Chapter 165: Samantha knows

Elvira let out a shocked shriek and stumbled backward. Her hand flew to her face, her cheek burning where Alyssa’s palm had connected.

She glared up with pure venom. "Are you out of your mind?" she spat, her voice trembling with fury. "Why did you hit me?"

Alyssa didn’t offer a word of explanation. She took a cold step forward to strike her again, but Alec caught up just in time, placing a restraining arm across her shoulders.

Elvira’s piercing scream brought Pandora and Henna rushing out onto the porch in curiosity.

"What happened?" Pandora exclaimed, her eyes widening as she hurried down the steps straight to Alyssa’s side. "Alyssa, what’s wrong? What did she do?"

"She sabotaged my exam," Alyssa said, her voice shaking with suppressed rage. "I knew there was a reason she dressed in identical clothes and carried the exact same bag. I just never imagined she’d pull something so cruel."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about!" Elvira yelled back, though her posture stiffened as she realized no one bothered to check on her.

"Liar!" Alyssa snapped, trying to surge past Alec. "Where is my bag? Where is it?"

Alec stepped firmly between the two women, placing both hands gently on Alyssa’s shoulders to keep the situation from escalating into an all-out brawl on the driveway.

"I know you’re furious right now, Luna, and you have every right to be. But let me handle this."

"She had it all planned out, Alec," Alyssa insisted, her eyes locked on Elvira. "If I had known what she was up to, I never would have allowed her ride with me."

"Which is exactly why I tried to stop her," Pandora cut in, wheeling around to glare at Elvira. "I knew the moment she opened her mouth that she was plotting something. She’s a fucking psycho."

Henna shook her head, looking at Elvira with open disgust. "Why would you try to ruin the Luna’s exam? That’s cruel, even for you."

"I told you, I didn’t do anything!" Elvira lied stubbornly, refusing to back down. "You can’t just throw accusations at me without proof!"

"Enough!" Alec snapped, his voice dropping into a harsh command that silenced everyone instantly.

Alyssa was fuming, her chest heaving as she wished they’d step aside and let her tear into Elvira.

Alec turned his head toward Pandora. "Is the Alpha back from the borders?"

Pandora shook her head. "Not yet. Word reached us that the rogues retreated deeper into the forest. He’s tracking them down."

Alec nodded curtly. He turned his focus back to Elvira, his eyes narrowed. "Where is the bag you left with? It belonged to the Luna."

"How was I supposed to know that?" Elvira shouted defensively. "They looked identical! I had no other motive. Dressing like her was a complete coincidence!"

"Right, and pigs can fly," Pandora muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Just tell me where the bag is!" Alec demanded sharply.

"I trashed it," Elvira replied carelessly.

A stunned silence fell over the group.

"You what?"

"After you abandoned me on a deserted stretch of road, I had to walk for miles before I finally got a ride," Elvira explained, her tone dripping with cold spite. "I got tired of lugging it around. Besides, it was useless to me. Just some cheap textbooks and messy clutter."

"You knew exactly what was inside," Alyssa retorted, stepping around Alec. "You took mine on purpose to ruin my exams today."

"For the last time, I made an honest mistake!" Elvira raised her chin, her eyes flashing. "I grabbed the wrong bag by accident, and I’m sorry your little exam was disrupted. But it was an accident, and it certainly doesn’t give you any right to hit me."

"I can’t stand the sight of you," Alyssa muttered, her voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. "If I look at you for one more second, I am going to strangle you."

She yanked her wrist free from Pandora’s grip and turned, marching straight up the porch and through the doors of the mansion.

Henna hurried after her, attempting to soothe her, while Pandora lingered on the steps, glaring down at Elvira with pure malice.

"The only thing stopping me from tearing your face open right now is the promise I made to Dorian to stay away from you," she said coldly. "But I’ve never been good at keeping promises. So watch your step, Elvira. I won’t let you hurt Alyssa, and I won’t let you worm your way back to my brother."

She walked off after Henna and Alyssa, slamming the door shut behind her.

Elvira turned frantically to Alec, looking for an ally. "Don’t tell me you believe them, Alec. I would never risk Dorian’s wrath over something so trivial!"

"That’s your problem, Elvira," Alec snapped, glaring at her with utter contempt. "You lie, you manipulate, and the moment you’re caught, you play the defenseless victim. You and I both know you stole that bag on purpose."

"It was a simple mistake!" Elvira shot back defensively. "Besides, it’s just an entrance exam. It’s not the end of the world. She can easily take it again next year!"

Alec let out a cold, humorless laugh, shaking his head. Completely ignoring her, he turned and walked into the mansion.

Elvira didn’t follow.

Instead, she turned on her heel and strode toward the garden behind the mansion. She walked through the hedges, her hands trailing over the petals, waiting until she was certain no one was watching her.

Once she reached the center of the garden, her innocent facade melted away. A cruel, triumphant sneer curled her lips, and a soft, mocking laugh escaped her throat.

"This is only the beginning, Alyssa," she murmured to the empty air, her voice dripping with malice. "By the time I’m finished with you, Wintercrest will turn their backs on you. You’ll be the one begging Dorian to let you leave."

"Finished with who?" a voice asked suddenly from behind.

Elvira whirled around, her heart slamming violently against her ribs. Samantha was seated behind her on one of the stone benches, watching her carefully.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped, trying to cover her panic with aggression. "Do you have a habit of spying on people?"

"Why do you look so terrified?" Samantha countered, rising from the bench and stepping forward. "Did you do something bad? Or say something you weren’t supposed to say out loud?"

"You stay away from me, Samantha!" Elvira hissed. "Stalk me again and I’ll have Dorian kick you out of here."

"Is that so?" Samantha laughed softly, the sound cutting through the quiet garden. "If anyone is getting thrown out of Wintercrest, Elvira, it’s you. And Joffrey."

Elvira went completely rigid. The color drained from her face, her hands curling into fists at her sides. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you know precisely what I’m talking about," Samantha said smoothly, stepping closer. "A secluded clearing in the forest? A midnight meeting? Hardcore sex with Dorian’s cousin? That’s reckless, don’t you think?"

Elvira stared at her, her breath hitching in her throat. Her mind raced wildly as the implication hit her like a bucket of ice water.

"Have you been spying on me?"

Samantha smiled, stepping around her toward the main path. "People are always watching you, Elvira. No matter how carefully you hide in the shadows."

With those final words, she turned and strode back toward the mansion, leaving Elvira frozen in the middle of the garden.

Hands shaking, Elvira pulled her phone from her pocket and frantically dialed Joffrey’s line.

"Elvira?" his voice rasped from the speaker after two rings. "What is it?"

"Samantha knows," Elvira blurted out, her voice a sharp, terrified whisper. "She saw us that night in the clearing, Joffrey. And if she saw us, there’s a high chance she heard everything we discussed. We need to get rid of her!"