Cecilia’s pov
I steadied my breathing and stepped closer, touching the woman’s face. Her skin was smooth and warm. Still alive.
"Not dead after all, are you, the mogul’s wife?" I said, my voice cold as steel.
So it was her. The Japanese mogul’s wife--Belinda. The one pulling every string. Now exposed, she lowered her head and said nothing.
I didn’t wait. I tore the fake skin from her face and yanked her hair back, forcing her to look at .
"Well, isn’t this neat. Playing ghost by night and socialite by day? You must’ve thought you were brilliant."
I leaned in, eyes locked on hers.
"Was it fun?" I whispered. "Terrorizing in the dark? Playing puppet master with people’s lives?"
I pressed the blade to her throat, just enough for her to feel it. One more milliter and she’d bleed.
Her face drained of color. "I... I’m with the Moonveil Ascendancy. Kill , and none of you leave this island alive!"
Sebastian didn’t flinch. He pressed the knife in just enough to draw blood--a thin, gleaming line of red.
"Let’s test that theory," he said, voice casual, almost amused. "See if your little cult gets sentintal over a disposable pawn."
His tone was light. His eyes were not.
Belinda froze, fear overtaking her bravado. Terror, when it cos from certainty rather than guessing, hits harder.
"This was just an initiation," she gasped. "I was following orders. It wasn’t personal.It wasn’t about Miss Moore!"
I laughed, sharp and bitter.
"So what were you testing? My nerves? My sanity?"
I stepped closer.
"I’m just a secretary," I said quietly, dangerously. "I ca here to hold my boss’s coat at a networking event. Why the hell am I being stalked and nearly strangled in a room?"
Belinda’s mouth opened then shut. No answer.
"I wasn’t trying to kill you... " she whispered. "Maybe there’s been a mistake... "
I didn’t blink.
"The people you sent after ?" I said. "They’re in custody. You want to keep lying?"
That shut her up.
Earlier, under the influence of that sweet-scented mist, I’d been half-dazed--spooked by shadows, convinced by illusions.
But then, standing in the forest, in the open air, my head felt clearer than it had in hours.
And suddenly, I saw it for what it was.
Not magic. Not ghosts. Just smoke, mirrors, and people with too much money and too little conscience.
Everything Belinda orchestrated was designed to erase . To beco a ghost.
If I vanished, she could keep playing "Belinda."
And the haunting? That was just noise--designed to rattle nerves and shut mouths.
Ghosts don’t need alibis.
The knocking at night. The figure falling past the window. All stagecraft.
She probably just ant to bait us toward the window with sound cues, never expecting us to actually look. Hidden caras were likely already planted. Every step had been choreographed.
At the dinner banquet, "Belinda" had already made her appearance. Looking back now, once she entered,the Japanese mogul’s wife never showed herself again.
Why target ? Maybe soone just didn’t like . Or maybe I was easy to isolate.
"Miss Moore, please," Belinda whispered, desperate. "I never ant to kill you. I only told them to knock you out."
She tilted her head carefully toward Sebastian.
"Alpha Sebastian, we don’t have to be enemies. Once you join the Ascendancy, we’ll see each other often. No need to let this ruin things between us.I admit I ssed up. But now that you’ve practically slit my throat, can’t we call it even?"
Her eyes shimred with fake sincerity.
Sebastian raised one brow. "Even? You traumatized my secretary. And all you got was a scratch. That’s not what I’d call balanced."
Belinda’s mouth twitched. "Then what do you want?"
"I hear you enjoy bungee jumping. The bridge outside should be perfect."
She closed her eyes briefly, then nodded. "Fine. I agree. Just... not right this second."
I caught the flicker in her eyes.
That look said it all.Just wait. She’d deal with us both later.
"Very well. Terms accepted."Sebastian withdrew the knife with a graceful flick and offered a courteous smile. "Miss Belinda, you might want to fix your appearance. It’s nearly ti to go downstairs and announce the results."
Belinda exhaled, shaky but relieved.She covered her throat, fury burning behind her eyes.
"Oh, and one more thing," Sebastian added, voice smooth as silk. "I’ve already sent footage of tonight’s... underwhelming performance to Moonveil Ascendancy headquarters. Including our little conversation just now."
He gestured toward the couch, where a red light blinked quietly.
Belinda’s eyes widened.
"I imagine you’ll be getting a call soon. Probably with instructions to welco into the Moonveil Ascendancy with open arms."
He smiled, bright and terrifying. "You see, power doesn’t belong to whoever screams the loudest. It belongs to whoever controls the narrative."
Belinda’s face went pale, then flushed, then pale again--like a busted neon sign struggling to stay on. But beneath it all, a creeping dread settled over her, cold and suffocating.
Sebastian picked up the candle and offered his arm.
We walked out together.
--
Five minutes later, the power returned.
A series of bells rang out--inside and across the grounds--signaling the end of the treasure hunt. Soone had found the necklace.
Within the hour, all guests had returned to the second floor of the castle.
Sebastian was already there, pristine in white while others looked like they’d crawled through a hedge maze.
No one needed to ask who’d won. It was obvious.
Then Belinda descended the stairs the ruby necklace once again gleaming at her throat.
"Alpha Sebastian has recovered my necklace," she announced, voice flat. "The island is now his."
There were no gasps, no protests. Just resignation.
"Ladies and gentlen," Belinda said. "Tonight’s activities are concluded. Good night."
She turned to go, but stopped.
I stepped in front of her, my arm cutting off her path.
I smiled. Not cruel. Just calm. Certain.
"Leaving so soon, Miss Belinda? Our new island master hasn’t even given his acceptance speech."
I kept my voice light. "Don’t you want to hear it?"
Her face remained still, expressionless. But her eyes looked hollow.
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