Chapter61: Chapter 61

Chapter 61 CELESTE The silence after Rakeem's departure felt like the calm before a hurricane. I could feel the weight of Xenois's stare as I gathered the signed contracts from the table, my hands steady despite the chaos I knew was about to erupt. Twenty-five hundred people. Twenty-five hundred human beings who would now have a chance at freedom instead of a lifetime of slavery. It should have felt like victory, but the look on my husband's face told me I was about to pay a price I hadn't anticipated. "What the hell is going on here?" Xenois's voice was rough with barely controlled fury. I straightened, meeting his eyes directly. Two years of keeping this secret, two years of operating in the shadows, and now it was all coming to light in the worst possible way. But I wouldn't apologize for saving lives, not even to him. "I could ask you the same question," I said, my voice cooler than I felt. "How exactly did you find me here, Xenois? Have you been having me followed?" His jaw tighte