Chapter 2: Masks Off, Sides Drawn

After speaking, Jackson looked at Damon, and we all turned to look at him too. The tension in the room was so thick it felt like you could chew it. Damon’s face was unreadable, but the way his jaw clenched said plenty.

There was no need for Jackson to say more—Damon had shown up, just like Jackson predicted.

Damon’s eyes went cold. “What if I hadn’t come?” His words were edged with a growl, and I could feel the threat simmering beneath every syllable.

Jackson replied calmly, “If I was wrong, at least we’d know Autumn was innocent.”

Harper grinned and suddenly said, “Then I’d have just faked losing and walked out.”

Jackson said, “We wouldn’t have lost anything. If anything, we’d have proved our teammate was solid.”

“But now you’ve come, haven’t you?”

“You brought all of Silver Hollow’s top muscle, and to save your president, you had ‘Blackwing’ fly you here—fast as possible.”

We all stared at Damon and Autumn, stunned. The reality of the setup was finally sinking in, and you could see it on everyone’s faces—the realization that the trap had snapped shut, and we were all standing in the middle of it.

Things had come this far—could she still deny it?

Jackson didn’t even glance at Autumn. He just kept going:

“If I’m not mistaken, now that all the jade relics have been found, and Silver Hollow also stole two pieces from Xavier, at this point, Autumn must want us to turn on each other and fight. That’s why she sought out Carter on purpose to talk about Savannah.”

“Am I right about your intentions, Boss?”

Autumn’s brows furrowed. She glanced at Jackson, then at Harper behind him, and, as if relieved, suddenly stepped forward and spoke slowly:

“As expected of Jackson. I really never misjudged you.”

Her voice was cold and proud. She stood taller, her posture straightening. Nothing like the hurt girl from before! The transformation was instant—a mask ripped away, replaced by icy confidence.

Seeing Autumn admit it, even though I’d trusted Jackson, I was still floored!

So it really was her!

Autumn was actually the president of Silver Hollow Society.

So, from the moment Jackson and Savannah knew Autumn had come to see me and teleported us away from the house, they had Savannah fake an emergency—deliberately luring Autumn over.

Then they had Harper appear, making Autumn think that a high-level monster and Silver Hollow Society had turned against each other and were trying to wipe us out. Most importantly, Autumn realized she might die, so she quickly called Damon and the other top dogs to save her.

Jackson—truly impressive! It was the kind of long game you only saw in movies or late-night poker matches with the stakes sky-high.

And then I understood.