Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 42

"Isn't that woman some kind of actress? You think she'll be okay?"

"She'll be fine. Mr. Zeke said he's handling everything! As long as we don't go too far, we can do whatever we want!"

"Fine by me! Never had the chance to mess around with a real TV star before! Just imagine—someone glamorous on screen, and now, behind closed doors, she's ours to play with. Gets me excited just thinking about it!"

"She's almost at Room 303. Come on, let's go."

Their crude, disgusting voices faded down the hall.

Celestine gripped the stair railing, cold sweat running down her spine.

She'd always heard about the dark side of show business, but hadn't realized how vile it could truly be.

But right now, she was stuck in her own mess—her own connections weren't enough to save anyone else.

Celestine took a deep breath.

She wanted to block out what she'd just overheard, to mind her own business.

She glanced at the floor plan on the wall.

Room 303 was at the far end of the third floor, tucked away in a corner where hardly anyone would pass by.

Her own meeting with the brand was in Room 310—conveniently, the opposite corner.

As she climbed the stairs, Celestine's brow tightened. She hesitated, gazing down the hall at the closed door of 303.

That's when she spotted a tall, elegant woman approaching, stopping right outside 303 and knocking gently.

Even with a mask covering half her face, Celestine recognized those striking, exotic eyes and unmistakable height. It was Mirabelle—the breakout star who'd just played the lead in a smash-hit mystery series.

Celestine had only met her once before.

Almost exactly a year ago, she'd received a late-night message from her childhood friend, Zeke Sterling, asking her to pick up Chester at a bar.

When she got there, she found Chester in a booth, holding Joanna close, whispering softly to her, gentle as ever.

Celestine was so furious she nearly lost control, reaching for her glass to throw at them.

But before she could, someone doused her with a drink from across the room—ice-cold and soaking.

Zeke appeared, swirling his empty wine glass, sneering. "See that? No matter how hard you try, you'll never get what isn't yours."

That was when Celestine realized she'd been set up; Zeke's message was nothing but a cruel prank.

…

Mirabelle hadn't had a proper night's sleep in three days, thanks to a grueling night shoot.

Just as she'd wrapped, her boyfriend Zeke had messaged, inviting her to meet his family.

"Hello… Are you Zeke's relatives?" she asked politely as she entered the suite.

Inside were two middle-aged men, overweight and sleazy even in expensive suits.

No sign of Zeke.

One of them stood, rubbing his hands together, beaming at her. "We're Zeke's uncles. You must be Mirabelle."

"Yes, nice to meet you, sir," Mirabelle replied, masking her suspicions as she removed her face mask.

"Come, come, Mirabelle, sit with us. We just opened this year's finest green tea—have a taste!"

Mirabelle gently pushed the teacup away, smiling sweetly. "Thank you, but I'm afraid I'm allergic to tea."

The two men's smiles faltered. They exchanged a brief, telling glance.