Chapter 135: Goodbye!
Ella.
The omega who had been holding the edge of Eva’s dress froze for only a brief second before hurriedly stepping away, as though she had already anticipated what would happen next.
Keeping her head lowered, she disappeared into the crowd and returned only moments later with a polished mirror clutched tightly in both trembling hands. She approached Eva cautiously, her movements stiff with unease, before silently raising the mirror in front of her.
The instant Eva’s gaze landed on her reflection, a piercing scream tore from her throat.
"No...!"
Her eyes widened in sheer horror as she stared at the angry swelling spreading across her once flawless face. Her cheeks had puffed noticeably, several large inflamed welts rising beneath her skin while patches of redness continued to bloom across her complexion.
She stumbled backward in panic.
Her trembling hands shot toward the veil resting nearby, desperately trying to snatch it back as though covering her face could somehow undo the damage that had already been done.
"No... no... no..." she muttered frantically, her breathing becoming uneven as fear completely replaced the confidence she had worn only moments ago.
I simply watched her. Slowly and calmly, a satisfied smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
Then it grew wider.
The scene unfolding before me reminded me of exactly what had happened inside Alex’s room earlier.
***
"Eva sent you, right?" I asked the omega calmly, a slow smile spreading across my lips as I looked directly at her.
The omega immediately lowered her head, unable to meet my eyes.
She gave a small, frightened nod.
"Please spare me, Luna," she pleaded, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "I... I was only following orders."
There wasn’t even a trace of hesitation in my expression.
"I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself," I said evenly.
The omega’s head snapped upward, as relief flooded her face almost instantly, replacing the terror that had been written all over it only seconds before.
"Thank you, Luna!" she exclaimed hurriedly, hope flashing brightly across her eyes. "What should I do?"
"I don’t care how you do it," I replied without changing my tone. "But within the next ten minutes, I want you to get Lupine Bloom Extract." I deliberately paused, allowing my words to settle before continuing. "Then apply it carefully to my veil... and find a way to swap it."
The omega visibly trembled.
"Yes, Luna," she answered immediately, bowing her head once more.
And that...that had been all.
***
The memory slowly dissolved, bringing me back to the present.
My smile only grew brighter, as everything had unfolded exactly as I had expected.
Eva’s horrified eyes suddenly lifted from the mirror and locked onto mine, as pure fury burned within them.
She had figured it out.
She knew exactly who had orchestrated everything.
Our gazes remained locked for several long seconds.
But what could she possibly do now?
Absolutely nothing.
Whatever accusation she wanted to make would only expose what she had originally intended for me.
She could do nothing except glare at me with burning hatred while I stood there, perfectly composed, my smile never once leaving my face.
Unlike her, I wasn’t cruel enough to use acid.
No.
That had never been my intention.
Before anything else, I had instructed the omega to wash the veil thoroughly, making sure every trace of the previous substance was completely removed before applying the new one.
She had followed my instructions carefully.
The substance I chose wasn’t meant to cause permanent harm.
It was simply a delayed-acting contact irritant.
At first, there would be nothing, no stinging, no itching and no burning sensation.
Nothing that would make anyone suspicious.
But after roughly half an hour, the reaction would slowly begin to reveal itself.
I shifted my gaze back to Eva.
Right on cue, the muscles in her face had already started tightening.
The change was subtle at first, but it became more obvious with every passing second.
Puffy swelling gradually spread across both of her cheeks, stretching her skin until her elegant features became distorted.
Then came several large, angry-looking inflamed welts that rose beneath the surface of her skin, giving the appearance of painful boils.
Gasps echoed throughout the hall as more and more people noticed the alarming transformation.
Even so, I remained perfectly calm.
The reaction wasn’t permanent.
With prompt medical treatment, the swelling would gradually disappear over the following several days until her face returned to normal.
She would recover.
I’m sure she could endure it.
Silence lingered over the hall until Alex suddenly cleared his throat.
The sound immediately drew everyone’s attention back to him.
He forced an awkward smile onto his face, clearly trying to diffuse the uncomfortable atmosphere.
"I sincerely apologize for this," he said with a small laugh that sounded far more strained than genuine. "My Luna probably had a skin reaction."
He chuckled lightly, attempting to brush the entire incident aside as though it were nothing more than an unfortunate accident.
A few guests exchanged uncertain glances before laughing along with him.
Soon enough, several others joined in as well.
The tense atmosphere gradually loosened.
Alex then turned toward me.
His smile became warmer as he extended one hand in my direction before facing the crowd once again.
"Let’s give my beautiful Luna, Ella, the podium to give her speech!"
The audience immediately erupted into applause.
The loud clapping echoed through the grand hall.
I slowly rose to my feet, a pleasant smile resting effortlessly on my lips.
Maintaining my composure, I walked toward the center of the stage.
Every pair of eyes followed my every step.
When I finally reached Alex, I accepted the microphone from his hand with graceful ease.
"Thank you all for giving me this opportunity," I began with a gentle smile, and then I paused deliberately. "But... I have an announcement."
The applause died almost instantly, as the entire hall fell silent. Every eye was fixed on me, iIncluding Alex’s.
Curiosity was written plainly across his face as he waited for my next words.
Without the slightest hint of hesitation, I calmly reached into my clothing and pulled out a neatly folded document.
Then I extended it toward Alex.
"Happy birthday, Alex..." I said, satisfaction coloring every word that left my lips. "...and goodbye forever."
The smile vanished from his face.
He froze completely.
His eyes immediately dropped to the document in his hands as he stared at it in stunned disbelief.
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