CHAPTER 38: THE MALICIOUS ONE

Lyra said she was fine. The discussion was nearly ending anyway. She could easily sit there a little longer.

But the moment she lifted her gaze toward the stage, she regretted it.

That shameless woman did it again. But this time, she didn’t bother hiding it.

She leaned in boldly, her shoulder brushing his as she whispered something against his ear, her fingers trailing along his arm with practiced ease.

Cameras burst into flashes from the front rows, reporters capturing every angle as if the moment were headline-worthy.

Lyra felt a small ache quietly in her chest.

Rowan didn’t pull away. He let the woman lean in, let her touch his arm so easily, right there in front of everyone. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to unsettle her.

Lyra couldn’t sit through it anymore. A cold heaviness pressed against her chest, and she stood, deciding she needed to step out for a moment to steady herself.

Silas saw Lyra rise and immediately nudged Mia to go after her.

Lyra headed straight toward the hall exit, with Mia trailing behind her.

She felt embarrassed for suddenly leaving her seat after saying she was fine, but it was already too late to undo it.

"Lyra, are you okay? Where are you going?"

"To the lounge."

"But the lounge is on the other side," Mia said softly, trying to match her pace with Lyra’s.

Lyra stopped abruptly and turned around, changing direction and walking straight ahead. She didn’t even notice that she was still heading the wrong way.

Mia felt that Lyra was walking without direction or purpose, and she didn’t even realize she was doing it. Her steps were too fast and unfocused.

She reached out gently. "Lyra, please stop."

Lyra halted and blinked, as if waking from a fog.

"Yes? Lounge this way, right?" she asked, pointing toward the direction she had been heading earlier.

Mia sighed inwardly. "No, the lounge is over here. It’s alright, let me take you."

She opened her mouth to refuse, but then closed it and let Mia lead her. Together, they walked toward the lounge.

The moment they stepped into the women’s lounge, Lyra saw it was packed. Mia had to stretch her neck just to find an empty seat.

Only one left next to a group of women sitting together.

"Sit for a moment. I’ll get you a bottle of water," Mia said quickly.

The lounge was far too crowded for her to leave Lyra alone for long, so Mia rushed to grab some water.

She spotted only one bottle left on the refreshment counter. Her steps quickened, and she reached for it—accidentally brushing someone else’s hand at the same moment.

They both froze.

"Oh—sorry..."

"Sorry!"

The words tumbled out in unison as they pulled their hands back. Mia and Theo stared at each other, equally awkward.

"Please, miss. You can have it," Theo offered politely. "I can wait."

Mia thanked the gentleman and hurried back toward the lounge.

Lyra sat quietly, trying to make herself small. She couldn’t hide how uncomfortable she felt.

The women beside her laughed loudly, leaning into one another so much that her shoulder kept bumping into her, yet she acted as if Lyra wasn’t even there.

"That’s her, isn’t it? The one who waved at Theodore Pierce and threw herself into the spotlight."

Julie the ringleader, tilted her chin toward Lyra, her eyes cutting in that direction with obvious intent.

One by one, her friends craned their necks slightly, their side glances landing on Lyra. Several of them nodded subtly.

Julie leaned closer to her friends and whispered, "She wants attention so badly? Fine—let’s make sure she gets it."

Julie tilted her phone just enough to snap a photo of Lyra.

The soft click made Lyra flinch. She caught Julie’s smirk out of the corner of her eye and spun around—faced her directly.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, eyes locking onto the phone in Julie’s hand.

Julie pretended Lyra was talking to someone else. She focused on tapping and scrolling through her phone.

"I’m asking you," Lyra said, pointing directly at her. "What are you doing with my photo?"

Julie’s friends fell silent. They were embarrassed, Julie was acting so out of line, but no one dared to interrupt.

Even the other women in the lounge, those not involved, began whispering among themselves.

The tension in the air tightening like a wire.

Mia returned with a bottle of water in her hands, confused by the heavy atmosphere.

She spotted Lyra standing face-to-face with a small crowd and immediately edge close.

"What’s going on, Lyra?" Mia asked, her brows pulling together.

"She took my photo secretly, then ignored me when I questioned her. That’s rude!" Lyra huffed.

Mia turned toward the group, her expression sharpening. "Is that true?"

Mia’s presence intimidated Julie a little. She looked like someone with influence and status—her clothes, her confidence, and the way she looked at people made it clear she wasn’t someone to mess with.

Julie glanced at her friends, but none of them stepped in to back her up.

Left alone, she lifted her chin and forced a casual tone.

"That’s not true, she misunderstood us," she said quickly. "We just taking a wefie."

Her friends exchanged uncomfortable looks the moment she said ’we’, clearly she was trying to drag them into the mess with her.

Mia placed the bottle gently in Lyra’s hand. "Sip a little," she murmured, though her eyes never left the one who had spoken.

"Is that so?" Mia asked, her voice polite but edged with confusion.

Lyra didn’t strike her as someone who would start a scene without reason.

Keeping her tone calm, Mia extended a hand. "May I see your phone, please?"

A flicker of panic-struck Julie. She had lied, and there were too many witnesses around for her to hide it.

Mia spoke gently, her tone meant to reassure Julie enough to hand over the phone.

"No offense. I just want to clear this up, so my sister doesn’t worry all the way home. If she’s mistaken, she’ll apologize. Okay?"

Mia smiled, but the shift in Julie’s expression made it painfully clear she’d done something wrong to Lyra.

"I’m sorry, my phone... it’s dead," she stammered, offering a weak excuse. She stood quickly, trying to slip away.

But before she could take two steps, her phone lit up in her hand, screen flashing as multiple messages poured in at once.

Her friends’ eyes widened in horror. There Julie was done for.

Mia snatched the phone before she could hide it. She couldn’t unlock it, but the notifications flooding the screen were enough every single one of them was a small picture of Lyra.

Mia’s face hardened. "What is this? Are you spreading her photos?!" she demanded, her voice sharp with anger.