Chapter 43 #2
“Yes.” My voice dropped. “We knew we couldn’t bring her here, and I…
” The tears that had been gathering finally spilled over, and I didn't try to stop them. “I was so desperate to hear that confession. I wanted to know why Cherry killed my sister, and I… I just couldn’t wait. So I’m sorry I broke the rules, and I understand if you want to remove me from training.
But I genuinely felt like I had no choice. ”
Several of the Councilmen exchanged glances. I couldn't read their expressions.
“A decision will be made on that matter in due course,” Pontellier said. “Right now, we have more questions about this confession.”
“All right.” I wiped my face with the back of my hand.
“Apart from yourself, who was present during tonight’s confrontation?”
I lifted my chin again. “Julian and Roman. Cherry, obviously. And three of our mutual friends. Jeremiah, Dylan, and Ginny.”
“At any stage during the confrontation,” Rockwell said carefully, “was the Dionysus Club mentioned?”
This was the critical question. The one that could blow up everything.
“No. We only discussed what Cherry did to my sister. She was jealous of her, and that was why…” I paused to wipe my face again. “That was why she killed her.”
The chamber fell silent for a moment. I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears.
“Your friends must’ve been surprised to see you, given that you were taken in the Selection hunt four weeks ago,” Prentice finally said. “Surely they had all sorts of questions about where you’ve been?”
I shook my head. “Not really, because we had something more important to focus on, which was getting the confession from Cherry,” I said.
“But just in case they asked later, I told them the cover story I was given at the beginning of my training here: that I’ve been doing an internship in the economic research division at the Valcourt’s policy institute, where outside communication is only allowed in exceptional circumstances. ”
“And they believed you?” Wellington asked skeptically.
“They had no reason not to. I’m clearly alive and well,” I said. “Besides, once they heard what Cherry had done, nothing else seemed to matter. They were all in shock over that.”
“I see.” August steepled his fingers, studying me over them. “Walk us through exactly what happened tonight. From the moment you left this estate to the moment you returned. Every detail you can recall.”
I took a breath and began to speak, carefully recounting the night's events… with a few key omissions, of course. The theater. My confrontation with Cherry. Her confession. By the time I finished, my throat was dry and my legs were shaking from standing so long.
“One final question,” August said. “How can we be certain that these events transpired as you claim, and that your outsider friends are still completely unaware of the Dionysus Club’s activities regarding the Selection, or anything else related to it?”
I met his stare without flinching. “You can be certain because one of them was recording the confession for the police on his phone,” I said.
“He was standing behind the stage curtain, so there might be some brief moments where our voices aren’t intelligible or the view is partially obstructed, but he confirmed that the crucial parts of Cherry's confession were captured clearly. In that footage, Cherry explicitly states she killed my sister out of jealousy over her seemingly perfect life. The Dionysus Club was never mentioned, because it never needed to be mentioned.”
I paused, letting that sink in.
“Also,” I continued, “my friends will give statements to the police that corroborate everything I've told you tonight. Because it’s the truth.”
Something flickered in August's expression. Not approval, exactly, but perhaps a grudging respect.
“I actually have one more question,” Rockwell said, leaning forward. “What explanation did you give your friends for how you first came to suspect Ms. Beaumont? I imagine they were curious about what sparked it.”
“I told them that I’ve been working closely with both Julian and Roman during my internship at the policy institute, which made sense given that it’s owned by their family.
I said that the three of us shared what we knew about Calista’s death, and from there, we eventually realized that Cherry’s story didn’t add up.
” I shrugged slightly. “It was the truth, really. Apart from the policy institute part.”
Several Councilmen exchanged glances. Prentice made a note on his pad.
“Very well,” August finally said. “You may return to your suite now. Kellan will escort you.” He gestured to a guard I hadn't noticed standing by the door. “We'll summon you again once we've questioned Julian and Roman. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dismissed.”
Kellan was a man of few words, which I was grateful for. He walked me through the silent corridors back to my suite, his footsteps echoing off the marble floors, and stationed himself outside my door after I entered.
The click of the lock felt like a cage door closing.
I paced the length of my room, too wired to sit, too exhausted to think clearly. The adrenaline from the confrontation with Cherry had long since faded, replaced by a different kind of anxiety; the kind that came from knowing that Julian and Roman’s fates were being decided right now.
What if their stories didn't match mine at all? What if I'd misinterpreted Julian’s coded instruction to lie earlier? What if the Council saw through all the careful omissions and half-truths?
I checked the antique clock on the mantle. 2:48 AM.
How long did it take to question someone? An hour? Two?
The minutes crawled by like hours. I couldn’t get a wink of sleep. Finally, at 4:47 AM, I heard footsteps in the hallway, followed by Kellan speaking to someone in a low voice.
I spun around, heart hammering, and Kellan opened the door a second later. “Miss Calloway,” he said. “The Council is ready to see you again.”
The walk back to the Council chamber felt twice as long as the first time. My legs felt like lead, and every instinct screamed at me to run; out of this mansion, off this estate, back to California where life used to make sense. But I kept going.
The Council chamber doors finally swung open, and I stepped inside to find all eight men in the exact same positions as before. But something had shifted in the atmosphere. The predatory sharpness had dulled slightly, replaced by something that looked almost like... resignation.
August gestured to the same spot where I'd stood before. “Please, Violet. Take your place.”
I did, forcing my spine straight despite the exhaustion weighing on me.