All Chapters of ECHOES OF THE PAST : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The door closes behind me, and the apartment fell silent.Veena remains seated at the kitchen table, her fingers still resting on the scattered documents. Dora stands by the window, her arms wrapped around herself, staring out at the dark street below."She's terrified," Dora says quietly."She should be," Veena replies. "Fear will keep her sharp. Keep her careful."Dora turns from the window, her face pale in the dim light. "What if this doesn't work? What if Evan realizes what she's doing before the gala?""He won't." Veena's voice was calm, certain. "Men like Evan Grayson operate on patterns - Control and predictability. Right now, he suspects something is off, but he doesn't know what and as long as Aria plays her part perfectly, he'll convince himself he was overthinking it.""And if he doesn't?" Dora's voice cracked. "If he figures it out?"Veena stands and walks to where Dora was standing. She placed a gentle hand on the older woman's shoulder. "Then we adapt, we always adapt.

The room was dark. Heavy curtains blocked out the moonlight. Six figures sat around a long table, their faces hidden in shadow. A door opens. Footsteps echoed across the marble floor. A man enters. Young and Well-dressed, he bows slightly. "It has been done," he says. The figure at the head of the table nodded. "And there were no complications?" "None. It was clean. Quick. No witnesses." "Good." The voice is deep, commanding. "I will report to the patriarch. He will be pleased." "What about Grayson?" "Let him panic. Let him wonder, fear makes men careless. And when men are careless, they make mistakes." "And when he makes his mistake?" "We'll be waiting." The young man bows again and leaves. The figures around the table remained silent for a long moment. Finally, one of them speaks. "Are we certain this is the right move? The Lancaster family is powerful. If they discover...." "They won't." The voice at the head of the table is certain. "We've been planni

I close my eyes, force myself to breathe, to calm down.And slowly, painfully, I became fully visible again.I open the door.Evan was standing there, looking concerned. "Are you okay? You sounded weird.""I'm fine. Just felt dizzy for a second."A click - His thoughts.She looks pale. Is she sick? Great. The last thing I need to do is to get sick right before the gala."Maybe you should lie down," he said."Yeah. Good idea."I got into bed. He sat next to me, checking my forehead for fever."You feel fine. But let me know if it gets worse.""I will."He kissed my cheek and left the room.I lay there, my heart pounding.That was close. Too close.I needed to be more careful. Needed to make sure I was fully in control before I used my powers.Because one mistake could cost me everything.The next morning, Evan was up early. Whistling in the shower. Almost happy.It made my skin crawl.We left the apartment at ten, just like he'd said. He drove us to the shopping district downtown. The

The next morning, Evan left early. Another meeting, another lie.I waited until his car was out of sight. Then I went straight to the safe.7-1-9-2-4.The safe click open.I look through it before. I saw the forged documents, the evidence of fraud and the plans to marry Emma.But this time, I was looking for something specific.Something that would connect Evan directly to my aunt's attempted murder.I pull out the folders. Flipped through papers, bank statements, property deeds and contracts.Everything was organized meticulously. Color-coded tabs in alphabets, Evan was nothing if not thorough.And then I found it -A folder labeled "Loose Ends."My hands were shaking as I opened it.Inside were photos. Surveillance photos of my aunt leaving her house, getting coffee, walking in the park.They'd been watching her. For weeks maybe longer.Each photo was dated and timestamped. Someone had been following her everywhere, Documenting her every move.And beneath the photos were documents a

The study was quieter than the ballroom.No music here, no laughter, no clinking of glasses or murmur of conversation. Just thick carpet that absorbed sound and heavy curtains that blocked out the party happening floors below.Marcus Trent poured two glasses of scotch from a crystal decanter. Good and expensive scotch, the kind that cost more per bottle than anything else.He handed one glass to Evan then he closed the door. Locked it.They both still wore their masks. Marcus's was silver with elaborate black scrollwork that made him look like some kind of demonic jester. Evan's was simpler but elegant, matching his tuxedo and the image he projected to the world."Everything is in place," Marcus said. He settled into one of the leather chairs near the fireplace. Legs crossed and completely relaxed. "After tonight, both problems disappear permanently."A click - I read his mind.The girl first then the aunt. Clean, professional with no loose ends to tie up later.Evan took a drink of