Luna stood before Hailey, her figure slightly more petite but dressed to impress. Her qipao was tight-fitting and gracefully detailed, highlighting her curves. Her makeup was flawless, and her hair was swept into an elegant bun. She looked polished, refined, like someone who belonged on the front page of a society magazine.

Her eyes flicked over Hailey with undisguised disdain. “What do you have that I’d ever want? What do you possess that I don’t already own?”

Hailey gave a faint smile. “You have everything, a fiancé, fame, money, even someone powerful backing you. I can't compare.” She paused. “But there’s one thing you don’t know.”

Luna’s expression twitched.

Hailey leaned in slightly. “The master left a will.”

Luna’s heart dropped. She and Annie had turned the place upside down looking for it,  the deed, the hidden assets, all the valuable collections that Xavier Yates had squirrelled away. Nothing. Not a trace.

“A will?” she repeated, trying to keep her tone neutral.

“Mm,” Hailey mused, letting her eyes wander lazily around the room. “Why don’t you guess who has it?”

Luna’s fingers tightened around her clutch.

“And speaking of big events,” Hailey added, almost offhandedly, “I heard your wedding is in a month. Funny,  I haven’t received an invitation.”

Luna’s expression darkened. Of course, Hailey wouldn’t be invited. The last thing they needed was for her to appear at the wedding in front of hundreds of VIPs, possibly even Travis. Even if Travis himself didn’t show, his company would send someone in his place. Hailey showing up,  even for a moment,  could cause the kind of embarrassment Luna had worked years to avoid.

Forget the shop. Forget the hidden antiques.

Hailey’s presence was the real threat.

As long as they could keep a man like him on their side, weren’t glory and wealth guaranteed? Luna quickly calculated her next move, then let out a cold snort. “You’re not welcome at our wedding.”

She didn’t hide the contempt in her voice. “The guest list is full of dignitaries. And you?” Her eyes swept over Hailey with a sneer. “You don’t belong.”

Then she added, coolly, “You’re welcome to share whatever you know about the master’s will… or not. That rundown place means nothing. But let me remind you, my boss could crush someone like you without blinking. If he decides to act, stay far away. Don’t blame me if you find yourself erased from Holtbay City.”

Hailey raised an eyebrow, amused. “I’m just curious… why does your boss like you, exactly?”

Luna’s smile faltered, but Hailey went on, her voice steady.

“Is it because you used your own boyfriend to get close to me and steal my work? Or was it when you entered someone else’s design into the competition and took home the grand prize and the credit? Tell me, what exactly impressed him? Your skills… or your schemes?”

Luna laughed, loud and sharp, like glass breaking. She covered her mouth and said mockingly, “Do you even hear yourself? Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, Hailey. If what you’re saying is true, you must’ve walked right into my trap. That just makes you dumb. What else is there to say?”

Hailey didn’t flinch.

“You’re right,” she said calmly. “I was stupid. That’s why I don’t make the same mistakes anymore. I’ve learned to be smarter.”

Her gaze narrowed, tone cool and even.

“So tell me, how powerful is this boss of yours? Powerful enough to ruin someone’s life? Push them out of Holtbay City? Because if that’s the game, what do you think he’ll do when I tell him everything you’ve done behind his back?”

Luna’s smile vanished.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she hissed, eyes blazing like a cornered animal.

Hailey didn’t blink. “I’ve got nothing to lose. Why wouldn’t I?”

The tension crackled between them like electricity. Hailey had come ready to fight, and Luna, for the first time, realized she might be dealing with a very different woman than the one she crushed years ago.

Luna took a long, deliberate breath, then another. She reminded herself she was no longer a nobody, no longer the street rat Hailey once outshone. She was on a pedestal now. And queens didn’t wrestle in the mud with peasants.

“Hailey,” she said, her tone drenched in false sympathy, “none of this makes sense. Why lower yourself like this?”

She gave a gentle, patronizing smile and added, “Let’s look at the big picture. Maybe you feel like I stole your moment in the spotlight. But I’m feeling generous today. There’s a chance for you to redeem yourself.”

Hailey narrowed her eyes.

