Page 117 of Her Soul to Own

A second later, my screen lights up again.Silas replied:Is it weird that I’m proud and mildly aroused?

I bite back a grin and glance over my shoulder. He’s there, leaning against a column like a predator in repose, his hands in his pockets, his suit tailored to hell and back. He looks bored, but his eyes are locked on me like I’m his next fucking assignment.

Me:Only mildly? I must be off my game.

Silas:Oh, you’re not. You’re just dangerous.

Me:Then pray they brought first aid. Because tonight, I’m not leaving survivors.

The screen dims in my hand, Silas’s last text still throbbing in my chest like a warm threat. The flirtation lingers, sweet and sharp, but it dissolves the second I catch a glimpse of chiffon slicing through the crowd like a ghost.

Harper.

She’s gliding toward the far end of the deck, all grace and guile, like the queen of some sunlit cult. Her dress is flowing behind her like innocence incarnate, but innocence doesn’t clutch her phone that tightly and throw a glance over her shoulder to make sure no one’s following.

No one except Declan.

Her body language drips with guilt. She tries to hide it, but I see everything. She invited the wrong girl to the party, and I’m going to make sure they don’t get away with anything ever again.

He trails behind her with the reluctant obedience of a man who knows the devil’s already taken his soul and liked the taste.

I wait, count to seven, then add three more for good measure.

Zara’s off charming a group of venture capitalists in Gucci loafers and influencer lanyards while Silas is nowhere to be seen anymore, but his presence still curls at my edges like a shadow that doesn’t need light to exist.

I slip off my heels. The cool wood of the deck bites into my bare feet, grounding me and reminding me this is real and that what I’m about to hear could burn the last thread of who I was clean through.

I move silently and stealthily, weaving past lantern-lit palms and overpriced ambiance until I reach the edge of the poolside cabana. It’s veiled by a curtain of white hanging orchids trembling in the breeze like they know what’s coming.

From behind them, I see everything.

Harper throws herself onto a cushioned bench like it’s a throne, her champagne still in hand, while Declan paces beside her, agitated. The air between them buzzes with something ugly and electric.

“I thought you said she’d spiral,” Harper snaps, her words barely a whisper but sharp enough to cut through bone. “You said she’d disappear. You promised me, Declan.”

“She was supposed to,” he mutters, running a hand through his hair. “That video wasn’t even the full cut. If Evander hadn’t gotten cold feet…”

Harper waves her hand like she’s swatting a gnat. “Fuck Evander. He’s a coward with a yacht and commitment issues. You sold that file. Don’t lie to me.”

He stiffens and doesn’t deny it. Of course he doesn’t. “Yeah,” he finally says, his jaw clenched. “And it bought me three brand deals and a fucking condo. So if you’re going to preach at me, at least do it from a place that didn’t benefit from the fallout.”

There it is. The truth, raw and glittering.

She stares at him. “Don’t forget who helped you edit that footage. Who told you what would go viral?”

His voice drops. “I put myself at risk for you, Harper.”

Her smile is slow, curling like smoke. She leans in, a hand snaking up his chest with the same precision she uses to contour her cheekbones. “And it was worth it,” she whispers.

Then, she kisses him deeply and possessively. Her fingers tangle in the collar of his shirt like she’s marking territory, and Declan groans softly into her mouth, already lost.

That’s when it clicks.

They’re not just partners in sabotage. They’re sleeping together.

My stomach churns, and I grip my clutch so tightly that the metal frame digs into my palm.

I want to tear the orchids down, storm in, and drag them into the light. I want to scream until their carefully curated world shatters under the weight of reality. I want to see Harper’s face when she realizes I’ve heard everything, and I want Declan to choke on his own cowardice.

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