“Obviously, I’m here for business.” Sophie turned the card over in her hand. “But tell me, what brings you both to Maripore? You’re not treating this like a vacation, are you?”

Alice nudged the wall of the elevator, cornered into confessing. “David’s got a client obsessed with emeralds. He’s checking out a stone for the client.”

With a sharp chime, the elevator doors spread open.

Watching Sophie stride out, Alice clenched her jaw. “You… you won’t tell David about this, will you?”

The thought of Sophie running into David filled Alice with dread. She feared it might jog his memory. Another fear gnawed at her—Sophie might either slip up or purposely decide to expose her lie.

And at the moment, she had no leverage against Sophie.

Sophie halted and spoke evenly. “Don’t worry. Unlike you, I never go back on my word.”

Alice bristled at the remark. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you mocking me?”

“I’m letting you off this time. But if you cross my path again, I can’t promise what I’ll end up saying.”

“You—!” Alice swallowed her fury as she realized her current situation. Softening her tone, she leaned on sympathy. “David’s business here isn’t done. We can’t leave just yet.”

Sophie stood her ground. “Stay in Maripore if you want. But I don’t want you in this hotel. Get your things packed tonight. Do we have an agreement?”

Heat rose in Alice’s chest, but she swallowed it back, teeth clenched. She forced out the words. “I get it. We’ll clear out right away.”

Once inside her room, Sophie unpacked her bag and settled at the desk, sorting through the files she needed for tomorrow.

Night crept in, and she was ready to call it a day when someone knocked at the door.

The sound unsettled Sophie. Who could have tracked her down so late in an unfamiliar place?

The door swung open, and Sophie blinked in disbelief when she found Alice standing there. Her temper flared. “I told you to pack your bags and leave tonight.”

Alice ignored the bite in her tone, fear flashing in her eyes. “You won’t believe who I just ran into.”

“This has nothing to do with me. I’m not in the mood to play along with your drama.”

Alice pushed past the dismissal, her skin drained of color. “I swear, I just saw your mother, and she’s supposed to be dead!”

The words stopped Sophie cold. A slow smile crept across her face. “Alice, do you honestly think I’ll fall for another one of your lies?”

Alice shook her head, her hands raking through her hair. “I’m telling you, I’m not making this up!”

She spilled everything in a rush. “I went to the counter to check us out when this woman stepped up beside me. The receptionist asked her name, and she said Zola Barnes! At first, I thought it was some random coincidence, but then I looked closer. She was the spitting image of the Zola I remember! I panicked and tried sneaking a look at her ID, but she caught me, gave this chilling grin, and disappeared like thin air!”

The seriousness in Alice’s tone hit Sophie, and something inside her shifted uneasily.

Color drained even more from Alice’s cheeks as she stammered. “So that really was her? But Mom swore she died years ago! What did I see then—was it a person or a ghost? Maybe she knows you’re around and came for you!”

Fear took over as Alice clutched her head. “I don’t want trouble with you. Just stay away from me!”

Alice was shaken to the core. Zola had been her aunt, who had treated her kindly despite the clashes with her mother. Every holiday, she would make sure Alice had a gift.

Yet over the years, Alice had made it her mission to wear Sophie down. Believing in ghosts came easy to her, and she suspected Zola might be back to even the score.

Rather than feed into the panic, Sophie focused on whether the story had any truth.

Memories reminded her she had fallen for a trick once before. She wasn’t that naive child anymore who would fall apart at whispers about her mother.

Still, something in Alice’s face didn’t look staged.

Michelle was a strategist who kept her thoughts hidden. Alice was an entirely different case. They had grown up together, and Sophie had a clear grasp of how sharp Alice’s mind truly was.

There was no way Alice could ever pull off that calm act while trying to spin a lie.

Keeping her tone steady, Sophie asked, “What made you bring this to me?”

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