Chapter 21 - Beneath Her Mask

Orion’s POV

The next morning came too soon, with the sun spilling light into the dining room, yet I felt a heaviness settle in my chest as I sat across from Chloe. We were eating lunch—if you could call it that—past noon, and there was still no sign of Ava. The air was thick with unspoken tension, the remnants of our dark plans lingering like a bad aftertaste.

“Can you believe her?” Chloe scoffed, taking a sip of her drink. “That hypocrite. She’s probably busy keeping her bed warm with whatever man she dragged in last night. The audacity of that woman to act like she’s above us.”

My mind drifted back to the muffled sounds I had heard the previous night, an unsettling reminder of Ava’s secrets. I pushed my food around my plate, trying to focus on Chloe, who was clearly reveling in her disdain for Ava.

“She looks so innocent though,” I muttered absentmindedly, the image of Ava’s silhouette flashing in my mind.