MasukJason POVThe moment I finished reading the email, one thing became painfully clear.The Browns were never the real problem.Alexander Vincent was.The wording.The tone.The careful promises hidden behind polite business language.I had seen it before.Far too many times.Alexander Vincent never made demands.He planted ideas.He let other people believe they had come up with them themselves.The email Amber found had been sent from a burner address.An account created solely for that conversation.Someone else would have dismissed it as impossible to trace.I didn't.Because the sender's identity wasn't hidden in the address.It was hidden in the writing.Every sentence screamed Alexander Vincent.He wanted Rose.Not because he cared about her.Because she was useful.My jaw tightened.Rose and Iris had already lost too much.Rose had survived the Vincents.Iris had survived years of neglect.Neither of them would ever become bargaining chips again.Not while I was alive.I looked t
Amber POVJason's video accomplished exactly what neither of us expected.Mrs. Sun declared it a masterpiece.Not because it had defended our family.Not because it had silenced the rumors.But because of his last sentence."If anyone remains confused, I suggest taking a biology class at our school."She replayed that part at least five times.Then she looked at Jason with a smile that honestly frightened me."Do you have any idea what you've done?"Jason frowned."I defended my wife."Mrs. Sun shook her head."No."She pointed at her tablet."You advertised my school."Jason blinked."What?"She turned the screen around.The academy's website had crashed.Applications were pouring in faster than the servers could process them.Parents from all over the continent wanted to enroll their children.Even adults were joking online that they should attend the biology classes.The waiting list had doubled overnight.Mrs. Sun laughed happily."I should let you handle all of our marketing."Ja
Amber POVThe good mood lasted exactly three days.Three.Apparently that was the maximum amount of happiness the universe was willing to grant me before someone decided to create another crisis.This time, the target was me.I woke up to seventeen missed calls.Twelve messages from Pamela.Five from Clara.Three from Jason's assistant.And one from Grandfather, which honestly worried me the most.The moment I opened my phone, I regretted it.Pictures.Hundreds of pictures.Pictures of Oscar and me from when we were engaged.Pictures of me attending events with Marcus.Pictures of Adrian and me together.Which would have been less ridiculous if Adrian wasn't my cousin.The internet had apparently decided facts were optional.The headlines only got worse."WHO IS THE REAL FATHER OF AMBER ASHER'S TWINS?""SUN HEIR SHOULD DEMAND DNA TEST.""MULTIPLE MEN LINKED TO ASHER HEIRESS.""MARCUS HESS SECRET SPERM DONOR?"That one actually made me laugh.Then came another."BABIES MAY BELONG TO SU
Amber POVFor the first time in weeks, life became almost... normal.Almost.The school was running smoothly. The children had settled into their routines. The adoption paperwork was finalized. The Vincents were strangely quiet.Which meant they were probably planning something.Still, I wasn't going to complain.For once, Jason and I had enough time to focus on something that had been bothering us ever since Professor Vale handed us the map.The hidden treasury.Or whatever was hidden beneath Ember Castle.One evening, after the children had gone to bed and the castle had become quiet, Jason and I spread the map across a table in the library.The old parchment showed passages that weren't included in any modern blueprints.Passages hidden inside walls.Beneath floors.Behind fireplaces.And, for some reason, connected to the kitchen.Naturally.Every mystery in this castle seemed to start in the kitchen.Armed with flashlights, our phones, and far more confidence than common sense, w
Amber POVThe pregnancy reveal somehow created more chaos than the adoption.Which was saying something.One moment everyone was congratulating us, the next the children had questions.Many questions.Far too many questions.The first one came from Alex.Naturally.We were gathered in one of the castle's living rooms when he suddenly looked at Jason and me suspiciously."Wait."The room became quiet.Alex narrowed his eyes."You lied."Jason blinked."What?""You said the baby plan was in two years."Silence.I immediately remembered the conversation.Unfortunately, so did Jason.Alex crossed his arms."You specifically said two years."A pause."You had charts."Jason looked horrified."Why do you remember that?"Alex looked offended."Because I helped make the charts."Mrs. Sun burst out laughing.Grandfather Asher nearly choked on his tea.Rose buried her face in a pillow.Iris looked like she wanted to disappear.Alex pointed accusingly at us."It has not been two years.""No.""I
Amber POVPregnancy was a scam.A complete scam.Nobody had warned me.Not properly.Apparently, creating a human being came with a long list of side effects nobody talked about enough.For example, I could no longer stand garlic.Garlic.One of my favorite ingredients.Now, the mere smell made me gag.The castle's kitchen had become enemy territory.Three times this week, I had walked in confidently only to turn around and run away seconds later.The staff was deeply concerned.The children were confused.And Alice was watching me.Constantly.Everywhere.Like a tiny detective.I should have known that was a problem.Alice POVSomething was wrong with Mom.Very wrong.At first, I thought she was sick.Then I started paying attention.And when I pay attention, I notice things.A lot of things.For example, Mom used to like garlic.I know because she put garlic on almost everything.Then one day she walked into the kitchen, smelled garlic bread, made a weird face, and ran away.Ran awa
The door swung open.Oscar didn’t hesitate.He shoved forward immediately, trying to push past Jason.“Where is she?” he demanded.Jason didn’t move.Didn’t stumble.He absorbed the force like it was expected and blocked him with one arm.Oscar was furious.Not irritated.Furious.His eyes were wil
I stepped into the room but remained near the door. Jason removed his jacket, placing it carefully over the back of a chair. His movements were precise, as if control over small things kept the larger chaos at bay. “Jason,” I said quietly. He glanced at me. “Yes?” I hesitated for only a s
Footsteps approached from the corridor. Measured. Urgent. An older woman entered the living room. Elegant. Impeccable. Authority woven into every line of her posture. Ms. Sun. Her eyes immediately found Alison curled beside me on the couch. I watched the exact moment tension left her shoulder
By the time Jason returned with the doctor, Madam Sun and I had already reached an understanding. Not friendship. Not trust. A truce. The terms were clear. The online rumors surrounding me would be handled by the Sun family’s media division immediately. The slander from the White Group would n







