Chapter 298

I left Archer Manor after everything was ready and before Aaron and Alfred returned. I was confident our ghost didn’t know about the cameras and silent alarms now in place at the Manor.

After running more errands, I was eager to get back and wait for the ghost’s return. Amy’s ghost problem would soon be over.

I strolled into the Manor a few moments after Amy and Heather. We were trying to hide our excitement from Aaron and Alfred. But it was difficult for us to act normally as it came closer to the time when we would unmask the ghost.

Even Justin and Victor had sly smiles on their handsome faces when they arrived. Andrew got there shortly after them to dine with us.

“This roast is superb,” Andrew told Alfred, who was waiting on the table this evening instead of eating with us.

“Thank you, sir,” Alfred responded. He stood stiffly near the sideboard while he listened to our conversation. I thought we were putting in a good act.

“I hope we get more sleep tonight,” Amy said. “Seeing that ghost pass right through the closet door kept me awake most of last night.”

“It sounds frightful,” Andrew said. “I must stay tonight with the rest of you. I feel responsible for Amy being terrified by this place. I thought I was doing her a good turn when I gave her my half of the Manor.”

“You did do something good,” Amy assured him. “We will get the ghost in hand somehow. Then, the shelter must open. People’s lives depend on it.”

Andrew placed his hand on top of Amy’s. “Then I am staying the night to help you get the ghost in hand.”

After we finished eating, we drifted to the living room. Amy planned on using it for a recreation room for the shelter. She had a new large-screen TV in place, along with sturdier furniture and games.

“It would be a good idea to remove any expensive artwork or knick-knacks,” I said after noticing a sizeable centuries-old portrait over the fireplace and a jeweled ceramic egg resting on the mantel.

“Andrew, will you help me decide which things should be removed from the house before we open?” Amy asked.

“Of course,” he said.

While Andrew told Amy what items were valuable enough to be kept safe elsewhere, Aaron began fidgeting in his chair.

“Father, is there something wrong?” Andrew asked Aaron. “Are there things you’d like to keep with you?”

“No, of course not,” Aaron replied. “I’m tired, so I’ll say goodnight.”

We watched Aaron leave the room and realized it was getting late. Perhaps the ghost was taking the night off.

But shortly after Aaron left the room, a silent alarm on my phone told me someone had entered the attic. It was showtime.

I flashed Victor a thumbs-up, and we silently nodded at the others.

“I’m tired, too,” Amy said with a grin.

“Yep. It’s time for bed,” I agreed.

We trouped upstairs and loudly said our goodnights in the hallway before retreating to the bedrooms we used the previous night.

Andrew chose his old room at the other end of the hallway, near his father. He knew we were up to something, but he wasn’t sure what.

The rest of us had agreed to remain dressed. That way, we could descend upon the ghost’s lair as soon as they started their tricks. And they did.

The projected hallway ghost began to moan at the exact moment that my attic camera showed me the back of someone’s head.

I slapped a hand over my mouth when they turned around. “I don’t believe it!” I took a screenshot of the ghost's true identity.

Victor looked at my phone screen. “No way!”

“We’ve got to stick with the plan,” I whispered.

As we agreed, nobody responded to the ghostly moans and groans in the hallway or the thumping and banging from the third floor.

The fake ghost in the attic became frustrated after a few minutes of being ignored and made their way to the second floor. They looked up the hallway and walked toward our closed doors.

I sent the signal text to Amy and Heather, and we simultaneously burst from the bedrooms, causing the fake ghost to hurry into Martha’s suite.

Andrew heard us and came running from his room. “What happened?” he asked.

“The fake ghost is trapped inside Martha’s suite,” I told him.

“Who is it?” Amy asked.

I held up my phone and showed them the screenshot.

“But why?” Amy asked. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Let’s ask her,” Andrew said and stormed into Martha’s rooms.

Amanda wasn’t alone. A semi-transparent image of Martha Archer had her backed into a corner.

“You aren’t real,” Amanda sobbed. “Ghosts aren’t real.”

I knew how Amanda felt. Finding out she was the fake ghost was unbelievable enough, but seeing and hearing the ghost of Martha Archer was shocking.

“That’s not what you used to tell us,” Andrew said to his sister. “Was it a lie back then, too, Amanda? Was there ever a ghost in Archer Manor?”

Martha shook her finger in her granddaughter’s face. “Tell them the truth about what you’ve been doing.”

Amanda flattened herself against the wall. “Mother didn’t like me sleeping over at my friend’s homes after we were caught sneaking out at night. So I made the ghost appear whenever I had plans with my friends.”

“Why did you resurrect the ghost now?” Andrew asked.

Martha moved closer to her terrified granddaughter. “The truth, Amanda,” she demanded.

“I received an offer for the Manor after the sale to Amy was final,” she confessed. “They are willing to pay much more than I thought this place was worth. I planned on buying it back from Amy and making a fortune by selling it to them.”

“Why did you leave Amelia’s locket in your old room?” I asked.

Amanda kept her gaze away from Martha. “It was my locket. My mother gave it to me, but Amelia took it. I stole it back along with the cute Beta guy she was dating.”

“Get out, Amanda,” Andrew said. “If you ever bother Amy again, I’ll have you arrested myself. I’m tired of my criminal family members trying to hurt my daughter.”

Martha glared at Amanda, and she ran from the room and out of the house.

Andrew turned to his grandmother with a warm smile. “Thank you, Grandmama.”

“The Goddess has made me see how I wasted my life with hate and greed,” Martha said. “I must now do good deeds to be forgiven for the sins I committed during my lifetime.”

“I want you to know I never killed anyone, including my second husband. Robert’s soul is at peace. But I shouldn’t have been against you and your fated mate or your child. Amy is my blood and has my protection from this moment forward.”

“I forgive you for anything you did,” Andrew said. “Everything has turned out well. Please tell Deirdre I still love her.”

Martha’s ghost smiled. “She knows, Andrew. Deirdre knows you love her. You and your daughter take care of each other. I’m glad you have been reunited, and I apologize for my part in your separation.”

Martha began to fade, her voice coming from further and further away. “Be happy, and be good to each other.”

She was gone. I had a feeling there would be no more ghosts in Archer Manor.

Victor and I went to his apartment for the rest of the night. I was exhausted, and the familiar bed felt good. After curling up next to him, I was asleep almost instantly.

I woke up hours later and reached for him in the darkness. But the bed was empty. The bathroom was also dark.

I snapped on the bedside lamp to confirm he wasn’t in the room.

Where was he? It wasn’t like him to leave the bed in the middle of the night. We both usually slept well.

But I could sense he was awake and very troubled.

I pulled on my robe and searched the apartment. He wasn’t anywhere inside, so I checked the balcony and found him leaning over the railing.

I slipped outside and put my arms around him. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“I’ve got things on my mind,” he said, staring into the darkness.

I rubbed his shoulders. “Do you want to tell me about them?”

“It’s the same problem,” he admitted. “The faction is relentless in their efforts to steal the leadership. It’s almost as if they know what I’m going to do before I do it.”

“They somehow stole my notes for a council meeting and circulated them after adding a few false narratives,” Victor continued. “They are destroying my reputation.”

I should tell him about the passages. He needs to know …before it’s too late.