Luna leaned in just a bit. “Mr. Harvey is planning a major design competition, just for me. A grand, international-level event. If you beg me nicely, I might let you enter. But don’t forget, it’ll only be because of my grace. You’ll owe me that.”

Hailey blinked, caught off guard. “What competition?”

Luna’s lips curled, mistaking Hailey’s confusion for interest. She thought she had struck a nerve.

“The Global International Design Awards,” Luna said proudly. “I don’t expect you to win the grand prize, of course. But hey, first prize or something close wouldn’t be a total loss, would it?” She let out a small, smug laugh.

Hailey took a deep breath, a slow, simmering calm settling in her eyes. She suddenly saw it, how desperate Luna was to stay on top, to win not just titles but validation. And how pathetic that really was.

“I’m not interested,” Hailey said flatly.

Luna stiffened.

“I don’t want a spot in your fake competition. I’m not asking for crumbs. And I’m certainly not begging you,” she added. “I didn’t come here for peace.”

Hailey’s eyes darkened.

“I came to remind you that the truth is a dangerous thing to bury. And knowing I have it… knowing it could ruin you… that’s what brings me joy. So sleep tight, Luna.”

Hailey turned without waiting for a response, leaving Luna frozen behind her, her fake grace cracked wide open.

“Hailey, don’t force my hand!” Luna snapped, her voice no longer carrying the polished poise of her appearance. Her traditional dress still hugged her figure, but the grace it once gave her was now lost to fury.

Hailey didn’t flinch. She met Luna’s eyes with the same icy disdain Luna had thrown at her earlier. “Luna,” she said with measured calm, “I genuinely wish you and Annie a happy marriage… one that lasts till death do you part.”

She stepped closer, her tone dropping into something colder.

“And I pray your powerful sponsor’s future wife never decides to come for you. That would be… inconvenient.”

Luna’s mouth dropped open, but no words came out. Her fury boiled over into silence, her face flushed with rage. Hailey snorted softly, turned on her heel, and walked away.

She didn’t rush, just descended the stairs calmly.

And at the bottom, she saw Annie.

He had clearly come running the moment he heard she was there, and now he stood in her path, chest heaving, torn between guilt and desperation. “Hailey,” he said her name like it hurt to speak it, his voice low and raw.

Hailey stopped walking but didn’t look at him. Not once.

To her, he was nothing. Just noise. Just air.

She walked past him without a word.

But Annie, caught in emotion, reached out, his hand wrapping lightly around her arm. “Hailey, wait, I, ”

“Annie!” Luna’s shrill voice cracked from the top of the stairs.

Annie instantly let go, his face going pale.

Hailey didn’t stop.

She kept walking as if the encounter hadn’t even happened.

To her, even hearing his name left a bitter taste in her mouth. Saying it?

Unthinkable.

She left the building, head high, heart steady.

Luna and Annie could rot in their tower of lies. She was done carrying the weight of their sins.

Upstairs in her office at Cirrus Bordado, Luna let out her rage the only way she knew, by slapping Annie across the face.

After a few minutes of shouting and scolding, she paced back and forth, eyes full of fire. Her anger hadn’t faded. If anything, it had sharpened.

She stopped in front of Annie and hissed, “That shameless Hailey needs to disappear. If she’s still breathing, we’ll never have peace.”

Annie looked up, stunned. “What do you mean?”

“Take the car. Hit her. Make it look like an accident,” Luna snapped, like she was asking him to take out the trash.

Annie’s eyes widened. He had always known Luna was cruel, but this, this was madness.

“No. That’s... that’s illegal.”

Luna’s voice rose. “Illegal? It’s just a traffic accident! Pay the fine and move on. What’s the problem? Are you all this useless?”

Annie didn’t speak. He couldn’t. But inside, a cold weight sank deeper. He and Luna had crossed too many lines already. Maybe it was too late to turn back now.

Meanwhile, Hailey walked calmly along the side of the road, heading to the bus stop.

Her thoughts wandered, mostly about the competition Luna had brought up earlier. Was it serious? Could it change things?

Just then, “Watch out!”