The party was still in full swing in the grand hotel halls, but in room 705, far from the music and the spotlight, Dylan and Diego had isolated themselves to talk.
Diego, comfortably seated in an armchair, looked at Dylan with a mix of pride and mischief.
— "You know, Victoire..." he began with a smile. "I'm so proud of everything you're accomplishing."
At the mention of this name, Dylan flinched slightly.
— "Diego, careful!" he whispered nervously.
But it was already too late.
**
Just behind the slightly open door, a figure had frozen.
Ryder.
He hadn't been seen right away. Initially, he just wanted to ask Diego if the party would continue. But as he passed by the room, he heard... something strange.
"Victoire?" "Why would Diego call Dylan 'Victoire'?"
A chill ran down his spine.
He stood still for a few seconds, holding his breath, trying to catch more words.
But inside, Diego and Dylan spoke in softer voices.
Ryder, cautious, slowly stepped back, trying not to be noticed.
He hadn't clearly seen who was in the room. He hadn't seen Dylan's face.
But he had heard.
And in his heart, a terrible doubt began to settle.
"Victoire... here... with Diego..."
**
Not wasting a second, Ryder quickly descended the stairs and found Daniella and Andréa sitting by the bar.
They were laughing, trying to put on a good face despite the jealousy still bubbling inside them.
Ryder arrived, breathless.
— "I need to talk to you," he said in a low voice.
Daniella and Andréa exchanged a surprised glance.
They stood up and followed Ryder to a quieter corner.
— "What's going on?" asked Andréa, intrigued.
Ryder glanced nervously around before whispering:
— "I just heard Diego talking in his room... with Victoire."
Daniella's eyes widened.
— "Victoire?!"
— "Yes," confirmed Ryder. "He said his name, clearly. Diego was talking to Victoire... in his room."
A tense silence followed.
— "But..." stammered Daniella, "Victoire is supposed to be far away... not in Kinshasa..."
— "And why would Diego hide that he's talking to Victoire?" added Andréa, suspicious.
The three friends stood still for a moment, trying to understand.
Suspicions were growing within them.
"What if Victoire... never really left?" "What if... Victoire was closer than they thought?"
**
Meanwhile, upstairs, Diego had risen from his armchair, his face serious.
He had seen the shadow behind the door. He knew someone had been listening.
— "Dylan," he murmured, "we have a problem."
Dylan frowned.
— "What kind of problem?"
Diego stepped closer to him and lowered his voice:
— "There was someone behind the door. I think it was Ryder. He might have heard us."
Dylan's heart tightened.
— "Do you think he knows?" he asked, worried.
— "Not yet," Diego replied calmly. "But he probably heard my mistake... when I called you Victoire."
Dylan nervously ran a hand through his hair.
— "What do we do now?"
Diego placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
— "We need to act fast. Before they connect the dots."
He paused, thinking deeply.
— "We'll have to make them believe they're wrong. Make them believe that Victoire is somewhere else, far away... and that this was just a misunderstanding."
Dylan nodded.
— "I trust you."
Diego gave him a cold smile.
— "Don't worry, little brother. It's not them who are going to ruin your rise."
**
Meanwhile, in the hotel lobby, Ryder, Daniella, and Andréa continued to debate.
— "If it really was Victoire," said Daniella, "why would Diego hide it?"
— "Maybe because Victoire... has become someone else," murmured Andréa.
Ryder's eyes gleamed with a new intensity.
— "Someone else... you mean..."
He stopped, the idea was shocking.
Daniella finished in a low voice:
— "What if Victoire... was Dylan?"
An icy silence fell between them.
**
Everything seemed to be accelerating. Their suspicions, their fears, their jealousy.
The evening, once festive, suddenly became charged with a new tension.
And in the shadows, Diego and Dylan were already preparing their counterattack.
Because one thing was certain: The truth had to stay buried. At any cost.