He looked directly at Celeste, his eyes cold and unyielding.

“No one else knew about it.”

“Not even my lawyers.”

Celeste took a step back, her chest rising and falling rapidly under her silk blouse.

“She could have found the stamp, Alexander,” Celeste argued, her voice trembling slightly now.

“A thorough search of the attic would have yielded many secrets.”

“You are letting a maid destroy what we are building.”

“We are building nothing, Celeste,” Alexander said.

The coldness in his tone made the air feel freezing.

I watched his face, searching for any sign of doubt.

He was a man who ruled an empire, but right now, he was a husband looking at a message from the grave.

“The letter is only the beginning,” I said quietly.

Every eye in the room turned back to me.

Vivian let out a harsh, bitter laugh.

“Listen to her,” Vivian said. “She speaks as if she belongs here.”

“She is a servant who should be in handcuffs.”

I ignored her and kept my eyes on Alexander.

“The letter tells you she was poisoned,” I said to him.