Vanessa.

How could he take the arrow for her?

The question had been circling my mind endlessly, refusing to settle, refusing to make sense no matter how many times I tried to reason it out.

Why had everything come to this?

My fingers curled slowly at my sides as I paced the length of my room, my heels clicking faintly against the polished floor. Each step only seemed to fuel the storm brewing inside me.

What exactly did he want people to think?

My jaw tightened.

Adrien... was engaged to me.

That fact alone should have been enough. It should have been clear, unquestionable, respected. Yet somehow, everything had begun slipping out of place.

How could he be so careless?

How could he throw himself in front of an arrow... for her?

For Maria.

The thought alone made something sharp twist inside my chest.

I stopped walking abruptly, my breath coming out uneven as I pressed my lips together.

Just as I was about to sink deeper into my thoughts...

Bang!

The door to my room burst open with force.

"Arrrghhhhhhhhhhhh!"

I flinched slightly at the sudden intrusion, my gaze snapping toward the entrance.

Anabel stormed in.

Her entire body was trembling with rage, her expression twisted with frustration, her eyes red and swollen, like she had been crying for a while.

"What exactly does she have that I don’t?" she screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions.

I didn’t need to ask.

I already knew.

Maria.

That bitch.

She seems to be everybody’s problem...Somehow, without even trying, without lifting a single finger, she had managed to entangle herself around everyone.

Around all of them.

And they were falling for it.

One by one.

"Vanessa, I need your advice again!" Anabel rushed out, her voice more desperate now as she stepped further into the room. "I’m fed up. Noah doesn’t have my time anymore."

Her words tumbled out in frustration.

"I thought he didn’t want her again, but now she’s back," she added, her brows pulling together as her lips trembled slightly.

I watched her carefully, measured and controlled because despite everything raging inside me... I couldn’t show it.

Not to her.

Not to anyone.

The only thing I wanted—deep down—was simple.

I want Maria gone.

Gone completely.

But that wasn’t something I could say out loud.Not when Anabel still looked at me the way she did.

Like I was kind.

Like I was safe.

Like I was someone she could trust.

So I softened my expression instantly, stepping closer to her with a calm composure I didn’t feel.

"Calm down, Anabel," I said gently, my voice smooth and reassuring as I reached out slightly. "Noah is yours."

The words came easily, even if they tasted bitter.

"You just need to keep pressuring your brothers," I continued, my tone steady, calculated. "Make them enforce the engagement. Once that happens, you won’t have anything to worry about."

For a moment, she just stared at me.

Then she scoffed.

"My brothers?" she repeated, letting out a dry, humorless laugh.

She turned away slightly, dragging a hand through her hair as frustration radiated off her.

"They don’t even have my time anymore," she admitted, her voice dropping. "They’re always looking for ways to be around Maria."

Her words sharpened.

"The looks in their eyes..." she added slowly, her gaze darkening, "could fool anyone." She paused. "But not me."

My fingers clenched tightly at my sides.

A sharp sting shot through my chest at her words, but I masked it instantly, forcing my face to remain composed.

Unbothered.

"That’s not true," I said, my tone light, dismissive. "They’re just busy trying to find Galen."

Even as the words left my lips...I wasn’t sure I believed them myself.

Still, I held onto the lie.

Because it was easier than admitting the truth.

"Vanessa..." Anabel’s voice softened suddenly.

I looked at her.

She stepped closer and reached for my hands, gripping them tightly like she was holding onto the last piece of stability she had left.

"Help me," she said quietly, her voice trembling now, stripped of all the anger from earlier.

"I really can’t live without Noah."

For a moment... I just stared at her.

Taking in every detail of her expression, the desperation in her eyes, the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers clung to mine like I was the only thing keeping her grounded.

Then slowly... I tightened my grip around her hands.

Not too much.

Just enough to reassure her.

A small, calm smile formed on my lips, soft and comforting on the surface... even as something much darker settled quietly, deeply within me.

Anabel didn’t let go either.

If anything, her grip tightened further, her fingers curling around mine with more urgency, like she was afraid that even the slightest looseness would make me slip away from her reach.

