The morning light streamed through the apartment windows as Veronica Lodge stirred a pot of coffee. Reggie Mantle leaned against the fridge, rummaging through its nearly empty shelves. He sighed and closed the door. "We're out of food. Again. We need to hit the store."

Veronica poured herself a cup of coffee, nodding. "Let's make a list before we head out. We can go to Jay-C; it's close enough." She grabbed a pen and a notepad, scribbling down essentials. "Eggs, bread, milk… maybe something we can cook for dinner."

As she wrote, Reggie disappeared into their bedroom and returned holding a small stack of printed photos. "Before we go, I think we should check these again," he said, laying them out on the dining table. "We might've missed something."

Veronica sat down beside him, setting her coffee aside. The photos were from their ghost-hunting session two nights earlier. Most were unremarkable—blurry corners, dim lighting—but a few stood out. One photo showed faint orbs clustered in the corner of her office. Another revealed streaks of strange, unnatural light around the urn of Diana D'Ambrosio.

"These are definitely paranormal," Veronica murmured, running her finger over the photo of the orbs. "There's no way this is just dust or a trick of the camera."

Reggie picked up another photo, his expression darkening. "This one's worse." He passed it to her.

Veronica froze. The image showed the small office bathroom, and in the corner of the room, a translucent figure of a woman was captured. She appeared to be sitting on the floor, her head in her hands as though sobbing. Her long hair obscured her face, but her presence was undeniable.

"This… this has to be Diana," Veronica whispered, her voice shaky. "It's her apartment. Who else could it be?"

Reggie didn't answer, instead pulling out his phone and snapping a photo of the apparition. "I'll send it to the group chat."

The responses were almost immediate.

Betty: Oh my god. That's terrifying.

Jughead: That's not just an orb or light. That's her. This is the clearest evidence you've gotten.

Kevin: I'm getting chills just looking at it. What's the plan now?

Cheryl: I told you—this apartment is a magnet for drama. She's clearly not resting.

Tabitha: We need to figure out what she wants. You're running out of time.

Veronica set her phone down, her heart pounding. "What if she's trying to warn us? What if something happened to her that we don't know about?"

"We'll figure it out," Reggie assured her. "One step at a time."

They grabbed their grocery bags and headed to Jay-C. The trip was uneventful, but the atmosphere in the apartment felt even heavier when they returned. As they unpacked their groceries, Veronica's phone buzzed with an incoming call. She glanced at the screen and saw an unfamiliar number.

"Who's calling you this early?" Reggie asked, unloading a carton of eggs.

"I don't know," Veronica replied, answering cautiously. "Hello?"

The voice on the other end was aged but steady. "Veronica Lodge? This is Giovanni D'Ambrosio. Diana's grandfather."

Veronica straightened, her grip tightening on the phone. "Mr. D'Ambrosio. I wasn't expecting to hear from you."

"Please, call me Giovanni," he said. "I understand you've been trying to learn more about Diana. I've been in contact with her son, Oliver. He's learned about your situation through Betty, who provided your number."

Veronica shot a glance at Reggie, mouthing, Betty told him.

"I see," Veronica said, trying to keep her voice calm. "What does Oliver want?"

"He wants to speak with you directly," Giovanni said. "He believes he can help you understand what happened to Diana. But he's asked to wait until tonight to call."

"Tonight?" Veronica repeated, her pulse quickening. "Why not now?"

"He didn't say," Giovanni admitted. "But he's adamant about the timing. Be patient, Miss Lodge."

When the call ended, Veronica relayed the news to Reggie. "Diana's son, Oliver, wants to talk. Apparently, Betty gave him my number."

"Why tonight?" Reggie asked, frowning. "That's weird."

"It's all weird," Veronica said. "But if he has answers, I'm willing to wait."

They finished unpacking the groceries, but the anticipation of Oliver's call hung over them like a storm cloud. Veronica found herself staring at the photo of the apparition, her mind racing with possibilities.