“Daisy, what are you doing here?” Victor asked as he got to his feet. He came from behind his desk and kissed my cheek.“I came back to admire some of the artwork again,” I slipped my hand into the crook of his arm. “It’s exquisite. While I was here, I thought I’d stop in and say hello.”“I’m glad you did,” Victor said. “You haven’t met my new executive assistant.”He turned to the woman in the skin-tight dress. “Daisy, this is Chloe. Chloe, this is my fiancée, Daisy Wilson.”Chloe gave me a tight smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Wilson. Victor, I need two more signatures, and I’ll leave you and your fiancée alone.”I hated the way she used Victor’s first name and the way I could see her belly button and other parts of her perfect body through the light, clingy material of her dress.Honestly, doesn’t The Association have a dress code? She looked ready to hit some clubs on a Saturday night instead of working for the leader of our government.She was prettier than me in a sophistica
I couldn’t let Amy give up on opening the shelter. A facility like the one Amy wanted to open was badly needed in the city.There were only a few small shelters in Denhurst for overnight stays, and there were no other job training facilities at all.Amy’s vision for people experiencing homelessness in our community was to support them while they learned how to make better lives for themselves.I couldn’t let anything stand in her way. Not even a ghost …if that’s what it really was. I read about cases of supposed hauntings that people faked for various reasons.But the fact that the Archer family had experiences with the spirit in the past made me believe the ghost could be genuine.I knew what I had to do.I would help my friend face the ghost and determine if it was real. After we knew what we were dealing with, we would find a way to make it leave Archer Manor forever.Amy wouldn’t like what I had in mind, but there was no way around it.I pulled in front of the manor and saw my bes
Victor and Justin pushed ahead of us and hurried downstairs. But a search of the first floor turned up nothing.“If someone was in the house, they’re gone now,” I Justin.“Was it a real person or a ghost?” Amy asked.“It looked like a real person in the upstairs window to me, and a ghost wouldn’t sneak out while we were all on the second floor,” Victor replied.“Whoever it was, at least they didn’t take the chicken,” Justin joked. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”“Have you found anything missing since the ‘ghost’ showed up?” Victor asked Amy as we began to eat.Amy shrugged. “Aaron and Alfred, you know the house better than me. Have either of you noticed anything missing?”“Just some family photos from the parlor,” Aaron replied. “I thought you didn’t want photos of your mother’s killer and her family scattered around.”“And an antique vase and an expensive original painting from the library are missing,” Alfred said. “I also thought you took them.”“That’s a shame,” Aaron said. “Pat and Am
After Victor left for work, I looked through the photos and videos I had taken the previous night.Victor was right about the amateurish appearance of the ghost in the hallway. Instead of floating freely in the middle of the hall, it looked projected onto the wall.The groans were probably a recording. As I played the video over, I noticed the sounds seemed to be on a loop. It was five different eerie groans that played over and over.I decided to discreetly examine the areas of the Manor where the supposed ghostly events happened.Saying nothing to anyone and avoiding the others, I visited each spot where paranormal activity occurred.Starting in the room where Amy saw the melting ghost in the closet. I looked for evidence of trickery and recorded my findings with my phone.By the time I examined the far end of the second floor and the room on the third floor where we all heard the noises, I had my answer.I took more photos of the ceiling and pocketed an object I found on the floor
I left Archer Manor after everything was ready and before Aaron and Alfred returned. I was confident our ghost didn’t know about the cameras and silent alarms now in place at the Manor.After running more errands, I was eager to get back and wait for the ghost’s return. Amy’s ghost problem would soon be over.I strolled into the Manor a few moments after Amy and Heather. We were trying to hide our excitement from Aaron and Alfred. But it was difficult for us to act normally as it came closer to the time when we would unmask the ghost.Even Justin and Victor had sly smiles on their handsome faces when they arrived. Andrew got there shortly after them to dine with us.“This roast is superb,” Andrew told Alfred, who was waiting on the table this evening instead of eating with us.“Thank you, sir,” Alfred responded. He stood stiffly near the sideboard while he listened to our conversation. I thought we were putting in a good act.“I hope we get more sleep tonight,” Amy said. “Seeing that
I could feel Victor’s angst, and my heart was breaking for him. He was being sabotaged by an enemy that he couldn’t see or fight against, and it was costing him his life’s work.Plus, Victor’s views had changed since we met. He now understood the discrimination and injustices that the Betas and Omegas faced, and he was willing to be a solid ally to help create new laws that would make things fair for all.How could I let the faction win?But I promised Alex and Cassidy that I wouldn’t say anything to Victor until they returned from Virople, and they were leaving today.I would tell Victor that I needed to say goodbye and go to the mansion at first light. Alex had to let me warn Victor how the faction was spying on him before it was too late.Victor took me in his arms. “I didn’t mean to upset you, my love. I sense you want to say something to me, but you’re afraid of something.”“I love you, Victor,” I said. “I want to help you defeat this enemy.”He kissed my hair. “I know, sweethear
“They’re wearing hoodies,” I said. “It’s hard to see their faces.”Cassidy pointed out a small device in one of the men’s hands. “They’re recording what’s being said in Victor’s office.”“This situation is intolerable,” Alex declared. “We must accomplish our mission and return as soon as possible.”“I’m printing out the images of these men,” Cassidy said. “I’m leaving the printouts with Benson and the memory cards in Alex’s safe.”“I promise to remain quiet about this unless the faction tries something even worse,” I said.“If you must tell him, call me first,” Alex said. “You could be putting us in danger, and we should leave Virople immediately.”I hadn't thought of that. “I promise to call you first.” After hugging Alex and Cassidy goodbye, I left the mansion to pick up Amy.Our first semester of college began soon, and we wanted new clothes for the occasion.“How’s things at Archer Manor?” I asked as Amy climbed into the passenger seat of my car.She grinned. “Ghost-free and peace
Amy took my hand and led me out of the store. “Give me your key fob,” she insisted. “You’re too upset to drive. I’ve never seen anyone turn so pale.”She was right. So I handed the fob to her and got into the passenger seat.“I can’t believe it,” I groaned as I put on the seatbelt. “Get us out of here before Chloe sees me cry.”But it was too late. Chloe came out of the jewelry store with a colorful carry bag that I knew contained the necklace and earrings that she bought with my fiancé’s credit card.She looked into my face and gave me her smug smile. I nodded at her cooly while gripping the edge of the car seat.“Want to tell me about it?” Amy asked.“Chloe used Victor’s platinum card to buy that necklace and earring set,” I said. It sounded worse coming out of my mouth, and I began to cry harder.“Daisy, are you sure it was Victor’s card?” Amy asked. “One company’s credit card looks like all the others.”“I saw his name on it, and the account number was his,” I replied. “Why would