Chapter 16: Genevieve and Brandon’s Discovery

Diary Entry:

Date: September 17th

Time: 1:30 AM

Dear Diary,

I thought I had time to figure this out, to figure Alec out, but Genevieve and Brandon are always one step ahead.

They found something—proof that Alec and I didn’t know each other before I moved here.

They’re going to use it to destroy everything, and I don’t know how to stop them.

-Ivy

Genevieve stretched out on Brandon’s couch, looking effortlessly glamorous despite the lateness of the hour. She swiped through her phone lazily, like she was barely paying attention, but her smirk told a different story.

She had found something, and she was enjoying the hell out of it.

Brandon sat across from her, a drink in hand, his long legs stretched out on the coffee table like he had all the time in the world. He raised an eyebrow at her silence.

“Well?” he drawled. “Are you just gonna sit there looking smug, or are you actually gonna tell me what you found?”

Genevieve flipped the screen toward him.

A photo.

Ivy, standing with a group of friends at a café, laughing, months before she had even moved to Ashbourne.

Brandon barely glanced at it before shaking his head. “And?”

Genevieve rolled her eyes and zoomed in. “Look closer. No tags. No mentions. No Alec.”

Brandon took the phone, frowning slightly as he scrolled.

There was nothing.

No old pictures of Ivy and Alec. No hidden connections. No history.

Brandon leaned back, his smirk creeping in again. “Oh, sweetheart,” he murmured mockingly, tapping the screen. “You’ve been sloppy.”

Genevieve tossed her hair over her shoulder, satisfied. “It gets better. I checked her old posts—every single one. Alec isn’t in any of them. No vacations, no blurry background shots, not even a vague, mysterious ‘boyfriend’ mention.”

She leaned in, her voice dripping with triumph. “Which means she lied.”

Brandon’s smirk widened. “She’s always been lying. The real question is, what do we do with it?”

Genevieve scrolled faster, her red nails tapping against the glass. “We don’t just expose her—we dismantle everything,” she said smoothly.

Brandon let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “You really hate her, don’t you?”

Genevieve’s expression sharpened. “She doesn’t belong here.”

Brandon studied her for a long moment. “And I’m guessing that has nothing to do with Alec.”

Genevieve’s lips curled slightly, but she didn’t answer.

Brandon, as always, found it entertaining.

“Fine,” he said with a shrug, setting his glass down with a clink. “Let’s burn it all down.”

Genevieve smiled, slow and satisfied. “Finally, you’re thinking like a Brayton.”