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SOFIA'S POV
“And when I came to her door, about to knock, what did I hear?” I paused again, pressing down the rage that began to bubble inside me.
I once again swept my gaze over the crowd, pleased at the result.
The pack members were successfully hooked just as I had expected.
It was almost as if, if not for the scene and the presence of the Alpha who stood aside from me, some might have shouted out of frustration.
Meanwhile, behind me, Ava, who I also kept note of, fidgeted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable. At some point, the tears which trickled down like a stream had ceased.
That sight sent a flicker of joy through me and a shiver down my spine, but it was extinguished when I remembered my current predicament.
‘It wasn't time for revenge,’ I told myself. “I will surely get my revenge, but it isn't now.”
Her actions stirred no pity or sympathy in me, only hate. ‘She was the one who started it—acting all weak and all, then she better finishes it.’
From the impatience that kept flashing in her eyes, I knew that all she wanted to do was to jump out of that seat and violently refute my words, but if she did that, it would destroy the weak, vulnerable, victim persona play she had put up.
‘Why doesn't she scream at me? I can see she's barely holding it.’ I inwardly prayed that she loses control, the sooner the better.
‘If she does, that will make things a whole lot easier for me.’
I continued, “When I just got to the door, I heard her making a call with someone whose voice I couldn't recognize. She asked about the boy, saying that he had a twin sister who was unconscious, asking if she could bring her too. That's when I couldn't hold myself. Before I knew what had happened, I was already on her, but all I wanted was for her to tell me where my child was. I never intended anything else.”
I could glimpse people who already believed my words. Whispers rippled through the crowd.
“And that's where the Alpha Leon met—”
I was about to continue, planning to reveal Ava's possible involvement with the people who knocked out the pack.
But Ava, who had been impatient, could no longer bide her time and wait.
Instead, she verbally attacked me. “Oh shut it, Sofia,” she finally snapped, her voice becoming sharp, losing the weakness she had placed in it earlier.
‘Oh, she's no longer pretending,’ I marveled while she spoke.
“Why would I want to attack my own pack, the pack where I grew up in?
“My parents were the people who built this pack from scratch, just so you'll know, so why would I want to crumble my parents’ hard efforts? That doesn't make sense. So if you don't have evidence, please don't spout misleading words.”
Her words sent another round of agreement through the pack. It actually made sense, and that was what I worried about.
Ava had known these people for far longer than I had. I already knew they would believe Ava's words more than mine.
But it was still a shock when it played before me.
Even I couldn't say anything, because in a way, she was right. That was why even I never suspected her and wouldn’t have if not for the call.
Her camouflage was just too good. It added all the buff she needed to blend in, covering herself.
It had pulled away some people who were still on the fence and a few who were previously supporting me.
“That's true, there's no evidence.”
Someone argued back, “How do you want her to get evidence to something like that!”
Following this person's words, some supported me.
“Right, it must have been so sudden.”
“Poor Sofia…”
“I think I'll probably act the same way if my child gets missing and I encounter the person.”
“I think Sofia is being kind. If it's my mom, it would have been way worse.”
But others still maintained a rational sense.
“Well, that doesn't mean she doesn't have to provide some sort of evidence.”
“At the end, it could all just be slander.”
“I think the Alpha should look into this matter carefully.”
Those words struck me. “Evidence…” I furrowed my eyebrows, falling deep in thought. What evidence do I have? Or do I even have any evidence against her?
That's when a light bulb went off in my head. My eyes shone as I remembered.
‘Wait a minute… evidence!’ I had once forgotten. The puzzled expressions of the crowd faded into the background as I acted.
I stuck my hand into my pockets, fishing out my phone from the left and something else I kept hidden in the crook of my palm, drawing curious glances.
I hid it because I didn't want Ava to see it and compose herself. I wanted the revelation to hit her like a speeding train.
Facing the pack members, I opened my phone, moved to the sound recorder app, and said,
“This necklace… this voice… they tell the truth Ava tried to hide.”
I opened my palm, unfurling the unique-looking black necklace that previously lay hidden in my palm, dangling it before everyone's view.
A gasp rang through the crowd. Like water dropped into hot oil, discussions arose within the crowd, fierce arguments ensuing.
“That's Ava's necklace.”
“Not hers—her grandmother's…”
“Yeah, but her grandmother passed it down to her as she went to be with the goddess.”
Pack members who were unaware of its existence swiftly latched themselves onto groups of people who did, to get the full gist, and for some minutes, the whole house was buzzing with conversations.
Pleased, I raised my arm, bringing the necklace further into the sight of not only the crowd but also into the sight of Leon and Ava, who flinched.
Lifting my voice, I said,
“I found this at exactly the spot where my son was last standing before his caretaker, Ana, fell unconscious.”
Ava shot up from her seat, pointed her finger at me, and said—