Ghost Exorciser: The Oust Fake Heiress Strikes-Chapter 179: Fay’s Probing

Something inside Lana snapped. Just a flicker, but sharp as lightning.

The gaze she once used to look at Lucian with admiration turned cold, void of warmth.

"You don’t need to dig any deeper."

She held his gaze unflinchingly.

"And since you already know about the abuse, why bother pretending to ask about my past?"

Lucian gave a small, almost wistful smile and rested his elbows lightly on the table.

"I asked because I wanted to know whether you would willingly talk about what happened to you," he said gently.

"Do you not hold resentment toward Brenda? After everything she accused you of... after how hard you worked just to survive in the Almond family? You are no less pitiful than Brenda."

Lana slowly raised her finger and wagged it as if scolding a child.

"You’re saying this only because you’re close to me," she replied. "You don’t know Brenda’s pain."

Lucian blinked. His brows lifted.

"Are you a Holy Mother now?" He teased softly. "Sympathizing with your enemy?"

Lana let out a short laugh. The sound held neither mockery nor warmth... just honesty.

"I’m not a saint," she said. "But I understand what it must have felt like to live in Brenda’s place. Growing up where daughters matter less than sons. Living every day waiting to be punished for simply existing. Living in a home where a single mistake could cost you more than a beating."

Lucian studied her. "Weren’t you the same?"

Lana shook her head with a light smile.

"At least I was safe," she replied. "Brenda wasn’t. She never was."

Lucian tapped his finger against the table. "Even though you hate her?"

Lana’s lips curved faintly. "I don’t hate Brenda."

Lucian chuckled. "Yet I’ve seen resentment in your eyes whenever her name appears."

Lana narrowed her eyes.

"When," she asked, "have you ever seen me look resentful while looking at Brenda?"

Lucian paused before answering.

"I checked your university forum," he said as if discussing something mundane. "I saw the confrontation video... between you, Brenda, and Aston. Brenda made you the villain of her misery."

Lana remembered that day. ’She really was desperate enough to bite at anything.’

She exhaled softly.

"Maybe I looked resentful," she admitted. "Maybe because in my past life, Brenda killed me."

Mr. Crow, however, knew that Lana was resentful not toward Brenda but Aston.

It couldn’t be precisely called resentment... just gaping emptiness of how the person with whom she had once made beautiful memories now hated her and contradicted her at every stop.

Her tone was airy, teasing even, but Lucian’s expression hardened slightly. He took her words seriously. Lana almost laughed at how effortlessly he fell for it.

She stood up, brushing invisible dust from her skirt.

"Why justify me, Lucian?" she asked lightly. "Stop it. No one is a saint. We’ve all done something unholy or evil at some point, for survival, for selfishness, or for sheer instinct."

Lucian smiled softly. "That’s exactly why I enjoy speaking with you."

She blinked, surprised.

"You understand," he continued, "that humans are made of grey, not white. Even a good person might commit a sin out of fear. Even a villain might protect someone sincerely."

Lana felt her throat tighten slightly. ’If he keeps talking like that, I’ll break.’

She turned away abruptly. The movement was too fast, too forced.

Mr. Crow fluttered over immediately and perched on her shoulder.

"Why are you running away from him?" he asked, his voice low and knowing. "You look like you’re afraid he’ll ask something you can’t answer."

Lana kept walking down the hallway, her voice calm but brittle. "I hate showing vulnerability in front of anyone."

Mr. Crow tilted his head. "Not even to him? He’s your white moonlight."

Lana laughed, though her voice trembled faintly beneath the surface. "Precisely because he is. If I stay there, I might cry."

Mr. Crow stilled. "...Why?"

Lana looked ahead, eyes growing distant.

"Because if someone dear to you asks whether you’re fine... The pain you’ve hidden for years will spill out. If no one asks, you can keep pretending you’re normal."

Mr. Crow went silent. ’She’s breaking, yet she still smiles like nothing touches her.’

Not wanting to see tears in her eyes, he changed the subject gently.

"How are you feeling now? Any difference in your mystical energy?"

Lana shrugged. "I’ll only know after trying higher-ranked missions. I’ll finish the mission I took earlier after university today."

Mr. Crow nodded. "And... Cassandra?"

Lana hesitated, her steps slowing.

"Not everything can be solved in a day," she whispered. "Even though a week has passed since she told me the truth... I’m not ready to face her."

Mr. Crow folded his wings close, understanding the deeper wound she didn’t voice.

Soon they reached the university. Lana entered her classroom, and her eyes immediately took in the strange atmosphere.

Betty and Layla, normally inseparable, sat far apart.

A fight for sure.

Betty looked guilty, casting small, pleading glances toward Layla. Layla ignored every one of them, immersed in her book. The air around Layla was icy, disciplined, and unbothered.

’Lovers’ quarrel,’ Lana thought dryly. ’Probably something trivial.’

She sat beside Fay, who was intensely focused on her phone. The moment Fay noticed Lana, she brightened.

"Lana, want to see something?"

Lana nodded. Fay showed her the screen, and Lana nearly choked.

A picture of Axel. Half-naked. Shoulder-length hair falling loosely behind him. His faint eight-pack abs were clearly visible. His expression was cold enough to freeze oceans.

Lana blinked. ’Why does he look like he’s posing for a forbidden poster?’

Fay whispered like she was tempting Lana. "He’s handsome, right?"

Lana nodded and felt the tension in Fay’s fingers as she gripped the phone. The jealousy in her posture was impossible to miss.

Lana smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry. I’m not interested in Axel."

Fay stiffened. Lana continued gently.

"I see him as a guide, a mentor. I’ll never chase him. You can relax."

Fay exhaled shakily and lowered her head, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"I... love him too much..."

Lana nodded softly.

"I understand," she murmured. "After all... I love someone too... and can’t bear to see him with someone else."