Episode 8 – Mirrors and Masks from OWNED BY A COLD HEART:
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📖 Episode 8 – Mirrors and Masks
The staff van drove away from the Voss estate in silence.
Liana sat at the back, pressed against the window, one hand clutching her apron, the other brushing lightly against her still-stinging cheek.
But it wasn't the pain that haunted her.
It was the look in Celeste Easton's eyes.
Not rage.
Recognition.
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🌙 Later That Night…
Celeste sat on the edge of her bathtub, robe tied loosely, the velvet dress crumpled on the marble floor like a crime scene.
She hadn't said a word since they returned.
Isobel leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, sipping her wine like always.
"She was just a waitress," her mother said calmly. "These things happen."
"No," Celeste whispered. "It wasn't an accident."
Isobel raised an eyebrow. "You think she did it on purpose?"
"I think she looked like me."
That made Isobel pause.
Celeste stood and walked to the mirror. She traced her reflection's jawline. "Same cheekbones. Same eyes."
"You're being dramatic," Isobel said, but her voice had a crack in it.
Celeste turned sharply. "Tell me the truth."
"There's no truth to tell."
"Then why did you look away when she walked in?"
Isobel set her glass down. "Go to bed, Celeste."
But Celeste didn't move. Her voice turned to ice. "Who is she, Mother?"
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🏠 Elsewhere…
Vanessa Voss sat by the fireplace, robe pristine, glass of bourbon in hand. Damian leaned against the mantle, silent.
"She slapped her," he said, voice quiet.
Vanessa tilted her head. "And you noticed."
"She reminded me of someone."
"Who?"
He didn't answer right away.
Then: "You."
Vanessa's glass paused mid-air.
Damian continued, "A girl who doesn't belong… but dares to stand in a room full of wolves."
Vanessa gave a small, unreadable smile. "I always knew you'd see through masks."
He looked toward the shadows. "Then why invite them here?"
She sipped her drink. "Because I want you to wear one too."
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🛏️ Liana's Room – 3:17 a.m.
She couldn't sleep.
The slap still echoed in her ears. But more than that—the way Damian looked at her. Like she mattered.
And the way she looked at her.
Celeste.
Why?
Liana reached for her necklace—a thin gold chain with no pendant. She barely remembered where it came from. Just that she'd had it since she was a baby.
Adopted. That's what the papers said.
Left at the door of an old church with a name, a date, and this chain.
She clutched it tighter now.
Who was she really?
And why had tonight cracked open something that had always been locked?
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📞 The Next Day…
Jayda burst into the café, waving her phone.
"Girl, you're trending."
"What?" Liana's voice cracked.
Jayda shoved the phone into her hands. On the screen: a grainy photo, clearly taken by a guest.
> "Celeste Easton slapped a waitress last night at the Voss estate — and what followed was pure drama. 👀 #VossGala #WhoIsShe"
Hundreds of comments.
Some outraged.
Some curious.
Some asking who the girl was.
Liana felt like she was falling again.
"Just ignore it," she whispered.
But Jayda shook her head. "You don't get it, Liana. People noticed you. He noticed you."
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💼 Voss Headquarters – That Same Afternoon
Damian stood in his office, the photo of Liana on his tablet.
He zoomed in.
It was her.
The girl from the café. The one who'd spilled coffee. The one who now walked like she'd lived in fear.
And yet… she didn't break.
Even when slapped.
Even under pressure.
He tapped his finger against the image.
Then, he made a call.
"Find out who she is."
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💌 At the Easton Estate…
Celeste received a small envelope, slipped beneath her door.
Inside, a photo.
Of Liana.
With a note in elegant handwriting:
> "Sometimes, to find the truth… you have to go back to the beginning."
No name. No return address.
Celeste held the photo, her fingers trembling.
Was it a warning?
Or an invitation?
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✨ To Be Continued...
#SecretsUnfold
#DamianVoss
#LianaAndCeleste
#OwnedByAColdHeart
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