"Vanessa... you have to think of something," she pressed, her voice lower now, but filled with urgency that trembled beneath each word. "I can’t just stand by and watch this happen."

Her eyes searched mine desperately, looking, begging, and clinging to hope.

"Please," she added, her voice softening just slightly. "You always know what to do."

I held her gaze, steady, calm, thoughtful and controlled.

On the outside, I looked like I was considering her words carefully, weighing options, searching for a solution.

But the truth was...The thought had already formed, deep, clear and complete. It had been there long before she even asked.

But it was too cruel.

Too dangerous to say outright.

No... this wasn’t something I could hand to her directly.

It needed to unfold slowly.

Like poison.

Carefully.

Subtly.

Letting it seep in little by little until it felt like her own idea.

And judging by the desperation in her eyes...She would carry it out without hesitation.

Seeing how far she had already come...she was more than capable of doing anything.

Watch out, Maria... your doom is coming, I muttered silently within my mind.

Slowly, I withdrew one of my hands from Anabel’s grip. The movement was unhurried, deliberate.

Then I brought it up to my chin, tapping lightly, as though I was still deep in thought.

As though I hadn’t already decided everything.

"We can’t rush this," I said quietly, my tone measured. "If we make a wrong move now, it will only draw more attention to her."

Anabel let out a frustrated breath.

"But doing nothing is worse!" she snapped. "Every second she stays here, with him, she gets closer to him... to all of them."

Her voice cracked slightly at the end, and I could see the desperation bleeding through again.

I didn’t respond immediately.

I let the silence stretch, just enough to make it feel like I was truly thinking.

Because I was.

Just not in the way she believed.

Then...A soft, subtle but unmistakable sound was heard.

The faint creak of the door.

Both of us went still.

Anabel’s grip on my hand tightened instantly as her head snapped toward the entrance.

My eyes followed.

The room fell into a tense, suffocating silence as we both stared at the door.

Waiting and listening.

The handle turned slowly, then the door pushed open.

A figure stepped inside.

For a split second, neither of us spoke.

Then...Anabel gasped.

"Ah..."

Her voice broke slightly as recognition hit.

"Patricia?" she called out, her brows pulling together in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

I straightened subtly, my gaze sharpening as I took in the newcomer.

Patricia.

She didn’t look hesitant.

She didn’t look unsure.

If anything...She looked determined.

Her eyes were dark, steady, and filled with something that immediately told me this wasn’t a casual visit.

She stepped further into the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

"Count me in!" Patricia said and paused for a while, "I came here for one thing," she said without preamble.

Her voice was calm.

That kind of calm that usually hid something far more dangerous underneath.

Anabel blinked, clearly thrown off by her tone.

"What do you..."

"To get rid of Maria."

The words landed heavily in the room, sharp,clear and final.

For a moment, silence followed.

I didn’t speak.

I just watched her carefully, measuring every detail in her expression.

There was no hesitation.

No doubt.

Only resolve.

"I’m going to do anything it takes," Patricia continued, her gaze flickering between the both of us. "Anything." Her voice harding slightly. "To make sure Maria is completely eradicated from my life."

Anabel sucked in a small breath beside me. I could feel the shift in her energy immediately.

Shock.

Then something else.

Interest.

Slowly, Patricia took another step forward.

"I know you both want the same thing," she added, her tone lowering just enough to feel more intimate... more conspiratorial.

Her eyes locked with mine.

"So I’m not here to ask questions," she continued. "I’m here to offer something."

I raised a brow slightly.

"And what exactly is that?" I asked, my voice calm, unreadable.

A faint smile touched her lips. "Help." She tilted her head just slightly. "I want to join you," she said.

Anabel turned to look at me instantly, her grip on my hand tightening again, anticipation flickering across her face.

Patricia’s gaze didn’t leave mine.

"Whatever plan you have," she went on, her voice steady, unwavering, "I want in." She paused, "Because I want Maria gone."

The words settled into the room like a silent agreement waiting to be acknowledged.

And for the first time since this all began...It felt like things were finally starting to align.