Chapter 05 : Who is Jester?

That morning, the sun was already high in the sky when Everly finally woke up. The wall clock read a few minutes past nine. Sunday always gave her a little freedom to lounge around without having to rush to think about work. With slow steps, she headed to the bathroom, hoping that the cold water would help her shake off the drowsiness.

After a quick shower, her damp hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and a towel was wrapped neatly around her body. Everly felt refreshed, though a little annoyed for waking up so late. However, her relaxed mood evaporated the moment she opened the bathroom door and found Jester sitting on her couch, holding her camera with a curious expression.

"Jes! What are you doing?!" Everly exclaimed, her voice rising in panic.

Jester casually looked up, a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "You know, I was just curious. Did you happen to capture anything interesting back then? I just wanted to take a look at your photos."

Everly quickly moved towards him, almost losing grip of her towel as she snatched the camera out of his hands. "Don't touch my camera!" she said, her voice higher than usual.

Jester raised both his hands in mock surrender, as if to show he meant no harm. "Hey, hey, relax, Eve! I was just curious, no bad intentions here."

Everly didn't respond. She just held the camera tightly, her heart pounding in her chest. The worst thoughts started creeping into her mind—what if Jester had seen the photos? The photos of Maxim during the lunar eclipse night. She swallowed hard, trying to calm herself down.

"Didn't you say you'd show me the photos from that shoot, Eve?" Jester asked, his tone slightly more insistent.

Everly let out a short breath, trying to hide her anxiety. "Yeah, but... I'm not ready yet."

"Not ready?" Jester frowned, a suspicious expression appearing on his face. "What do you mean by not ready? Is there something wrong with the photos?"

Everly lowered her gaze, quickly thinking of an excuse. "Because... because I haven't edited them yet. They're still raw, the original shots. You know, this camera has a cheap lens, so before I edit them, I don't feel confident showing them to you."

Jester raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced by her explanation. "That's odd. Normally, you'd tell me right after you finish a shoot. What's going on, Eve? Are you hiding something from me?"

The question pierced right through Everly's heart. She quickly shook her head, trying to sound convincing. "No, Jes. I would never hide anything from you. We've been friends for so long. I'd never do that."

"Then why?"

"I've already told you, there's nothing wrong. I just lack confidence. But I promise I'll show you the results later. Right now, can you leave? I need to get dressed."

Jester paused for a moment, staring at Everly as if trying to discern the truth behind her words. But after a few seconds, he finally relented. "Alright," he muttered, though his voice still carried an undercurrent of suspicion. He turned and left the room, heading toward the living room while muttering under his breath.

Once the door closed, Everly let out a long sigh, trying to calm her racing heart. She walked over to her desk, opened her laptop with slightly trembling hands, and connected the camera. The photos that hadn't been transferred yet appeared one by one on the screen, bringing back the unsettling memories of the lunar eclipse night.

Quickly, she created a new folder and named it Tartarus, after the place where the photos were taken. After all the photos were transferred, she stared at the laptop screen for a moment, making sure not a single file was left on the camera.

"This has to be enough," she murmured softly. She deleted all the files from the camera, ensuring there was no trace left. Her mind kept echoing Maxim's warning: *Keep this a secret, or you'll regret it.*

Everly sighed again. Despite the pressure from Maxim making her uneasy, something else weighed on her mind—the promise of a new, more advanced camera from Maxim. With that camera, she would be free to shoot in places no other photographer could reach. This opportunity was too big to pass up, but the price she had to pay was not small.

She closed her eyes, trying to calm her thoughts. But a soft knock on her door startled her.

"Eve, are you done?" Jester's voice came from the other side.

"Just a second, Jes!" she called out, quickly closing her laptop and hiding it in the drawer.

She stood in front of the mirror, trying to arrange her expression to look normal. *Stay calm, Eve,* she thought. *No one can know about this. Not Jester, and especially not the Harrington family or the public.*

---

"Aren't these the edited versions?" Jester asked, his eyes scanning the camera's display with a hint of curiosity, though there was also a touch of suspicion.

Everly shook her head slightly. "Not yet."

Jester shifted his gaze from the camera to Everly, who was sitting across from him. His smile shifted, becoming a small grin, as though he was thinking of something.

"You said you'd show me when you finished editing, right?" Jester continued, his voice teasing.

Everly felt a little pressured, trying to hide her anxiety. "Yeah, but you're so curious, Jes. I can't do it quickly. Besides, I'm feeling lazy right now. It's Sunday, time to relax."

Jester nodded slightly, but his eyes remained focused on the camera's screen, occasionally glancing at Everly, who seemed different—more uneasy, and as though she was hiding something. There was something off about her behavior, and Jester began to sense it.

"I heard you're going to work with Maxim Harrington. Is that true?" Suddenly, Jester asked a question that took Everly by surprise. She stared at him, her body stiffening, and her breath caught in her throat.

Everly tried to control herself and nodded slowly. "How... how did you know?" she asked, her voice a little shaky.

Jester grinned, then turned his gaze back to the camera. "Article, Eve. You're in an article. A rather sad one for you and others, but for me, it's an article that makes me proud of you."

Everly's heart skipped a beat. *An article?* What was he talking about? "What article?" she asked, anxious.

Jester shifted his gaze from the screen again, this time his eyes full of intrigue. "The article titled *'A Level One Photographer Takes Over Megan Harrington's Pre-Wedding Photos, Outperforming Six Renowned Photographers After a Selection with Maxim Harrington at Rington Corporation.'*"

Everly's eyes widened in shock, and an uneasy feeling began to creep into her heart. That article? So the news had already spread? In a hurry, she stood up from her chair and rushed back to her room to find her phone that she had left on the desk.

Meanwhile, Jester simply turned his attention back to the camera, a small smile playing on his lips, satisfaction evident in his eyes. He could see how shaken Everly was by the news. But there was one thing that caught his attention even more. As Everly entered the room, Jester took out his phone from his pocket, opened the screen, and quickly dialed someone.

"As I suspected," he muttered quietly, his gaze focused on his phone screen. "Maxim Harrington... a werewolf."