Chapter 36
**Celeste's POV**
The silence stretches for three heartbeats after Evangeline disappears through the French doors. Three perfect heartbeats where I can still taste victory on my tongue like expensive champagne.
Then the crowd explodes.
"Did you see her face?"
"Oh my God, Celeste, that was incredible!"
"I can't believe she actually fell for it!"
The laughter hits me like a wave, washing over my skin and soaking into my bones. This is what I live for. This moment when everyone realizes just how brilliant I am. How perfectly I can orchestrate someone's destruction.
I stand on my platform, still wearing my crown, and let their admiration flow through me. My white dress is spotless, not a drop of pig's blood on it. My makeup is perfect, my hair still styled in flawless waves.
