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Chapter 30: The Heat Beneath the Surface

Author: Ava Luu
last update Last Updated: 2024-12-21 15:00:43

The air in the Vanderwilson mansion feels thicker than usual, like the walls themselves are holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. My father has been watching me. No, studying me—the way I look at Agatha, the subtle exchanges between us that I thought went unnoticed. Turns out, nothing escapes Alexander Vanderwilson.

I should have been more careful.

Now he’s using his observations to twist the screws, manipulating me with carefully chosen words, always delivered with that smug, knowing look.

“Stay focused, Luis,” he said earlier tonight, swirling his whiskey like he was discussing the weather instead of my life. “For the sake of the pack’s stability, your loyalty to Lilly is non-

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