Chapter Fourteen: Suspicions and Scandals
Celia had just convinced herself she could survive this week with croissants and sarcasm when her phone buzzed again.
PRINCE: Meet me. Tonight.
She stared at the text. This man has the communication skills of a mafia boss.
Still, curiosity dragged her out of bed and into a car that evening. When she arrived at the quiet rooftop restaurant, Prince was already there, standing against the skyline like some broody K-drama lead.
"You're late," he said without turning.
Celia rolled her eyes. "And you're dramatic. We all have our flaws."
He finally looked at her — sharp, assessing, unreadable. "Vanessa's circling closer. Whatever she thinks she knows, it isn't harmless."
Celia folded her arms. "Oh, thank you, Captain Obvious. Any more brilliant insights? Like, maybe water is wet?"
He didn't flinch. "Beverly. You're not taking this seriously."
Her stomach flipped. He really thinks I'm Beverly.
She forced a smirk. "Of course I am. I'm taking it so seriously that I've started a group chat with my anxiety and insomnia. We meet every night."
But Prince didn't smile. He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You're not the same girl I grew up watching. You used to hide. Now you fight back. Why?"
Celia's breath caught. For a moment, she wanted to tell him everything — noodles, reincarnation, Beverly's ghostly cameos in her dreams. But she couldn't. Not yet.
So she leaned in, their faces inches apart, and whispered, "Maybe I got tired of being boring."
His jaw tightened. He was too close, too intense, and she had to pull back before she melted like butter on hot toast.
⸻
The next morning, Vanessa struck.
Celia's phone nearly exploded with messages, notifications piling faster than she could swipe. She opened Instagram and almost choked on air.
A blurry photo of her and Prince from last night was plastered across gossip pages. The caption screamed:
"Beverly Caught on Secret Date! Using Prince to Distract From Family Scandal?"
Celia's soul left her body. "Oh, come on! I can't even breathe near this man without becoming a headline?"
Lila stormed into the room, practically hyperventilating. "Darling! The paparazzi are saying you staged it! That you leaked your own photos to cover your father's mess!"
Celia gaped. "Why would I leak my own humiliation? I can barely leak a faucet!"
Lila wailed into her silk scarf. "The comments are brutal!"
And they were.
ScandalWatcher: Beverly is so fake 😤
TeamVanessa: She's using Prince's name to stay relevant!
ShipItNow: Wait… but they look kinda cute tho 👀🔥
Celia groaned. "Of course the internet's already shipping it. I can't catch a break."
⸻
By afternoon, Vanessa went live again. Because of course she did.
"Beverly is clearly distracting the public," Vanessa said with a faux-sympathetic sigh. "But the truth can't be hidden forever. Documents will come out. People will know what her father has done."
Celia wanted to yeet her phone across the room.
"Oh yeah?" she muttered. "Well, I've got documents too, Vanessa. Like my birth certificate that says I died choking on noodles. Top that."
⸻
That night, Prince called. Not texted. Called.
"Don't say a word," he ordered as soon as she answered. "Stay inside. Don't meet anyone you don't trust."
Celia frowned. "Why do you sound like you're protecting me from a crime syndicate?"
"Because," Prince said darkly, "Vanessa isn't bluffing. If she leaks what she has, it won't just destroy your family. It'll touch mine, too."
Celia froze. "Yours? What does your family have to do with this?"
Silence.
"Prince," she pressed. "Tell me."
But he just said, "Stay safe, Beverly," and hung up.
Celia sat there, heart pounding.
So Vanessa's dirt on Beverly's father… somehow tied to Prince's family too?
This wasn't just influencer drama anymore. It was war.
And Celia, reincarnated noodle ghost or not, was right in the middle of it.