Lunar Temptations

Ch 38

Although I didn't get my answer, I was still relieved to know that Winnie would be looking into it, and eventually, I would have an answer. I would have asked her about whatever guesses she had regarding it, but that would have taken a lot of time, and for now, I needed to hurry upstairs and find Zayden. The meeting might have already started, but I wouldn't miss a lot if only I could make it there in time. I turned around and hurried out to find the place empty but did not find anyone waiting. There was no one to escort me to the meeting room, and I stood foolishly there.

Sighing, I decided to make my way upstairs and get there myself. Waiting there would have only cost me more time. Upon reaching the end of the stairs, I looked around the new floor and tried to listen for any voices or commotion. The meeting must have several people and even more servants scurrying around. Much to my surprise, not a voice could be heard except a few footsteps echoing here and there.

I was ready to give in and call Zayden when I heard faint voices down the right corridor. Taking it as a cue, I took off in that direction. Unlike what I had thought, there wasn't a single trace of any servant. Even those echoing footsteps weren't audible here. It was as if the place was secluded from the rest of the world, and not a trace of any person could be found except those occasional voices coming from behind the third door in that area. The hallway stretched far and wide, yet the voices were incautious, booming through the walls. My brows furrowed, and I was slowly beginning to realize that I might be in the wrong place. The meeting was private for sure, but this was something else, something creepy. For a moment, I wanted to turn around and leave instead of snooping, but then curiosity got the best of me. It seemed too unusual to be normal, and I couldn't simply turn a blind eye to it.

I took slow and steady steps towards the door the voices seemed to be coming from. Even though it was closed, it felt as if the person stood right next to me, talking. Their conversation suddenly became clearer, and the words were enough to awaken doubts in me.

"It won't look well if I intercede. Zayden will know," a familiar voice said, and it took just two sentences from her mouth for me to recognize her. It was Esther Castillo. My eyes widened momentarily at her words, and I pressed my back against the wall beside the door, cautiously.

What was Esther doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be in the meeting? - I thought to myself.

"Then figure this out yourself, but you must get him off the trail," another manly voice said. This one was new to me. I tried to run it through my memory for a match, but nothing. Something about that made a shiver creep through me. Who was this person, and what were they talking about?

My heart thumped against my chest as I stood there doing something extremely dangerous. What if they were doing some top-notch planning in a secluded area and then caught me eavesdropping? I recalculated the risks in my head and pondered over going back to looking for the meeting or staying here. Eventually, curiosity got the best of me, and I continued to linger outside the door. Most importantly, Esther, my prime suspect, was in there. I couldn't just walk away now.

"Let's be patient for now. Without any evidence, there would be no trial," Esther said. My eyes widened to the extent that I thought they would bulge out any moment now. So, I was right. This whole secret meeting with an unknown was really about the trial and evidence. Esther was also a snake living among us, and now I wanted nothing more than to run off to Zayden and tell him everything about her, but I still didn't have any solid proof. What would I tell him? That I doubted that she was the one who had stolen the drive or that I had heard her talking to someone about the evidence.

I would end up making a fool of myself when nobody would believe me.

"And what about that little white dog?" the man questioned, chuckling. His voice was deep, and something about his words made a shiver run down my spine.

"She's no trouble. The girl's too naive to doubt anything," Esther replied, and I could feel her scoffing. Little white dog? A girl? Why did it sound like they were talking about me? Maybe because I didn't know any other white wolf, at least not in my pack. There could be a white wolf in this pack, though.

"Besides, the Dawsons have never been trouble. Raya Dawson's rebellion at that engagement was the farthest they had ever gotten, and I will make sure it stays the same way," she replied. My blood heated up at her words as they sank in. They were indeed talking about me and referring to me as a white dog. I clenched my jaws tightly, holding myself back from barging in there and confronting them. Well, it wasn't surprising to discover that vile woman's hate for me. She had made sure to make me aware of it at every chance she was getting. And maybe it wasn't about me, but the fact that she had dragged my entire family into this was what pissed me off.

"She's harmless - for now," she said, pausing before muttering the last few words. "It won't be long until she realizes the truth," the man said, and the silence stretched out for a moment, leaving me even more curious. What truth? What more was there for me to know? A sudden urge of banging my head on the wall took over me, but I refrained. I still needed a brain to process whatever new questions were being thrown my way.

Questions and questions. I felt like searching for answers was the only purpose I had left. There was suddenly an entire conspiracy wrapping my life around it, like there wasn't anything left to do except question everything in my life.