Jeana POV
Andy slammed the door the moment we stepped into the hallway outside the ballroom.
The music from the party was barely audible now.
But his anger?
That was very loud.
"What were you thinking?!" Andy snapped, running a hand through his hair.
I folded my arms.
"Oh please."
"No," he said sharply. "Don't 'please' me right now. You just ruined everything!"
I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall.
"She was already dead."
Andy stared at me like I had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.
"That's not the point!" he snapped.
His voice echoed slightly down the empty hallway.
"You weren't supposed to say anything yet!"
He began pacing back and forth.
"We had a plan, Jeana. A very simple plan. Let the situation settle, let the lawyers step in, let the properties transfer quietly—"
"And wait how long?" I interrupted coldly.
"A few days," Andy said.
"A few days?" I scoffed. "You think those people would just sit there quietly?"
Andy stopped pacing and looked at me with frustration.
"Yes! That was exactly the point!"
I shook my head.
"They already suspected me."
"No, they didn't," Andy said.
"Yes they did," I replied sharply. "That girl always had people protecting her."
I pushed myself off the wall.
"And besides, it doesn't matter now."
Andy stared at me.
"It matters a lot."
His voice lowered dangerously.
"You basically confessed in front of everyone."
I smirked slightly.
"So what?"
Andy blinked.
"So what?"
"Yes," I said calmly. "The girl is dead. What can they do about it now?"
Andy opened his mouth to argue again.
Then suddenly—
Clap.
The sound echoed through the hallway.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Andy and I both froze.
Clap.
Another one.
We turned around.
And my breath caught.
Standing at the end of the hallway…
Was everyone.
The entire party.
Jay.
Keifer.
Hex.
Angelo.
Gemma.
Serina.
Victor.
Aries.
Felix.
Ci-N.
Carlos.
Nathan.
Hannah.
Miguel.
Yuri.
Rory.
Endrix.
Eman.
Kit.
Every single person from the ballroom.
All standing there.
Watching us.
Silent.
The person clapping slowly lowered his hands.
Angelo.
His expression was colder than I had ever seen before.
For a moment the hallway felt completely frozen.
Then my eyes shifted to the girl standing at the front.
Jay.
Alive.
Standing straight.
Looking perfectly fine.
My heart skipped a beat.
"Jay…" I breathed.
Andy took a step back in shock.
"You're alive?"
Jay smiled.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
But with calm confidence.
"Fit and strong," she said.
The words echoed slightly in the hallway.
Andy's face went pale.
Angelo stepped forward slowly.
His voice was filled with disbelief and anger.
"How could you do this?" he demanded.
His eyes burned with fury as he looked at me.
"Are you insane?"
He pointed toward Jay.
"That was your daughter!"
His voice rose.
"You almost killed her!"
I stared at them all.
Their shocked faces.
Their angry eyes.
Their judgment.
Then I laughed lightly.
"Oh please."
The hallway fell silent again.
I shrugged casually.
"Yes, of course."
Everyone stared at me in disbelief.
I tilted my head slightly.
"If you had a daughter who was rich… owned a company… and was among the top ten richest women…"
I smiled coldly.
"…what else would you expect?"
The silence that followed was heavier than anything I had ever felt.
And every single pair of eyes in that hallway was now looking at me like they had just seen a monster.