SEVENTY FIVE

SEVENTY FIVE
EVA'S POV

"What do you mean Milana killed herself?" Was the retort that came back.

I remained silent, allowing myriad thoughts to collide within the man. I barely knew him; our interactions had been few and far between, leaving us as mere acquaintances.

Yet, I understood he was a rational man, making this perhaps the most dangerous game I played.

But I tried not to dwell on how quickly a shift could happen. It didn't matter if Dorian Legrand was a man of science. He loved his daughter. Love, I noticed, was irrational.

"I don't know what else to say. She was found this morning. She... She hung herself."

A chuckle escaped my lips, but I masked it as a sob. I was that good.

"Why would Milana do that?" The pitch of his voice kept rising. "I know my daughter. She is not like that. If she was... If she were suicidal, I would have known. I, of all people, would have known. I talked to her two days ago, and she seemed fine."

"She seemed fine to me, too," I whispered, acting like the words were finding it difficult to come out. "We talked a lot yesterday about the problems she was having with Dimitri. I didn't think there were any signs. I didn't think their squabble would push her to the deep end. If I had known, I would have—"

"She had problems with Dimitri?"

The script was going perfectly. It was so hard to hide how good it felt to see a plan come together.

"You didn't know?"

"What kind of problems?" The man demanded.

Now, this was the delicate part. The goal of all I had done so far was because I needed to make an enemy out of Camille. Now more than ever. I could not afford to be callous. Dimitri couldn't be painted as the villain.

"I could have sworn she told you." I began. "It started some weeks ago. When Dimitri brought some primitive healer to help with his disease. There had been rumors that her powers were like those of Abigail De'Crescent. But the moment the lady stepped into the palace. She had been causing problems left and right. You must have heard the news already. That the nobody healer Dimitri hired is my sister in the flesh."

"What does this have to do with Milana?" Dorian cut in.

"She was the reason for Dimitri and your daughter's issues," I answered. "I don't know the specifics, but my sister bore His Majesty's children years ago, and she is his fated mate. Dimitri pledged to resolve matters, to end their ties. Yet, you understand the nature of the Lycan bond. It strips males of the ability to initiate rejection. My sister, adamant in her infatuation, refused to let go. She desired the Lycan king for reasons unknown to me. When Dimitri fell ill again and seemed unlikely to recover, he succumbed to the mate bond and chose Camille. Milana confided in me. We lamented over drinks, and she spoke of returning home to you. I believed that would be the end of it. I truly did... Goddess..."

The receiver fell silent as Dorian processed the information. There was a scramble when he finally spoke.

"Are you telling me that my daughter took her own life because of some twisted love triangle involving the king and your sister?" he demanded, his voice trembling from fury.

I nodded solemnly, feigning sympathy. "I'm afraid so, Dorian. It's a tragic situation, one that nobody could have foreseen."

"That nobody could have foreseen?" The man scoffed.

The shift was happening. Faster than I had anticipated, and suddenly, the script was everywhere all at once.

"Mr. Legrand—"

"This is unacceptable. Unforgivable," he muttered under his breath. "I trusted Dimitri to take care of my daughter, to keep her safe. And now she's gone because of his selfishness and incompetence."

I had succeeded in planting the seeds of doubt and resentment in Dorian's mind. But at the wrong person. Camille was the one who needed that full-blown animosity.

With the script scattered everywhere all at once, I didn't have my thoughts gathered. I didn't have the right words to say.

"Mr Legrand," I finally managed to find the words. "I understand how difficult this must be for you. But you must understand that in getting justice for Milana, we cannot be misguided. Camille is the enemy he—"

"We?" He cut me off.

His grief was starting to bleed into rationality.

"I only meant—"

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Dorian's voice boomed with rage, cutting me off mid-sentence. I felt my blood run cold.

"¿What?"

"I said, who the fuck do you think you are?" he thundered. "You come here spewing your lies and deceit, trying to twist the truth to suit your own agenda. My daughter is dead, and you dare to stand here and tell me Dimitri is not to blame? What do I expect from werewolf scum?"

I recoiled slightly, taken aback by the ferocity of his anger. But I couldn't back down now. I had to salvage the situation somehow.

"Dorian, please, I didn't mean it like that," I stammered, my voice trembling as I struggled to maintain composure. "I only meant to say that Camille—"

"Camille has nothing to do with this!" he roared, his fists clenched at his sides. "She's not the one who drove my daughter to despair. It was Dimitri, with his callous disregard for her feelings, and his reckless actions. My business is with him and him alone."

"You have a—" I didn't get to finish.

I heard a beep. The bastard cut the call.

