Next Day Afternoon : Blackwood Library.

The library corner was dim, quiet... perfect for secretive plotting.

Sophia leaned against the edge of the bookshelf, arms crossed, eyes dark and calculating.

Across from her, Lila sat on a hard chair, knees slightly pressed together, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"So… tell me everything," Sophia said, voice low, precise, almost predatory. "Don't leave out anything, even the smallest detail."

Lila's pulse quickened, her breath shallow. She recalled every audacious moment, every subtle flicker of Alex's gaze, every restrained tension he hadn't voiced.

A flush crept over her cheeks as her lips curved in a small, self-satisfied smile.

She remembered the car, the way Alex's hands had stayed steady on the wheel, how he hadn't recoiled at her audacious moves.

The car had its moments, but the real thrill was the photo she sent… bold, daring, impossible to ignore.

He said nothing, made no move to reject it... and in that silence, she knew he liked it.

Her lips curved in a small, knowing smile.

Sophia's eyes narrowed, catching the faint curl of Lila's lips. The predator in her stirred, amused.

"Well, well…" she murmured, tilting her head, a spark of intrigue lighting her gaze.

"Something did happen, didn't it? And by the look on your face, you're savoring every second of it."

Lila leaned back further, crossing one leg over the other, her voice dipping lower.

"Yes… last night," she repeated, letting the confession drip between them. "I made a move on Alex."

Her gaze flicked upward, searching, testing... for the smallest crack in Sophia's perfectly sculpted calm.

But Sophia didn't blink. Instead, the corner of her lips curved into something dangerous.

"Oh?" she murmured, tone rich with amusement. "And how did my dear Alex respond to your… let's say, boldness?"

Lila's breath caught, but she didn't let it show. She coiled the strand of hair tighter around her finger, savoring the game.

"He didn't push me away," she said, her smile spreading, slow and deliberate. "Not once."

Sophia tilted her head, her eyes glinting, a predator playing with its prey.

"Not pushing away," she echoed, her voice smooth as silk. Then, with a sharper edge, "looks like he still hasn't learned a thing."

For a heartbeat, silence pressed in around them. Then...

They both laughed. Low, wicked, conspiratorial.

Lila's voice dropped, her smile curling sly at the edges.

"He didn't," she said. "He didn't respond either… but I think it was just slight hesitation."

Her eyes glimmered as she leaned in, lowering her tone to a conspiratorial whisper. "The kind I can easily crumble."

Sophia's eyes narrowed, sharp and calculating. "Go on," she said, voice smooth, almost teasing. "Tell me from the beginning."

Lila leaned forward, her voice quickening with each word as she spilled the story.

"It started in the car," she said, voice low, teasing. "I asked him to drop me… and from the moment I sat beside him, everything was under my control."

She let out a soft, amused laugh, leaning back slightly. "I leaned closer when I wanted, let my hand linger, let my words play… and he didn't stop me. Not even once."

Lila leaned back, letting the story hang in the air, her eyes shining with satisfaction. And then she went on, recounting every detail of the drive.

She told it all to Sophia, painting the picture so vividly that it felt as if she had been reliving it, savoring each moment of control, each response that confirmed she had been in charge from start to finish.

Sophia listened in silence, her head tilted, eyes never leaving Lila's face. The girl spoke as though reliving each detail gave her a secret thrill, like she was savoring the memory all over again.

When Lila finally leaned back, breathless with her own retelling, Sophia's lips curved... not quite a smile, not quite a sneer, something sharper, more dangerous.

"So he's tempted. Good." Sophia's dark eyes flicked to her, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "Exactly what I wanted to hear," she murmured, voice silky.

Sophia reached into her bag and pulled out a professional‑grade covert camera... matte black, palm‑sized, with a pinhole lens and built‑in directional mic.

It streamed encrypted, live video and audio to a paired device, recorded locally if needed, and was small enough to hide in plain sight.

She handed it to Lila with a calm, clinical smile.

"Take this," she said, voice steady. "Install it where you want him to be... your place, his place, wherever you can get him alone. Turn it on when you're with him.I want to watch everything crystal clear. Live."

Lila stared at the camera, surprised by how real the plan suddenly felt. She blinked, uncertain. "Are you… sure about this?"

Sophia's eyes were cold and certain. "Very sure. Listen to me: you install it everywhere that matters. Bring Alex home. Seduce him. Make it unmistakable." Her tone sharpened, surgical. "And while you're with him... call Mike. I want him at the door. I want him to see everything. I want to watch the moment the betrayal lands."

Lila's breath hitched. The plan was cruel, precise... no loose edges. "You really want him to see it?" she asked, voice small at the edges but hungry underneath.

Sophia's gaze hardened, amusement ghosting her lips. "Because breaking him first makes the victory sweeter. He has to hit rock bottom and see the consequences of his own betrayal with his own eyes."

"I want to see their faces," she said, almost whispering, as if the library walls themselves were co-conspirators. "I want Mike's confusion, his anger. I want Alex's regret."

She paused, then gave the order with the same detached certainty she always wore like armor. "Install the device. Bring him in. Don't leave anything to chance."

Lila swallowed, sensing the seriousness behind Sophia's words. Her body tingled in response... not fear, not shame, but excitement. "I'll do it."

She knew Sophia's mind was always several moves ahead, always orchestrating outcomes that left others scrambling.

And yet, despite a part of her wanting to question it, another part... darker, more impatient... was thrilled. Thrilled because this plan brought her closer to Alex, even in her fantasies.

Lila felt a shiver run through her, a mix of excitement and trepidation. She understood Sophia's method... the precise, cruel artistry... but she also felt something unspoken in her tone, a hidden layer of intent.

There was something Sophia wasn't saying, a shadow behind the strategy. Lila sensed it, but curiosity and desire drowned caution. She nodded, setting her jaw. She could do this. She would.

Sophia's dark eyes met Lila's, sharp and unwavering. "Lila… I believe in your skills. That's why you're the one I chose for this," she said, her tone steady, edged with authority.

She leaned in slightly, letting the weight of her words settle. "But listen carefully… I will not tolerate a single mistake. Not one."

Her gaze softened ever so slightly, but the underlying steel remained. "Keep your emotions in check. Let nothing... desire, hesitation, doubt... interfere. Precision matters more than anything."

Lila nodded, feeling both the thrill and the gravity of Sophia's trust... and her warning.

Lila lingered for a moment, gave a small, almost casual nod. "Goodbye," she said, voice low, and then she was gone.

Sophia watched her leave, eyes following her retreating figure until it disappeared around the corner.

Her mind didn't wander to the plan, not yet. Instead, Lila's question echoed, faint but persistent: Why do I want to see her and Alex having sex together?

Sophia tilted her head, frowning slightly. She didn't have an answer. There was something in her chest... a restless, unacknowledged pull... she couldn't name.

Was it desire? Curiosity? The thrill of control? Or something darker, something she wouldn't admit, even to herself.

She let herself settle on the excuse she'd been rehearsing: It's for revenge. For her mother. That was enough, she told herself. Enough to justify what she was about to do.

But even as she convinced herself, a small, unsteady part of her whispered doubt. She wasn't sure if it was just revenge… or something else entirely.

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