I stared at Colin, gobsmacked. Was I?


    So, that meant the whole spiel about me being the valedictorian of the Genius Contest was real,


    and tutoring those missing kids was too?


    My fingers tingled with numbness as a throbbing headache made me sway unsteadily on my feet.


    Colin rushed over and wrapped his arms around me, his voice a soothing whisper. "It doesn''t


    matter. Their disappearance isn''t on you, it''s just..."


    His voice was husky with tension as he nced nervously at Robin. "The whole Genius Contest


    thing was just a publicity stunt, a way for the elite to lure in average families with the promise of


    hefty schrships, preying on the hopes of those dreaming for their kids to shoot for the stars.


    Phoebe was a victim too. She was just a pawn, like a mannequin in a store window, with no choice


    of her own, put on disy, an ornament. She''s not to me."


    Colin was shaking, trying so desperately to prove something to me as he held me.


    "Phoebe..." Ste''s voice shook as she rushed over to us.


    Robin furrowed his brow but said nothing.


    Clearly, everything now was proving that Dexter, Ste, and Colin all saw me as Phoebe.


    But in Robin’s eyes, I was Foebe. How could a dead person just suddenlye back to life in


    another person’s body? It defied any normal person''s understanding.


    “Phoebe…”


    A memory shed through my mind, a voice familiar and chilling.


    "Do you know the most clever way to fool everyone?" Damian had circled around me, his smile sly


    as he began to speak. "It''s to weave a lie so well, even you believe it."


    "Ever heard of a montage of truths? Each sentence I say is true on its own, but strung together, they


    form a lie, a sequence turned on its head."


    "Phoebe, you have to convince yourself first..."


    "Like, the woman I love is in the arms of a rich yboy. Each part of that statement is true on its


    own, but the real order is that I fell for the woman in the rich yboy’s arms."


    The same truth, spun differently, suddenly took on a whole new vor.


    "Tell me, how can you make him love you, to the point of doing anything for you, even giving up his


    life? Make him believe in you unwaveringly, believe that everything you say is true." Damian’s


    sudden closeness amplified my headache.


    He seemed to be teaching me how to deceive. How to scheme.


    Who was he talking about?


    Was he telling me to deceive Colin?


    "Remember, only you can save your world," Damian patted my shoulder, his voice insistent. "To


    make him believe in you, you first have to fool yourself."


    "You''re a genius, I believe you can do it. I want you to be his one true love, his only one. Make him


    marry you, make him hang on your every word, and turn him into a puppet."


    My head pounded as I tried to make sense of who Damian was referring to.


    Who was it?


    Finally, a memory cleared, and I saw the photograph on the table.


    Dexter...


    "Phoebe, your families were already betrothed; he will marry you, but that’s not nearly enough."


    Damian''s eyes lingered on the photo as he continued. "If you don''t y along, I''ll find someone to


    rece you."


    "Phoebe?"


    Têxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Phoebe!"


    Snapping back to reality, I took in ragged breaths as I looked around.


    Colin and Ste were staring at me with wide, panicked eyes, trying to gauge if I was alright.


    I shook my head and leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down to sit.


    Damian wanted me to get close to Dexter? He wanted me to deceive myself, to make Dexter fall in


    love with me, to marry me? He wanted to turn Dexter into an obedient puppet? Was it to control the


    Fitzgerald family through Dexter?


    The Fitzgeralds were all about clean business, dealing with real estate, medical equipment, and


    international trade. What could Damian want through Dexter. He was just a doctor.