h4Chapter 142: Elira Shaw’s End/h4

strongi{Regina}/i/strong

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Even Soraya, who thrived on cruelty, leaned back with folded arms. "Let Kaelis have her wless day. There will be other times to deal with Shaw."

Their agreement burned hotter than Kaelis’ rejection. I forced my lips into a thin smile, but inside, the words twisted and wed.

A minuteter, the room emptied slowly, chatter fading as the others slipped out one by one. But I stayed seated, my packet of chips untouched at my side, my nails drumming against the armrest.

Of course Kaelis didn’t want drama. This was herst Founder’s Day as Council President, her final chance to unt power before graduation. It wasn’t about the Academy, or the King, or the world watching. It was about her.

But I didn’t care about her pride or her legacy.

iAbort the idea?/i As if hermand alone could snuff out the fire roaring inside me.

No matter how loudly Kaelismanded or how loyally the others echoed her, one truth pulsed in my chest like fire.

Elira Shaw would be destroyed. And not just in whispers or quiet corners. She would burn under the weight of every eye in ESA.

On Founder’s Day, the one day carved into history, I would drag her into the light and make sure she never crawled out again.

The thought bloomed, intoxicating. I could already picture it: the perfect ceremony, the King himself seated in the hall, the world watching and then the spectacle of Elira’s disgrace cutting through it all like a scar that could never be erased.

And when people remembered, it wouldn’t just be Elira’s name smeared in mud. No. They would then remember her as Kathryn Morgan’s daughter. ESA’s brightest legacy, tarnished by her own bloodline.

Augh slipped from me before I could stop it. "Beautiful," I whispered to myself. "History will bury them both. No one will mention Kathryn Morgan without remembering her pathetic daughter who ruined it all."

The satisfaction curled through me, sweet and sharp. But as quickly as it came, another thought pierced it—how?

How would I execute my mission?

My fingers stilled, lips pressing together. For all my determination, I had no n and no thread to pull yet.

Kaelis had crushed the idea publicly, and the Council would be watching me like hawks.

For a long moment, I sat frozen, staring at nothing. Then an idea came to me, clear, simple, and perfect.

My mother.

A smile stretched slowly across my face. Of course. My mother always had a dozen ways to tear someone down, and her ws were sharper than mine could ever be.

Just one call, and she would know exactly how to make this work.

Without wasting a second, I slipped my phone from my zer pocket, my reflection gleaming faintly in its screen. My thumb hovered only a second before I pressed her number.

As the line began to ring, I leaned back in my chair, my smile widening.

If Kaelis thought she could stop me, she had no idea how much deeper my resolve ran.

The second ring hadn’t even faded when my mother’s voice slipped through, smooth and edged like silk hiding steel.

"Regina," my mother said, her tone carrying the satisfaction of someone who already knew her daughter would call. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Mother." My lips curved faintly. "I need your advice."

A low chuckle hummed from her throat. "Advice... or weapons?"

I tilted my head, ncing at the empty seats around me. "Both."

There was a pause, as if she were savoring the word. "Tell me."

So I did. I told her about the Vice-Chancellor’s speech, about how Kaelis had paraded Elira’s mother’s name before the entire school, and how I had imed that legacy as my own to bask in its glow.

Then I told her about Kaelis shutting down my idea of disgracing Elira on Founder’s Day.

When I finished, silence stretched at the other end. But a few secondster, her soft, pleasedugh came.

"You did well, my daughter," she purred. "Taking what should have been hers and making it yours. Kathryn Morgan’s memory is bright enough to blind the whole academy, so let them stare at you instead."

Her praise stoked the fire in me, but I pressed on. "But I need more. I want Elira ruined on Founder’s Day. I want her name spat out with disgust. I want them to remember her as the disgrace of ESA."

My mother’s hum was thoughtful. "Founder’s Day is delicate. Kaelis is right to fear scandal—it could unravel her crown before she leaves this school. But for us..." A smileced her words. "Scandal is opportunity."

I leaned forward unconsciously. "Tell me how."

Her voice lowered, dark and patient. "You don’t need toy a single hand on Elira. You need only to ce her where she cannot stand without falling. Push her into the spotlight. A duel, perhaps. Something public. Something she cannot refuse."

The idea sparked instantly in my mind. I could see it—the dueling stage, Elira standing there, trembling, and all eyes on her. And then her inevitable failure, her humiliation immortalized before the King himself.

"Yes," I whispered, excitement curling through me. "Yes, that’s perfect."

"And when she fails," Lady Maren continued, her tone dripping venom, "they will whisper not of Elira Shaw, or the pitiful Omega, but of Kathryn Morgan’s daughter—the failure when they find out about their connection. Then the legacy destroyed."

A sharp breath escaped me, my chest thrumming with triumph. "You are brilliant."

"I am your mother," she replied smoothly. "And I raised you to take what you deserve. Remember, Regina, victory is not about who fights harder. It is about who controls the stage."

I smiled wickedly, imagining Elira on that stage. Small, overwhelmed and doomed.

"Then I will make sure she never walks off it with her head held high," I said, my voice hard with resolve.

"Good," Lady Maren whispered, almost lovingly. "That’s my girl."

The line clicked off, but her words lingered like smoke.

Slowly, I set my phone down on the table, my smile stretching wider.

Founder’s Day wouldn’t just be a celebration. It would be Elira Shaw’s end.

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