Chapter 2 The hidden Legacy

The following days passed in a blur of confusion and fear. Ronald was distant, offering brief explanations, but nothing made sense. The truth was a jagged shard of glass in Celestine's mind, something she couldn't pull away from. The more she tried to understand, the less she understood. Her perfect life-the one she had so carefully constructed around the safety of her father's name and her love for Ronald-began to unravel.

Your father's involved with something much darker than you know," Ronald admitted one evening, his tone heavy. "There are forces at play that you don't understand, Celestine. They're not just after money. It's... it's bigger than that. And they've been after your family for a long time."

"What do you mean?" Celestine's voice trembled, and her breath quickened. She had always thought of her father as a businessman, a man of integrity who had built everything they had from the ground up. This-this didn't fit.

Ronald leaned back, his fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. "John? He's part of a syndicate. Your father didn't just build his empire with hard work. He made a deal-a deal with people who don't care about anything but power."

Celestine's mind reeled. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words tangled up in her throat. "No... you're lying. My father wouldn't-"

But Ronald cut her off. "I wish I was lying. But you need to understand-your father didn't just make his money from business deals. He's been involved in illegal activities, dark ones that have nothing to do with the company he built. The money? It's all tainted."

As the pieces fell into place, Celestine felt herself becoming a stranger in her own life. The world she had trusted, the one she had loved, was suddenly a house of cards. And the worst part? She didn't know if Ronald was telling the truth-or if he was simply trying to protect her from a truth too dark to face