The Platonic Trap novel Chapter 73

The Capital was known as the city that never sleeps.

Here, even in the dead of night, the skyline was an endless sea of brilliant neon and intoxicating extravagance.

The glowing lights were the city's pulse, the endless stream of traffic a river of molten gold.

But between the cracks of that blinding luxury lay shadows where the streetlights simply couldn't reach.

A thin streak of blood marked Celia's porcelain cheek.

The flickering, sickly yellow streetlamp above her cast long, imposing shadows that danced whenever a stray figure walked past the alley.

She was wearing a pristine white silk blouse, which now served as a stark canvas for the raw, glaring scrape running down her right forearm.

The wound was dusted with fine gravel and dirt, the fabric around it thoroughly soaked in a striking bloom of crimson.

Staring down at her torn arm, Celia's expression remained perfectly blank, her eyes darkening under the dim light.

Satisfied with the extent of her "injuries," she reached out with her uninjured hand, unlocked the phone, and made the call.

Ring.

Ring.

It rang for an agonizingly long time, only connecting at the very last second before it went to voicemail.

The moment the line opened, Celia's long eyelashes fluttered.

"Hello? Ken?"

Her entire demeanor shifted instantly. Her voice trembled, laced with a hyperventilating panic.

If one listened closely, they could hear the fragile, breathless edge of someone on the verge of tears.

The line went dead silent. Finally, a deeply resonant, ice-cold voice poured through the speaker.

"Celia. It's me."

The sheer perfection of his voice sent a thrill through her, and a victorious smile bloomed in the shadows of the alley.

Burying the satisfaction in her eyes, Celia ramped up the act, sounding absolutely terrified. "U-Uncle Alistair?"

"Yes," Alistair replied evenly, his tone chillingly composed. "Ken is still in his meeting. What's wrong?"

"Ah..." The girl sounded as timid as a frightened deer, like the slightest breeze would shatter her into tears.

Despite that, she managed a delicate, shaky sniffle over the line. "It's nothing... I-I'll just wait until his meeting is over."

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