I stood there stunned and in furious silence.

I had failed. One of the reasons that drove me to kill Milana was to gather another alliance.

Dorian was a scientist who was respected in the Lycan community. I didn't think he was capable of standing up to.the Lycan king, so the next best thing for him to do was to focus his rage on another. A weaker opponent. Camille.

But I had been sorely wrong. Dorian wanted all the smoke. Instead of getting him to turn against Camille, I had only succeeded in stoking the flames of his anger and resentment, directing them squarely at Dimitri.

I slowly lowered the phone from my ear, and a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.

I knew I had to think fast, and come up with a plan to salvage the situation before it spiraled completely out of control.

Camille was out there gathering her 'evidence', and I was here losing my cards.

I paced around in silence, wondering when Amity would return from watching Camille. Hopefully, with some good news or bright ideas.

"You've got this," I told myself as I thought hard about the next step to take.

I couldn't have some angry man full of grief revealing somehow that I incited him against Dimitri or Camille. There was already suspicion on my back for unintentionally exposing Camille.

But it was hard. It didn't help that the room felt stifling, suffocating even, with the weight of my failure pressing down on me. I couldn't think clearly in such oppressive atmosphere.

So I made my way out to the garden, hoping the fresh air would clear my mind.

When I reached the garden, my eyes fell upon a bunch of sunflowers, their once vibrant petals now wilted and drooping under the relentless sun. I remembered Milana planting them with me after insisting that the Galdina garden needed more yellow.

She had no green thumbs. So the flowers just suffered. Even in death, she still remained useless.

That anger brought along with it tears. I was bitter. I was mad, and as much as I didn't want to admit it. I was scared. I was scared of Camille and what would happen to me if she found something concrete.

I figured it would just be best to ensure that the body could not be tested. Milana would most likely be at the morgue already, freezing in one of the hundred refrigerators. If I had a day. I could maybe find a way to tamper with the freezers. I had no idea if that would help, but I had to do something.

Lost in my thoughts, I was startled by the sound of footsteps behind me, followed by someone calling my name.

I turned to see Dimitri approaching. His expression hinted that Milana's death had taken a toll on him.

Finally. Some good results for my hard work.

"Dimitri," I greeted, waking up to him. "How are you holding up?"

"She didn't deserve this," Dimitri began, his voice cracking with emotion, which told me the job had been done. A wedge had been out between him and Camille. Whether he likes it or not. "None of this should have happened."

I glanced up at him, seeing the pain etched into his features. Despite everything, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him. He had this way of bringing out my soft spot.

"I know," I murmured, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his arm. "But we can't change the past. All we can do now is try to find some semblance of peace. I know you loved her. She must know you did, too."

Dimitri nodded, his gaze meeting mine for a brief moment before he looked away. I followed his gaze and noticed he was staring at the dying flowers.

"Those were Milana's flowers."

"Yeah," I nodded. "I came to see them."

We both approached the wilted sunflowers.

"She always said the garden needed more yellow," Dimitri murmured, a bittersweet smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

I nodded in agreement. "And when the florist gave her sunflower seeds. She said it was too much work and was messing with her routine."

"Yet, she wouldn't let the servants water it because it was hers."

It was time to get into character. This was an opportunity to get closer to Dimitri.

"I'm sorry, Dimitri," I said softly, my voice stained with regret. "I wish there was more I could have done to help her."

Dimitri turned to me, his eyes reflecting some gratitude. "You did what you could, Eva. I'm sure," he replied, his tone gentle. "None of this is your fault."

I offered him a faint smile. He was right. This wasn't my fault. This was Camille's fault.

I let the silence between us settle for a minute before I continued,

"Have you told her father?" I asked.

"Neal mentioned it." He replied. "I guess I should."

"Don't worry about it," I told him. "Milana's father called. He was worried Milana wasn't picking up. I didn't want to tell him. But how could I be cruel and keep a secret? He knows what happened to Milana. He's angry. Angry at you, me, and Camille too."

"Camille," he mused. "She's been through so much already. I can't imagine how she feels now."

I clenched my jaw, suppressing the surge of frustration bubbling inside me—all my efforts to sow discord were wasted in a single moment.

"Yeah, we can't blame her for this," I replied through gritted teeth, injecting a heavy dose of sarcasm into my tone. "I'm sure she's hurting too, just like the rest of us. Where is she, by the way? I thought she'd be right by your side, comforting you through this... loss."

Dimitri's response only fueled the fire of my irritation. "Probably with the kids," he said calmly. "She stayed in my chambers last night. It's understandable. The children need their mother."

Did they spend the night together?