Every queen has a rival, but not every betrayal comes from a stranger. Sometimes, it's the woman who smiled at your victories… while secretly praying for your fall.
The dream pulled Ava under again this time without warning, like a current she couldn't fight.
There was no ballroom.
No laughter.
Just cold silence.
And a pair of pale hands lighting a cigarette.
Flashback.
Isabella sat across from her at an upscale lounge. The woman's lips were painted blood-red, and her eyes sharp as broken glass glimmered in the candlelight.
She went by Celeste.
Elegant. Enigmatic. And until recently, Isabella's most trusted friend.
"I heard you walked out on Vincent," Celeste said smoothly, exhaling a thin stream of smoke. "Bold."
"I didn't come here for gossip."
"No," Celeste leaned in, her expression unreadable. "You came because part of you still believes I'm on your side."
Isabella's stomach twisted. "Aren't you?"
Celeste smiled sweet, slow, and venomous.
"I was always on the winning side."
There it was.
Isabella sat back, heart thudding. "He's using you."
"Oh, darling…" Celeste laughed, soft and cruel. "He didn't use me. I offered."
"You betrayed me for what? His lies? His empire?"
Celeste tapped ash into a crystal tray. "For what he promised me. What you always had and never deserved."
Isabella's voice dropped. "What was that?"
"Power. Influence. And him."
The silence between them crackled like static.
Isabella stared at her, stunned. "You were in love with him."
Celeste didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
"I should've seen it," Isabella whispered. "You were always too close. Too invested."
Celeste leaned closer, voice like a blade. "You think love made me do this? No. It was the way you looked at him and didn't fear him. It was your light. You didn't earn it. You just… had it. I wanted to burn it out."
Present.
Ava woke gasping, her fingers clenching the bedsheets.
Liam sat up beside her, instantly alert. "What did you see?"
She swallowed hard. "Her name was Celeste."
"Who was she?"
"My best friend."
She looked at him, eyes wide with realization.
"She hated me. And she was helping Vincent the whole time."
Liam's face darkened. "Then we're not just up against a man who tried to kill you. We're up against a ghost who never worked alone."
Ava nodded slowly.
"She's not dead," she whispered.
"I don't think either of them are."