsill.

"I gave everything to that man." Her voice cracked. "I stood beside him when he had nothing. I helped him build his empire."

Her eyes turned red again. "And now that he is more powerful than my family, he acts as though none of it matters."

She dug her nails into the wood. "I want everything back."

Her gaze hardened. "And I won’t let anyone steal my sons’ future."

For the first time, determination replaced grief. She turned toward him.

"What’s the plan?"

A faint smile tugged at Dominic’s lips.

Finally, she had taken the bait.

"First, you return home. Luke has already sent Max away."

Her eyes widened.

"And he removed him as successor."

A grin instantly appeared on her face. "Really?" She sounded almost breathless. "You are telling me the truth?"

Dominic nodded. "For now."

The grin slowly faded from her face.

"For now?" she repeated. "What does that mean?"

"Luke only sent him away to calm public outrage." Dominic’s voice turned cold. "When the scandal dies down, he’ll bring Max back."

The hatred in Celeste’s eyes deepened. "I won’t let that happen."

Dominic nodded. "Your battle isn’t over yet."

She took a slow breath. Then looked directly at him. "Thank you."

Her voice carried genuine sincerity. "Thank you for helping me. I’ll never forget this. Let’s destroy that selfish, arrogant man together."

Dominic merely smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Late that night...

Dominic slipped into the Vega mansion once again.

While the household slept, he climbed the familiar pipe and stepped onto the balcony attached to Mila’s room. His hand reached for the door.

To his surprise, it opened immediately.

He paused.

Last time, it had been locked. Tonight, it wasn’t.

A smile tugged at his lips. ’She must be waiting for me.’

He stepped inside, then stopped.

Mila was sitting on the bed. A soft smile rested on her face.

Dominic’s eyes brightened. "You are still awake?"

He walked toward her. A teasing grin appeared. "Were you waiting for me?"

Of course, she had been.

After all, her divorce from Max was finally happening. The future she wanted was finally within reach. And she knew Dominic would come.

But she wasn’t about to admit that, not after he had disappeared for months without contacting her.

He deserved a little punishment.

"I wasn’t."

Dominic’s smile disappeared for exactly one second. Then it returned.

"If you weren’t waiting for me," he drawled, "why are you awake this late?"

Mila pouted. "My legs hurt." She glanced down. "I couldn’t sleep."

The teasing glint vanished from Dominic’s face. Concern immediately replaced it. He knelt before her.

His hands gently wrapped around her swollen legs. "Then let me help."

His fingers began massaging them carefully, tenderly.

Mila immediately relaxed. Warmth spread through her body.

After a moment, she picked up the divorce papers from the nightstand. She handed them to him.

"I’m finally divorced."

Dominic glanced at the signatures. A strange softness entered his eyes.

"I know."

"In one month, it’ll be official." Tears gathered in Mila’s eyes.

A mixture of relief and emotion washed over her. "I’m finally free."

Her voice softened. "I couldn’t have done it without you."

Dominic shook his head. "I didn’t do much. Lara deserves the credit."

Mila laughed quietly. "Maybe." Then she looked at him knowingly. "But Lara couldn’t have done anything without your photographs or your information about Luke Bellini."

Dominic lowered his eyes briefly. When he looked up again, satisfaction flickered in them.

"How could I allow another man to keep you?" His voice turned colder. "Max deserved punishment. He hurt you."

A dangerous glint flashed through his eyes. "If it weren’t for everything he did to protect you, I would’ve dealt with him long ago."

His hand moved to her stomach. His expression softened immediately. "He married you to protect you and our child. For that, I’m grateful. As long as he stays away from you, I’ll leave him alone."

Mila covered his hand with hers. "I don’t hate him either." She sighed. "But he tried to hurt our baby."

The atmosphere instantly changed. Dominic froze. Slowly, he looked up.

The softness vanished from his face. "What?" His voice was dangerously quiet. "He tried to hurt our baby."

Dominic rose to his feet. Pure fury blazed in his eyes. "How dare he?"

His hands clenched. The urge to kill surged through him.

"I’ll kill him."

Mila immediately grabbed his hand. "Dominic. Calm down."

He looked at her. His breathing was uneven.

"You can’t act recklessly." She squeezed his hand. "You have to be careful."

Dominic forced himself to swallow the rage.

She was right.

One wrong move could destroy everything. After a long moment, he finally sat down beside her. Then he looked at her belly.

His expression softened. "From now on," he placed a gentle hand over her stomach, "no one will hurt you. No one will touch our child."

His gaze lifted to hers. "I promise. I’ll remove every threat standing in our way."