Chapter 170: You are chaos

Elvira stood frozen in the quiet living room, her fingers gripping the window railings so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Through the glass, she watched the black Bentley speed down the long driveway toward the estate gates. Hearing Alyssa’s bright, carefree laughter and watching the lavish way Dorian spoiled her was eating away at her soul.

That should have been hers. Dorian’s devotion, his affection, his raw obsession–they had all belonged to her once. She needed them back.

She whirled away from the window, her jaw set, and stormed back toward her bedroom. The mansion felt eerily quiet; most of the household staff were busy with their duties, including that scheming bitch Samantha, who seemed to be stalking her every movement.

Elvira had come to a grim realization: Samantha clearly wanted something. Otherwise, she would have gone straight to Dorian the night she overheard her and Joffrey meeting in secret.

She had to figure out what the bitch was after. Perhaps they could even manipulate her to their advantage.

A moment later, a sharp knock sounded against her bedroom door. She hurried to open it, stepping aside to let Serena inside.

"Where is Joffrey?" Elvira hissed, closing the door behind her. "I told you I wanted him here."

"He’s down at the training grounds with the other Gammas," Serena snapped, her eyes flashing with irritation. "You do realize he holds an actual position on this estate, don’t you? It’s a crucial part of the entire strategy my father put in place."

"You don’t need to lecture me."

"It seems I do, considering you lack basic common sense," Serena retorted smoothly. "You had better watch how much time you spend around Joffrey, Elvira. I will not allow you to drag my brother into ruin like you did the first time."

"Why are you acting like I’m the enemy here...?"

"Because you’re acting like one!" Serena cut her off, taking a threatening step forward. "You ruin things. And we cannot afford a single mistake, not when we are this close to succeeding after all these years. If anyone catches you alone with Joffrey, it sends the wrong signal entirely. The moment Dorian suspects anything, he will throw you off this territory. And if you’re gone, our plan falls apart."

Serena glared at her, her voice dropping into a harsh whisper. "Stay away from Joffrey, Elvira. Do you understand me?"

Elvira bristled, shoving herself away from the wall. "The only reason I wanted him here was to warn you both about Samantha!"

"Joffrey already told me," Serena interjected coldly. "About her creeping around while the two of you were fucking against a tree."

Elvira’s mouth snapped shut. The blood drained from her face as she realized why Serena looked so furious. She knew about the sex.

"It was a mistake," she muttered after a long, tense pause. "A mistake that won’t happen again."

"It had better not," Serena sneered. "Because if it does, I will personally go to my parents and lay it all out. I keep telling them they should have let you rot in that asylum. You are chaos, Elvira, and you will always bring trouble."

She gracefully glided over to the bed, sitting down and crossing her ankles with icy composure. "Now, why did you summon me? My time here is limited."

"Because of Samantha," Elvira repeated, pacing the floor. "She’s stalking me, lurking in the shadows and collecting intel. But what frightens me is that she hasn’t run to Dorian with any of it yet."

"What else does she know?"

"The night I snuck out to meet your father, when he was waiting to take me to your family’s villa. She doesn’t know I was meeting him, but she knows I left the estate grounds after midnight."

"And she hasn’t said a word to Dorian?"

"Not a single word," Elvira shook her head. "It’s making me sick with paranoia. It feels like she’s playing with me. I wanted Joffrey to eliminate her, but he refused, saying it would draw too much attention."

"He’s right," Serena agreed calmly. "It would create an investigation, and Dorian would trace the killer back to us. We cannot afford any mess right now, not while everything is progressing as planned."

"Then what are we supposed to do? What if Samantha attempts to blackmail us?"

"I doubt she will," Serena murmured, tilting her head thoughtfully. "Remember, Dorian is the one responsible for the deaths of her father and brother, even if he wasn’t the one who actually killed them. She despises him. And she despises Alyssa just as deeply. I doubt she’ll step forward to save them from danger."

"So where does that leave us?"

"We watch her. If the opportunity arises, she might even prove useful to our cause, given her vendetta against Dorian. But the second she becomes an actual threat, we erase her."

Serena raised her eyes, locking them onto Elvira with a razor-sharp glare. "You will not be the one to do it, so don’t attempt anything stupid. Your job is to make Dorian obsessed with you again. Focus on that."

Complaints rose to the tip of Elvira’s tongue; an urge to scream that Dorian barely looked at her anymore, but she forced herself to remain silent. She was already forging her own plans.

"Fine," she muttered, crossing her arms. "You can go now. That was the only reason I brought you here."

Serena made as if to stand, then paused as though a sudden thought struck her. She unzipped her handbag and reached inside, pulling out a short glass vial. It was filled with a thick green liquid.

Elvira’s nose wrinkled in disgust. "What is that?"

"Something you are going to put to use in a few days," Serena replied, her fingers carefully clutching the glass. "My father wants you to have it. Treat it with care, because it is the only dose we have."

"What does it do?" Elvira demanded, stepping closer to take the vial.

​"Pay attention," Serena instructed, her voice dropping lower. "I’m sure you’ve heard the news that Alyssa aced her entrance examinations."

"I heard," Elvira spat, her chest tightening as she recalled the sleek Bentley Dorian had gifted her.

"So, in a few days, a week at most, the Academy will host an orientation ceremony for the newly admitted students. Because she is the Luna, Dorian will be expected to attend alongside his beta and gamma, and everyone else."

Serena paused, taking her time to smooth down the collar of her expensive fur coat before leaning in close, her eyes glittering with dark intent.

"On the morning of the event, you will slip the entire contents of this vial into the household’s breakfast. I don’t care how you’ll do it, just get it into the food. No one can be permitted to attend that orientation. My father has a plan."

Elvira’s eyes lit up with sudden intrigue. "What kind of plan?"

​"You don’t need to know the details," Serena shut her down instantly. "Just follow your instructions. The liquid induces a comatose sleep on everyone who consumes it. It will leave Alyssa completely defenseless at the Academy, with no Alpha and no guards to protect her. Do you understand, Elvira?"

Elvira loathed being kept in the dark by Conri’s family, but the malice of the plot was too delicious to refuse.

"I understand," she whispered, her fingers curling tight around the vial.

"Good," Serena smirked, rising smoothly to her feet. "I’ll take my leave now. We cannot be seen together frequently. Do as you’re told and don’t ruin it."

She snatched up her bag and exited the room, leaving Elvira standing alone in the quiet and lost in her dark thoughts.