Chapter 42: Testing(continued)

They continued walking toward the courtyard, weaving through clusters of students. A cool breeze swept across the campus, lifting loose strands of Evie's hair.

Before either of them could continue the conversation, a familiar voice called out. "Perfect timing."

Damien approached with a laptop tucked beneath one arm and a folder in the other. "I was looking for both of you."

"Please don't tell me the lecturer changed the presentation date again," Lila groaned.

"No." Damien smiled. "Quite the opposite."

He held up the folder. "Our presentation has been approved. We only need to rehearse once more before presenting."

Relief spread across Lila's face. "Finally."

The three of them found an empty bench beneath a large tree and spent a few minutes discussing who would cover each section. Damien suggested a few minor changes to the slides, while Evie pointed out a statistic that needed updating.

The discussion remained light and professional, interrupted now and then by harmless jokes that eased the tension.

After agreeing to meet the following day for one last rehearsal, Damien checked the time.

"I've got another class."

He slung his backpack over one shoulder. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

"See you."

As Damien disappeared into the crowd, Lila turned toward Evie with a teasing smile. "He's really a nice guy."

"He is."

"And?"

"And... he's my friend."

Lila laughed. "I knew that's exactly what you'd say."

Evie only smiled. Some things no longer needed explaining.

They had barely taken a few more steps when an uneasy sensation settled over her. It was subtle.

Like a whisper brushing against the back of her neck. She slowed.

"What is it?" Lila asked.

Evie's eyes wandered across the busy courtyard.

Students filled every pathway. Some hurried to lectures. Others sat beneath the trees, chatting or scrolling through their phones.

Everything looked perfectly ordinary.

Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. She turned slowly. Nothing.

Only unfamiliar faces moving in every direction.

"You okay?" Lila asked again.

Evie hesitated before nodding. "I thought..."

She stopped herself.

"Thought what?"

"I don't know." She forced a small smile.

"It must've been my imagination."

Lila accepted the answer, though she noticed Evie glanced over her shoulder once more before they continued walking.

High above, from the balcony of a building overlooking the courtyard, a figure lowered a pair of dark sunglasses. A phone rested loosely in one hand. The screen displayed a single photograph taken only moments earlier. Evie. Smiling.

Completely unaware she had been photographed again.

The figure locked the screen and quietly disappeared through the stairwell before anyone below noticed they had ever been there.

The afternoon sun hung lazily over Scott Mansion, casting long shadows across the perfectly trimmed gardens. The estate looked as peaceful as it always did, yet Maria couldn't shake the uneasiness that had settled in her heart since the night she had seen someone watching the rooftop.

She had tried convincing herself it was nothing.

Perhaps a trick of the light. Perhaps one of the security guards making a routine patrol. But the feeling refused to leave.

After ensuring lunch had been cleared away and assigning the remaining chores to the maids, Maria quietly slipped out through the back entrance. She carried a small basket in one hand, pretending she was gathering herbs from the garden should anyone happen to see her.

Her pace slowed as she approached the old tree near the edge of the estate.

The memories of that night came rushing back.

She remembered exactly where the shadow had stood. Exactly where it had disappeared.

Maria looked around carefully.

The Scott family's gardeners took excellent care of the grounds, leaving very little out of place. Freshly cut hedges lined the pathways, and the flowerbeds had been watered only a few hours earlier.

Then something caught her eye. A faint footprint pressed into a patch of damp soil beneath the old tree. She crouched slowly. The tread was still visible. It wasn't one of the gardeners'. Their work boots had a completely different pattern.

Nor did it resemble the polished shoes Richard or Aiden usually wore. Someone unfamiliar had stood here. Someone who had no reason to be on the estate.

Maria's brows knitted together. She followed the direction of the footprint and noticed something glinting beneath a cluster of fallen leaves.

Carefully brushing them aside, she picked up a small black plastic object no bigger than her palm.

A camera lens cap. She turned it over in her hands. There was no logo. No initials. Nothing that could identify its owner.

She stared at it for several moments before slipping it into the pocket of her apron. "This doesn't belong here," she murmured. Her eyes instinctively drifted upward.

From where she stood, the rooftop was clearly visible. She imagined Aiden and Evie sitting there only nights before, laughing beneath the stars, completely unaware that someone had been observing them from this very spot. A chill crept down her spine.

She closed her eyes briefly. "Lord," she whispered, clasping her hands together, "if someone is trying to harm this family…Give me wisdom before it's too late. And if those two children are walking toward danger, help me see it before they do."

The wind stirred the branches above her, scattering a handful of dry leaves across the path.

Maria opened her eyes and looked around one last time. Nothing moved. No voices. No footsteps.

Yet the silence itself felt unsettling.

She turned back toward the mansion, her pace slower than before. The lens cap weighed almost nothing in her pocket. But somehow… It felt heavier than any burden she had carried in years.

The mansion had grown unusually quiet.

Richard was still at the office; Vivian had left for her usual charity meeting, and the household staff carried on with their duties, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpets lining the hallways.

Inside her bedroom, Isabella gently closed the door behind her. The warm smile she had worn throughout breakfast disappeared almost instantly.

Crossing the room, she walked toward an antique mahogany desk positioned beside the window. Her fingers reached beneath a stack of fashion magazines before retrieving a small silver key. Click. The top drawer unlocked. She pulled it open.

The brown envelope was exactly where she had left it. Carefully, she emptied its contents onto the desk. The photographs spread before her like pieces of a puzzle. Still looking at them like she hadn't opened them before.

None of the photographs crossed any obvious line.

There were no embraces. No kisses.

No undeniable proof. Individually, each image appeared innocent.

Together...They told a story that words could never explain.

Isabella leaned back in her chair, studying every photograph again. Then she reached for her phone.

She opened the picture she had secretly taken during breakfast that morning. Aiden.

Not looking at Evie. Avoiding her completely.

She placed the phone beside the anonymous photographs.

A slow smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"They're trying too hard," she whispered.

"If there was nothing to hide... neither of you would be this careful."

Her finger traced the edge of one photograph before she neatly arranged them into a single pile.

She wasn't interested in exposing them today. Or tomorrow. Secrets were like fragile glass.

Strike too early, and they shattered into meaningless pieces. Apply pressure slowly...They cracked on their own.

She slid the photographs back into the envelope before locking the drawer once more.

Standing before the floor-length mirror, she adjusted a loose strand of hair and admired her reflection. "No one suspects the patient person," she murmured. "They always fear the loud one."

A faint vibration interrupted her thoughts. Her phone lit up on the vanity.

Unknown Number. No name. No caller ID.

Only a single text message: Did the photographs help?

Isabella frowned. Her heartbeat slowed rather than quickened.

She typed a short reply: Who are you?

She pressed send. The message delivered almost instantly. Several long seconds passed.

Then another notification appeared: Don't worry about me. Just keep watching them. More evidence will come soon.

Before Isabella could respond, the number disappeared. The conversation could no longer be opened. She stared at the screen, her curiosity growing.

Whoever this person was...They knew far more than they were willing to reveal.

Instead of feeling afraid, Isabella smiled.

For the first time in weeks, she no longer felt like she was fighting alone. Somewhere...Someone else was watching Aiden and Evie.

And sooner or later...They would make a mistake.