A Throne for the Forgotten

Chapter 23

“Sources Say Halden Heiress Threatened Tribunal Judge.”

It was everywhere before noon—on news banners, talk shows, social feeds. Her name sat beside words like manipulation, scandal, unfit.

There was no evidence. No quotes. Just speculation—and it was enough to light the match.

Celeste didn’t yell. She didn’t panic. She went cold. Focused.

She stood at the window of her office, eyes locked on the screen as the headlines refreshed in real time.

“Where did it come from?” she asked flatly.

Her communications director stood nearby, jaw tense.

“Anonymous tip. No source attribution. The networks are protecting it.”

She turned from the window. “It’s planted.”

“We think so too. But without digital tracking, we can’t verify it.”

She didn’t wait. She walked out.

Lucan was exactly where she expected him to be—standing quietly in the gallery hallway, watching the storm unfold.

Her heels echoed across the marble as she approached.

“Did you do this?” she asked sharply.

Her voice wasn’t broken. It was furious.

Lucan looked up. “No. But I know who did.”

“Then why am I finding out now?” she snapped. “Why wasn’t I told the moment you did?”

He reached into his coat and pulled out a flash drive.

“Because I needed to be sure.”

She didn’t take it right away.

“What’s on it?” she asked.

“Clarisse,” he said. “She orchestrated all of it. Paid someone to fabricate a leak. Bribes, communications—everything. It’s all there.”

Her expression didn’t change. “You’re certain?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”

She finally reached out, took the drive, but kept her eyes on him.

“And now you’re helping me?”

Lucan nodded once. “This wasn’t just aimed at the judge. It was aimed to hit you first. Clarisse wanted your name tarnished before you could ever speak.”

“She’s panicking,” Celeste said. “She knows I’m close.”

“She knows you’re becoming untouchable.”

She studied the flash drive like it was wired to explode.

“Why give this to me? Why not leak it yourself?”

Lucan’s voice didn’t waver. “Because I won’t fight her in whispers. And it’s not my name she tried to destroy. It’s yours.”

“That hasn’t stopped you before,” Celeste said. “You stood by while they did worse.”

“I know,” he said. “And I’m done watching.”

Silence stretched between them. She folded her arms. “You’re not protecting her anymore?”

“No.”

“Not your mother?”

“Especially not her. They don’t deserve the shield I used to be.”

Celeste paced once, then stopped in front of him.

“What changed?”

Lucan’s gaze didn’t drop. “You.”

She turned away, bitter heat rising in her chest.

“Do you want a headline? A thank-you? Am I supposed to forget what you let them do?”

“I don’t want credit,” he said. “I want the truth out. Finally.”

“You sound like someone rewriting history.”

“I’m trying to stop repeating it.”

“Too late,” she said quietly.

Lucan took a step forward, slower this time.

“You deserve to walk into that tribunal clean. You’ve earned that. You’ve fought for every inch. You shouldn’t have to fight one more lie.”

“Spare me,” she said. “Generosity isn’t the same as justice.”

“Then give them justice,” he said. “Use it. Use me.”

“Don’t tempt me,” she muttered.

Her hand tightened around the flash drive.

“This won’t fix everything.”

“No,” Lucan said. “But it names the right villain.”

“And puts you on the record.”

“I know.”

“You testify,” she warned, “you won’t have a family left.”

“I already don’t,” he said. “Not one worth saving.”

Celeste swallowed back the sting in her throat.

“What do you want from me in return?”

“Nothing,” Lucan said. “Not even forgiveness.”

“You’re not getting it.”

“I didn’t ask.”

He paused.

“I only gave you the truth.”

That night, Celeste handed the drive to her lead legal advisor. No words were exchanged. They weren’t needed.

The evidence was thorough. Every bribe. Every message. Every timestamp.

Clarisse had planted the story. She’d directed the leak. Paid the contact. Timed it perfectly.

Lucan’s statement was included—signed, time-stamped, factual.

No loopholes. No spin.

Just proof.

The next morning, the tribunal issued a summons. Clarisse Wynne was to appear for a formal inquiry. Lucan Wynne was listed as a primary witness.