Cecilia’s pov
I rushed to Harper’s guest room, my mind racing with plans.
Harper was lounging on the sofa with a book when I burst in. She barely glanced up. "Did Alpha Sebastian and the others leave ? You know, you two really should control yourselves. You’re pregnant, after all."
I didn’t respond to her teasing. My hands were already moving, driven by urgency.
Instead, I went straight to the closet, yanked it open with more force than necessary, pulled out the pink evening gown, and thrust it at her. "Put this on."
Harper set down her book slowly, eyebrows raised. "I thought you weren’t going ? Changed your mind ?"
"I’m not going. You are."My voice ca out sharper than I intended.
"Why would I go if you’re not ?"She held up the dress, looking at like I’d lost my mind.
"To get so fresh air."Even as the words left my mouth, I knew how la they sounded.
"There’s nothing refreshing about it,"Harper objected. She dropped the dress onto her lap and crossed her arms. "Cassian will be there, and he’ll just find ways to ss with again."
I tried to reason with her, forcing my voice to sound calr. "Cassian will be busy hosting. He won’t have ti for jokes."
"That’s where you’re wrong,"Harper countered. Her expression grew skeptical as she studied my face. "The man was making wisecracks while bleeding half to death. This party won’t slow down his wit."
Panic started creeping in. I was running out of ti and excuses. I needed to convince her quickly, so I improvised. "Harper, I need you there as my eyes and ears."
"What exactly am I watching for ?"She leaned forward, finally looking interested.
I sat down beside her, clasping my hands together to keep them from shaking, adopting my most serious expression. "I just learned that Elder Luna Black plans to set up Sebastian with Jessica from the Locke family tonight."
"So you want to spy on Sebastian ?"Her voice rose slightly in surprise.
I nodded emphatically. "Exactly !"
The lie rolled off my tongue so easily it scared . Guilt twisted in my stomach, but I pushed it down. Harper was my best friend, and here I was manipulating her with fake drama just to get her out of the house.
But I had no choice.
Harper considered this. "Why don’t you just co too ? You’re his girlfriend. If you’re there, his grandmother wouldn’t dare try matchmaking in front of you."
"I’ve already claid to be sick. If I suddenly recover, they’ll know I was faking. Besides, I’d rather avoid a showdown with his grandmother."
After a mont of consideration, Harper gave in. "Fine. I guess soone has to look out for your interests. I’ll go."
I hugged her gratefully. "You’re the best friend ever ! I’m counting on you !"
As I pushed the dress into her hands, we heard footsteps approaching in the hallway.
"Who’s that ?"Harper moved toward the door.
I stopped her. "Don’t open it ! It might be Sebastian’s parents. I told them I was sick. They’re probably checking on ."
Harper pointed frantically to her bed. "Quick, lie down !"
I barely made it under the covers before soone knocked on Harper’s door.
Harper set down the dress and answered.
"Oh, hi Alpha Yardley, Luna Regina,"Harper greeted them, blocking the entrance. "What brings you here ?"
Luna Regina tried to peer past her. "We heard Cece caught a cold. She wasn’t in her room, so we thought... "
Harper quickly moved to block her view. "Yes, she has a cold with so coughing. Sebastian was worried about catching it, so he asked Cece to stay in my room. You probably shouldn’t co in. You might get sick too."
I contributed a few convincing coughs from the bed.
I could hear Alpha Yardley and Luna Regina’s shocked voices as they turned to Sebastian.
Through a crack in the blankets, I could see Sebastian’s icy stare. Harper seed to shrink back, avoiding his gaze.
"That was my decision,"Sebastian stated coldly. "You’ve seen she’s being cared for. Let’s not risk infection. Ti to go."
He turned and walked away, playing along perfectly with the story Harper had co up with.
"Get back here !"Alpha Yardley called after him, but Sebastian kept walking.
Luna Regina insisted on entering despite the warnings.
I heard Harper sigh before stepping aside.
After fussing over my condition and making excuses for Sebastian’s behavior, Luna Regina and Alpha Yardley finally left, telling to rest and recover.
--
Around six o’clock, Grandma Helena sent a ssage urging to et her.
I replied simply : "Understood."
I put down my phone, left the room, and found Tang having dinner on the third floor.
"Tang, I need to ask a favor,"I began.
He imdiately shook his head. "Cecilia,Alpha Sebastian gave strict orders. We cannot leave the house."
I forced an awkward smile and tried again. "What if I stay here and you go out instead ?"
"Not possible. We must stay together."
I sighed and showed him the ssage on my phone. "Tang, if I don’t find a way to send them back to Denver, there will be serious trouble tonight. Please help ."
I quickly explained my plan. "It’s simple. When we get there, we’ll play along at first. Once we’re in the car, you can find a way to make them fall asleep peacefully. Then have the bodyguards take them straight back to Denver."
Tang’s expression grew serious as he considered my proposal.
"It’s just one hour,"I pressed. "I won’t leave your sight. Think of it as an after-dinner walk. Just a bit farther than usual."
Tang was quiet for a long mont, clearly torn. Finally, he nodded.
Ten minutes later, we drove away from the Lawson estate, my heart pounding with anxiety about what lay ahead.
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