Page 62 of Knot in Their Wildest Dreams: Part 1

He nodded, thoughtful. “Perfume bottles. That’s… actually perfect.”

I tilted my head. “And what about you?”

He leaned back, grinning. “I work on my cars.” he said, and when I raised an eyebrow, he added, “A pretty typical guy hobby. But still.”

That made me laugh again. “Okay, now Ihaveto take a ride in your car.”

Vigo grinned, giving me a devilish look that made me grateful I’d taken an extra suppressant. “I’d love that. We can christen it. Maybe like how you did after the orchestra.” My face heated, and I swatted at him as he laughed.

Liam interrupted, pointing skyward. “Wait, look. A shooting star.”

We all looked up in time to see it streak across the dark velvet of the sky, disappearing as quickly as it came.

“Alright,” Vigo said, nudging me gently. “If you had one wish, what would it be?”

I hesitated. Then, looking at each of them in turn, I whispered, “To turn back time. I wish my family had done things… differently.”

The air shifted. A glance passed between them - silent, loaded. I wished I could read minds because whatever they weren’t saying was as loud as the fire crackling beside us.

Dante leaned in, his voice quiet but intent. “What do you mean by that?”

I sighed. “You know what I mean. As much as I hated how much you all were against me, and my family’s company, I understand why. Harringday hasn’t always done things the right way. It’s like my uncle says… “no one gets ahead in the Eastern Province by being a good person.” My mouth twisted bitterly. “I wanted to prove him wrong. I thought if I took over, I could change things. Make Harringday into something new. Use that power to create real impact.” I let out a small, ironic laugh. “But it’s so much harder than I thought.”

A beat of silence.

I let out a small, ironic laugh. “You guys can run leaps and bounds over what I’ve accomplished in that regard. I admire it.” I admitted, letting out the secret I’d been holding inside.

The words hung between us.

No one spoke right away. But then, Liam reached for his jacket and draped it over my shoulders, his fingers lingering at the nape of my neck. Vigo, without a word, adjusted a blanket around me, as if tucking me into the safety of this moment.

“We didn’t know you felt that way,” Liam finally said. His voice was quiet, thoughtful. “We always thought you wanted to keep things the way they were. That you were just another Harringday.” He shook his head. “But after seeing what you’re up against, how much you’re fighting just to make the smallest change… I don’t think I could have lasted as long as you.”

He exhaled, then met my gaze, his deep green eyes blazing at me with admiration. “Celeste, you’re stronger than you realize.”

Something inside me cracked, then settled into place. No one had ever said that to me before. Not like this. Not in a way that made me believe it. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like I had to perform. I didn’t have to be Celeste Harringday, the public figure, the CEO, the omega who always had something to prove.

I could just exist. Here, beneath the stars, with them. And for tonight, that was enough.

Dante broke the silence, his whole demeanor somehow softer, more human. “So, do you want to see the universe?”

I looked at where he pointed, and saw a dome outlined in the moonlight. I gasped as I realized that they had brought me to a planetarium.

Chapter 44

Vigo

The moment we stepped inside, Celeste let out a quiet gasp. The planetarium dome stretched high above us, vast and endless, mimicking the night sky. Soft, ambient lighting cast the circular room in a golden glow, leading toward the center where several reclining seats and thick blankets awaited.

I walked ahead, adjusting the controls at the console. The ceiling flickered, and suddenly, the room transformed. The darkness above us bloomed into a universe of stars, stretching infinitely, shimmering across an inky canvas.

Celeste turned slowly, taking it all in.

“This is…” She trailed off, awestruck.

Dante smiled. “We figured you might like it. The real night sky is incredible, but here, we can see the whole galaxy.”

I tapped another button, and the constellations shifted, their faint outlines appearing like the myths of the old days. “This one’s my favorite,” I said, gesturing toward a nebula that moved in vibrant hues of violet and blue. “It’s called the Veil Nebula. It’s what’s left of a star that exploded thousands of years ago.”

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