Vivienne looked pale as a ghost.

Clearly, it was time to fast-track the development of the new bomb detector. They could not afford another incident like this.

But Imogen's face was a tapestry of tension, and Vivienne noticed.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Imogen shook her head, troubled. "No, there should be thirty-one... Yesterday, he found one..."

She reached up, touching the headband nestled in her hair-a gift from her beloved, cherished more than gold. Just yesterday, he had whispered to her with undying affection, "Your hair is your crowning glory, love. With this, you're even more radiant."

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Three seconds remained.

Tears welled in her eyes as she dashed out of the Ellington Mansion.

Vivienne and Percival had no time to react before a deafening explosion shook the air.

When the smoke cleared, only a shattered necklace remained on the ground. It was the token Richard had given to Imogen, a symbol of her acceptance into the Ellington family.

The bomb's force had vaporized Imogen instantly, like a plane plummeting from the sky, obliterating everything in its path.

Vivienne and Percival were frozen. If Imogen had not acted on her instincts, they, too, would have been reduced to nothing.

Not far away, in a parked car, Isolde burst into tears. She had watched her beloved aunt vanish, her waterfall of hair gone without a trace. Cecilia nestled into her husband's embrace.

Out of all Flynn's sins, Imogen was the most tragic victim-a solitary girl who vanished from existence without a last word, as if she had never been. Vivienne stepped outside; the air still held a tinge of fire powder. She picked up the unrecognizable necklace and wiped it clean with her hands. Richard exited the car, addressing Percival, "We owe her a dignified farewell. The Ellington family failed her."

Vivienne close, comforting her with a

Agency's special squad cleared the Ellington Mansion and raided Flynn's

herself, Vivienne

the nightstand, everything untouched. The bed was made to perfection,

approached, she noticed a hair entangled in a

hair, holding it between her fingers.

strand, something felt

Percival approached, concerned

own hairs and placed both strands in his hand.

felt the hairs,

from Flynn's pajama was

Elsewhere in Rivenwood.

headquarters, stretching her neck before firing

was time to leave

meet again another

they been there, they would have recognized her as

Meanwhile.

body was nowhere to be

with a traitor still lurking within the Nine Mystics Society. She turned to Draven and Matthew. "Search for any trace

"But Vivienne, isn't

seeing her stern face,

Vivienne's brows knitted together.

to F-Poison remained a mystery-perhaps someone even more significant than Belle. Imogen

Percival finally uncovered the secret

that exploded were real, but the person was an

on the Ellington

the explosion. The scene was a pre-arranged hologram, coupled with smoke from the bomb to create a brief visual blind spot, allowing her to escape under

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