Chapter 24: Seeds of Doubt

Lila

This bitch should be thanking me for trying this hard.

I could barely contain the satisfaction curling in my chest as I watched Ivy. She sat across from me, her usual fire dimmed to something quieter, more cautious—like a cornered animal, unsure if I was a predator or an ally. 

Good. That was exactly where I wanted her. She was unraveling, piece by piece, and the control I’d always sought was slowly slipping into my grasp.  

I leaned forward slightly, eyes locking on her as if to study her every movement, savoring the subtle shifts in her posture. “I don’t know how you’ve been doing this, Ivy. Keeping it all together,” I said, my voice soft, almost gentle. 

The act was flawless, years of practice coming to light. I made her believe I cared. “Oliver’s death. Everyone of us was constantly breathing down your neck. Do you realize how strong you are?” I made my voice crack at the end for the effect and it worked like magic.

I didn’t need to spell it out. I knew exactly what I was doing. Her eyes flickered toward the window for a second, a nervous glance, as if she were thinking about bolting. ‘Same old broken Aria’, I thought with a smirk. Pathetic. But she wouldn’t. I was already in her head.  

I let the words sink in, watching her face carefully. Then, I pressed on, my tone shifting to something kinder, as though I truly sympathized and felt sad. “If it were me, I don’t think I could survive it. We were so horrible towards you and you didn’t deserve any of that.”

Her lips parted, and I could see the flicker of a thousand responses. I could almost hear the sharp retort building in her chest, but she swallowed it down, the weight of her emotions pinning her in place. I had hit a nerve. Perfect. 

I couldn’t help the small thrill that coursed through me. She was still so easy to manipulate, so easily swayed. She thought she had control because she now goes by a new name, but she never had control with me. I was always one step ahead of everything.  

Her hands fidgeted in her lap, fingers curling and uncurling as she shifted in her seat. For a moment, I almost laughed. Ivy thought she could outmaneuver me, but she didn’t realize that every little flick of her eyes, every tiny shift in her body language, gave her away. She was still the same Aria—predictable, fragile, weak.  

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, Lila,” she finally spoke, her voice steadier than I expected, though I could still hear the tremor of uncertainty beneath it. “But whatever game this is, you can stop now. I’m not going to fall for it.”  

I tilted my head, feigning hurt. “Game? Is that what you think this is?” I let a fake pout pull at my lips, the smallest touch of innocence. “I’m trying to help you, Ivy.”  

She scoffed, shaking her head dismissively. “Help me? Since when?”  

‘Since it served my purpose,’ I thought, but the smile I gave her was soft, even sad. It was a mask I’d perfected. “I’m not the enemy here, Ivy. You’re going to need someone you can trust when everything starts falling apart.”  

Her eyes narrowed, a flash of suspicion flaring again. Good. Stay angry, I thought. Anger was better than fear—it clouded judgment, made people sloppy. 

And Ivy, despite her confidence, was breaking under the weight of her own choices. I could feel it. The cracks were widening, and soon enough, she'd fall right into my hands.  

I leaned in a little, lowering my voice just enough to make her doubt herself. “You don’t have to believe me now. But when the time comes, you’ll see I’m right. Your fiancé can’t protect you from what’s coming.”  

The mention of her fiancé stirred something in her. Her jaw clenched, and her eyes darkened with a mix of anger and... something else. Fear? Concern? I couldn’t quite place it, but it was there, flickering behind the storm of emotions she tried so hard to keep hidden. Interesting.  

“You don’t know anything about him,” she snapped, the words sharp, but the defensiveness in her tone only told me she was more vulnerable than she let on.  

“Don’t I?” I countered, leaning forward slightly, my gaze never leaving hers. “Because I care about you and want to make it up to you, I did some digging. He’s keeping secrets, Ivy. Secrets that could destroy everything if they came out. And you…” I trailed off, letting the tension linger, savoring the way her hands tightened into fists, the muscles in her neck tensing.  

Her face flushed with anger, and for a brief moment, I thought she might lash out. But instead, she just stared at me—hard, defiant, but that flicker of doubt still lingered in her eyes. I’d planted the seed. Now, I just had to wait for it to grow.  

“You’re wrong,” she said, her voice wavering ever so slightly, but the stubbornness in her words was clear. She was fighting it, trying to hold her ground, but I could feel her grip slipping. “I’m very much aware of these so-called secrets, Lila and trust me, I have it all under control.”

I stood up slowly, smoothing down my jacket with practiced ease, my movements deliberate. “I hope for your sake that I’m wrong. But if I’m not…” I trailed off, leaving the threat hanging in the air, unspoken but felt. It was a silent promise that I’d be the one to hold the cards when everything came crashing down.  

Turning on my heel, I started to walk away, my pulse thudding with satisfaction. Step by step, Ivy was unraveling. The pieces were falling into place, and soon enough, she’d realize that she had nowhere to turn but to me.  

And when she does? May the goddess help her.

Connor might think he could shield her, but he didn’t know her the way I did. He didn’t understand what made her tick, what she feared. And when the time came—when I must have disrupted everything around her—she’d see exactly who she could trust.  

And who else if not me? Her darling goddess-given other half?