Chapter 17

The next day, Emma woke up with a start. 

 The morning sunlight streamed down the window and the memory of the conversation she had with Damien hit her like a tube brisk, she stood up from the bed, crossing

 the room, and going to Damien's room. 

When she got there, she realized Damien was not inside, which gave her the thought that he had already gone out in search of whatever Ever was up to. Yesterday, he had promised her that he would investigate and bring back news.

Emma returned to her room. She tried to calm her racing heart but no matter how hard she tried it kept beating fast. 

She took a glimpse of herself in the mirror and realized her eyes had developed a dark circle, she had barely slept overnight, and her mind was swirling with questions about Ever, her strange behavior, and the gut-wrenching suspicion that something sinister was at play.

Deciding to get ready in case Damien returned with urgent news, Emma went to take a quick bath. 

As she finished dressing, her parents called her for breakfast. She responded that she was not in the mood for breakfast. 

Her parents, sensing her mood, didn’t press further. Before leaving the house, they informed her that they would be back in the evening. Emma nodded and told them goodbye.

Left alone, she began pacing the room, her phone clutched tightly in her hand as if willing Damien to call.

Soon, she heard the sound of the front gate opening which snapped her thought and she quickly rushed out. 

She got to the dining room. Damien stepped inside. His expression was serious. Emma rushed to him, her heart was pounding in her chest. 

“What's up?” She demanded. 

“It is worse than I thought, Emma,” Damien answered, going to sit down on the couch. 

“What do you mean?” Emma pressed, her voice taut with worry.

“Ever is involved in some kind of dark magic,” Damien replied with a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair.

“What?” Emma’s face contorted in shock. “That’s impossible! There’s no way she would—” Her voice trailed off as doubt began to creep in, her mind racing to make sense of the revelation.

Damien looked at her grimly, waiting for her reaction.

“I would not have believed it either if I had not seen the sign myself,” he said firmly. “But this is not something we can ignore, Emma. We need to figure out what exactly she is up to,” 

Emma's mind varies. Her disbelief grew with her growing suspicion and her growing attachment to this. 

“We need proof. She emitted finally, her voice shaking but determined. 

“I don’t want people to think I’m trying to make this up or trying to ruin her image,” She added, 

“Then let’s follow her,” Damien suggested. “We’ll find the truth or at least something solid.”

Emma considered what Damien said for a moment, then nodded. “Maybe we should.”

The two of them left the house and headed to a rental car service. After a brief process, they secured a vehicle and began tailing Ever.

For the next three hours, Emma and Damien followed, maintaining a careful distance. Each stop she made seemed more suspicious than the last. 

 At one point, she met with a stranger in a dark alley, exchanging words that Emma could not have imagined.

 “What could she possibly be doing with these people?” Emma murmured, gripping the edge of her seat.

“It’s hard to say,” Damien replied grimly, “but whatever it is, it’s far from ordinary.”

When Ever was done there, he boarded another car and they quickly started their car continuing to follow her. 

After a bourse of driving they got back to the city, Ever got down of the car and eventually entered a large, imposing building.

 Damien parked at a safe distance, and they watched her walk inside majestically.

“What is that place?” Emma asked, craning her neck to get a better look.

“A casino,” Damien said grimly.

Emma’s stomach churned. She had no idea her sister had a double life one that involved secret meetings, strange behavior, and now an apparent connection to a casino.

“I need to document all of this,” she murmured, pulling out her phone. “I need proof for Mum and Dad.”

She opened the car door with the hope of following Ever inside but Damien quickly grabbed her by the arms. 

“Where are you going?” Damien asked when he successfully pulled her in. 

“What did you mean? I want to follow her so I can take a picture as evidence to show to my parent,” Emma replied glaring over to the building through the glass. 

“No,” Damien's voice pronounced simply. “Don’t let her find out we are following her, I have a contact inside that building. Let them do the digging for us,” he added.

Emma sat back for a moment, her frustration brewing. “But what if she gets away? What if we miss something important?”

“Patience,” Damien hushed. “We can’t risk blowing our cover now.”

After some minutes, Ever finally reappeared, but what happened next shattered Emma’s composure. Ever exited the building with a tall, broad-shouldered figure whom Emma did not recognize. 

Her sister smiled at him, her expression soft and affectionate. Then, to Emma’s horror, Ever leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

“Who the hell is that?” Emma hissed, her voice sharp with disbelief.

“I have no idea, we just have to calm down and watch closely enough to catch on each of their movement in conversation,” Damien replied his eyes not moving from where he was staring at. 

As the man crossed the street, Ever followed close behind, her hand brushing against his. Emma and Damien tailed them from a distance, their car creeping forward as quietly as possible.

“Do you think he’s part of all this?” Emma asked, her voice low but urgent.

“Most likely,” Damien replied, his tone grim. “Let's follow them so we can know what’s happening .”