From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 186

ter 186 A Ghost?

Athena couldn’t stop laughing. She found Zaden’s assistant kind of funny.

82

Finished

She tried to calm Tommy down. “Don’t worry. If you haven’t done anything shady, ghosts won’t bother you. And it’s good Zaden isn’t here–we can just cross this place off the list.”

Then, she added, “Mrs. Odette’s grave is a mess, totally overgrown. Since we’re here, why don’t we clean it up a bit? Come help me.”

Tommy jumped in right away, and they started clearing weeds around the tombstone.

He was focused until he heard a rustling sound nearby. It sounded like someone or something was moving nearby.

Who could it be?

Maybe an animal is sneaking up on us?

A wild boar? Wolves?

Tommy turned pale with fear. He blurted out, “Ms. Hall, did you hear that?”

Athena listened carefully, but she heard nothing. “Maybe you’re imagining things. I don’t hear anything.”

Tommy went even paler. No sound at all? Was it just the cemetery’s atmosphere, or was he actually facing something supernatural?

Normally calm and collected, he was now completely freaked out by the idea of ghosts.

At that moment, it was hard to tell who was protecting whom–Athena or Tommy.

Suddenly, the tall, thick weeds started shaking, and a dark figure emerged. Tommy screamed, “Help!”

He grabbed Athena and sprinted aside. “Ms. Hall, run! There’s a ghost!”

Athena barely had time to react before he dragged her along.

The path was uneven, and she stumbled a few times, her ankle throbbing. Then she looked up at the “ghost.”

It’s Zaden! He’s really here!

Athena grabbed Tommy’s arm. “Stop! It’s Zaden. We found him.”

1/3

12:18 Fri, Oct 24 B.

Chapter 186 A Ghost?

:

82

Finished

“No, Ms. Hall! Don’t trust it! That’s someone pretending to be human to trap us,” Tommy

insisted.

Zaden was supposed to be in Vlephia. Even with all the texts and calls, it seemed impossible he could be here.

Athena couldn’t figure out how Tommy came up with that idea.

She felt both helpless and amused. “It’s really Zaden. If you’re scared, I’ll check it myself.”

With that, she broke free from Tommy and moved toward Zaden.

“Ms. Hall, wait-”

As she got closer, Zaden’s figure came into focus. He was dressed in a black shirt and black pants, blending into the night.

Now it made sense why Tommy thought he was a ghost.

Athena exhaled in relief. “Zaden, we’ve been searching for you everywhere.”

Zaden looked at her, seeing the genuine worry in her eyes. From Tommy’s messages, he could imagine just how anxious she must have been.

His gaze dropped to her shoes, caked in mud, and pants tangled with weeds. She was a mess, but in a touching way.

Zaden pursed his lips, feeling something unfamiliar stirring inside.

Quietly, he asked, “Why’d you come here?”

“Harriet said you fought with your mom, and then nobody could find you. So I came with them to look. Plus, it’s your grandma’s anniversary of her death. I thought you might be here,” Athena explained.

She’d followed a hunch all the way here.

What a silly girl.

Zaden felt it like a small ripple through his normally steady heart.

He swallowed and said softly, “I’m fine. Let’s go home.”

If others listened closely, they’d notice his voice was softer than usual.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify