Chapter 128: Trap

Third POV

The moment Fiona enters, the hall erupts in murmurs and gasps. Jeremy's confident facade crumbles, and he stands frozen, his expression aghast. His face, once smug and sure, turns as white as a ghost.

"What is she doing here?" Rowena and Leah exclaim in unison.

Rowena's eyes narrow with a mixture of anger and jealousy. Her gaze zeros in on the way Micah casually drapes his arm around Fiona’s waist, a gesture that sparks a twinge of envy within her.

Leah exchanges an equally horrified glance with Rowena, realizing the gravity of her miscalculation. Nervousness grips both women as they witness the unexpected twist that has disrupted their carefully laid plans.

"Surprised to see me?" Fiona's voice cuts through the tense silence, her eyes locking with Jeremy's.

As if through great effort, he composes himself.

"Well, good to see you again, Fiona," Jeremy says, a strained smile on his face that fails to reach his eyes. "But, your being here proves nothing. How are we supposed to believe that—"

Fiona cuts him off, her gaze steely as she takes out a file from her purse. "Believe this."

She hands the file to Jeremy, who takes it skeptically. However, his jaw tightens as he scans the contents. The documents inside clearly show Fiona as the owner of Mistyca. There's no room for doubt. Jeremy's tension heightens, and Leah, equally on edge, snatches the file from him.

As she reads the pages, paranoia grips her and she realizes that the perfumes they used to kill the Lycan King indeed belonged to Fiona's company.

Before they can say anything, Fiona smiles at them, an air of confidence surrounding her.

"The good news is, this just makes things so much easier. To let you in on a secret, I was already facing some issues with the perfumes going undetected. So, I've made a perfume detector which picks up any of my scents if they have been used in the last 15 days. I've already asked someone to bring it here."

The revelation hangs in the air, and Fiona's smile widens as she watches the realization dawn on Jeremy and Leah. Sweat builds up on Jeremy's neck, and he clenches his fist, desperately trying not to show how shaken he is.

Fiona continues, her voice laced with triumph, "First, we will use it in the king's room to detect the scent, and then on everyone in the castle so we can match the patterns."

Micah proudly kisses the side of Fiona's head and smirks before talking to Jeremy.

"And just like that, we will catch the killer. After all, isn't that what we all wanted?" His confidence radiates as he continues, "Then we can proceed with the coronation, brother. After all, it's only fair."

His smile is wicked as he takes the way his half-brother looks like he has been slapped.

Then, Micah shifts his attention to the ministers, his good mood fading as he addresses them in a booming voice.

"Does anyone have any objections?"

The ministers mumble their assent, a wave of unease washing over them.

"It is settled then," Fiona says brightly. "My people will deliver the detector today. It can stay in the Lycan King's room for the night to properly detect the scents, and tomorrow we can meet here once and for all."

Jeremy, looking shaken, slowly nods his head. His gaze shifts to his mother, who also appears white as a ghost but maintains a tight nod, attempting to retain control. Taking her cue, Jeremy informs Fiona and Micah that he will see them tomorrow, then stalks out of the room, the rest of them quickly following suit.

The last to leave is Wilson. He looks bored, and before stepping out, he casts a disdainful look at Fiona, eyeing her up and down. Without a word, he exits the room, leaving an air of tension behind.

____________________

Fiona’s POV

The moment they all leave the hall, I loudly let out the breath I have been holding.

"Do you think they will take the bait?" I ask Micah nervously, wringing my hands. My confidence leaves me and gone is the bravado I displayed in front of them just a few moments ago. After all, we are taking a huge gamble, and uncertainty gnaws at me.

The truth is that there is no perfume detector. All we have is a fake prototype design, an outer shell that has no power but we are betting on the fact that Leah and Jeremy will dig themselves a hole and fall into their own trap.

Micah, always composed, meets my gaze with a reassuring smile.

"I know my brother. He is as sneaky as a weasel. He will definitely try to tamper with the detector, so he doesn't get caught. And he would have to do it himself because anybody else going into the Lycan King's chambers at night with this much security around would be too suspicious."

I nod, absorbing Micah's words.

Our entire plan hinges on Jeremy and Leah's attempt to manipulate the fake prototype detector. It's a calculated risk, but the potential payoff is immense. Micah and I had meticulously designed the detector to serve as a trap. Fitted with a tiny camera, it captures both audio and video of its vicinity. Moreover, its surface can retain fingerprints. Any attempt to tamper with it would leave an imprint, tangible proof that Jeremy and Leah had tried to sabotage the investigation.

"The plan is foolproof," Micah reassures me, sensing my internal turmoil. His smile is a balm, and he lightly kisses the tip of my nose.

"Don't worry, Fiona. We have it all under control."

I take a deep breath, attempting to quell the nerves that flutter within me. Micah's confidence is infectious, and his reassurance grounds me.

"I just can't believe we're doing this. It's so risky. It’s all of them against us."

Micah cups my face, his eyes locking with mine.

“Well, we are enough for all of them.”

I nod, finding solace in his words. The plan is set in motion, and we can only wait to see how Jeremy and Leah react.

Just then, Micah's phone buzzes, and he looks at the text he has received.

"It's Colin. He is here with the detector and Amelia. Let me go get her." With that, he gives me one last kiss on the cheek and leaves.

I gather myself and am just about to follow him out when a clapping sound reaches me from behind.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

I momentarily freeze as panic grips me. Then, slowly I turn around to find Wilson leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"You two have quite the plan there," he says, smirking at me, and I feel the blood draining from my face.

"Y-y-you? What are you doing here?" I whisper, shocked.

He shakes his head at me like I am a foolish child.

"Fiona, I am not stupid like the others. I have been a diplomat all my life. I know palace politics like the back of my hand. The moment you both entered the castle, I knew you were up to something. So I came back inside from the back door to this hall. A door only I know about, and what do you know? I got in just in time to listen to your treacherous little plan." He smiles smugly.

My heart pounds in my chest. Wilson's presence threatens to unravel everything we've worked for.

"How much did you hear?" I manage to choke out.

"Oh, enough," he replies cryptically. “Enough to know that your detector is an absolute sham, created only as a trap for whoever the real murderer is.”

My hands clench as I hear his words and see the calculating look in his eyes. I chastise myself for feeling the twinge of hurt I do every time I see his face. I cannot believe this cruel, self-serving, cunning man is the one who gave birth to me.

That, one of my strongest enemies is also my father.

“Can’t you just stay out of this?” I don’t know why I say it but the words slip out of me. Almost brokenly.

For a moment, he gives me a strange expression and then his face turns sour.

“Of course not. I don’t know who the killer is and I don’t care. Frankly, the previous king was incompetent and if he really was killed like this, it just proves his incompetence. My only concern is that my daughter Rowena and Leah have become quite close now and I don’t want any of your little schemes blowing back on her.”

I take in his words. His daughter, Rowena. The words feel like acid down my throat even as I tell myself that it shouldn’t matter.

“What are you going to do?” I whisper, already feeling defeated.

“Tell them about this, of course.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. Like, he hasn’t just single handedly ruined the plan Micah and I came up with.

I can only watch as he strides across the hall towards the front exit, feeling completely powerless.

However, just as he is a few paces away, the hall door swings open and Amelia rushes in like a barrel of sunshine and she goes right into … Wilson’s arms.

He is blindsided by the little force and her necklace gets stuck in his cufflink.

Time slows down and I watch in horror as he moves his fingers to take out the necklace only to pause at the emblem.

It’s one he knows dearly.

Because it is his.

A howling wolf with ruby red eyes.

His official crest that can be worn only by his kin.