LOGINThe words remained on the screen long after Thomas's call ended. DO NOT DESTROY AGAIN. Julian stared at them. Something about those four words bothered him. Not because they were frightening. Because they sounded personal. Someone had written them after Richard supposedly terminated Project Grace. Someone had wanted the records preserved. Someone had been waiting for the right people to find them. Dani came to stand beside him. "What are you thinking?" "That this isn't just about Mercer." She looked at him. "We said no new conspiracies." "We did." Julian pointed toward the screen. "So we're not creating one." "We're following the one already in front of us." Dani smiled. "Good." --- Amelia closed the folder containing the old Genesis records. "Then we go to New York." Julian nodded. "But not the way Charles expects." Nathan looked at him. "Meaning?" "We don't bring the ledger." "We don't go alone." "And we don't tell anyone we'r
The room remained frozen.On Ethan's screen, the words seemed almost impossible to comprehend.SECONDARY MARKER: OFFSPRING OF DANIELA MITCHELL.Dani stared at them.Her hand remained wrapped around Julian's.Neither of them spoke.Finally, she whispered,"That file was created before I was born."Ethan nodded."Twenty-three years ago.""Then someone knew I would exist."Victor stepped closer to the screen."Or they knew Sarah's family would continue."Julian looked at him."That's not the same thing.""No."Victor's voice was quiet."But it's important."---Dani pulled her hand away from Julian's and stepped backward.She needed space.Air.Anything that would make the room feel less suffocating."All my life..."She swallowed."I thought the biggest myste
The words remained on Ethan's screen.PROJECT GRACE.No one spoke.Dani stared at the transaction reference, her hand still resting protectively over her stomach.Julian stood beside her.His expression was controlled.Too controlled."What exactly can you tell us?" he asked.Ethan shook his head."Not enough.""Then tell me what you know."Ethan enlarged the transaction details."The payment came from a dormant Genesis account. It was activated this morning.""How much?""Thirty thousand dollars."Nathan frowned."That's not enough to fund a major operation.""No."Ethan pointed at the payment reference."But someone intentionally attached the name Project Grace."Julian looked at Amelia."Could Richard have created this?"Amelia slowly shook her head."I knew most of Richa
The estate doors had barely closed behind Charles Whitmore when Julian's expression changed.The warmth disappeared from his eyes."What did he notice?"Ethan was already replaying the security footage.The image froze on Charles standing near the doorway.His gaze had dropped briefly toward Dani's stomach.Then his eyes had returned to her face."Enough," Ethan said.Julian's jaw tightened."How much is enough?""Enough to know you're expecting a child."Dani folded her arms."Then he knows."Julian looked at her."Dani—""I'm pregnant, Julian."Her voice remained calm."I'm not ashamed of it.""I know.""And I'm not going to spend the rest of this war hiding every time someone realizes I'm carrying your child."Julian stepped closer."I'm not asking you to hide.""Then what are you asking?""To be careful."She held his gaze."I can be careful without being afraid."For a moment, neither moved.Then Julian's expression softened."You're right."Dani smiled faintly."I usually am."A
"So..."The elderly woman set down her pruning shears."...Richard finally sent you."Julian and Dani exchanged a brief glance.There was no surprise in her voice.Only quiet certainty.As though she had expected this day for years.---Julian stepped forward."Judge Amelia Rhodes?"She smiled."I haven't been a judge in quite some time."She removed her gardening gloves and extended her hand."But yes.""I suppose that's still me."Julian shook it."I'm Julian Vance.""I know."Her eyes twinkled."You have your grandfather's posture."Then she turned toward Dani."And you..."Her expression softened."You have Sarah's smile."Dani felt her throat tighten."You knew my mother?"Amelia nodded."I loved her very much."---
The hidden room beneath Haven felt different after Victor's revelation.It was no longer just a place where memories had been preserved.It had become their headquarters.Not for Genesis.Not for war.For rebuilding.---Morning sunlight streamed through the cabin windows above as the group gathered around the large oak table Richard had built decades earlier.Maps covered one end.Richard's journals occupied the other.In the center lay the leather folder Evelyn had brought from Sanctuary.The one labeled:Trusted, Even If Genesis FallsNathan rested a hand on it."I think it's time."Julian nodded."No more waiting."---Evelyn carefully opened the folder.Inside were only three files.Three names.Three photographs.Marcus looked surprised."That's it?"Nathan smiled."Richard believed quality was more important than quantity."Evelyn lifted the first file."Amelia Rhodes."Victor immediately recognized the name."I haven't heard that name in years."---Dani leaned forward."Who i
Dani tried her best to act as if she were capable of functioning normally for the next hour. It became increasingly difficult, as with each passing second, Dani knew Julian was around. Not physically. The awareness, the sort that crept inside her skin and refused to leave. Investors joked l
There was something heavy and stifling about the silence in the bathroom. It caught her attention just as soon as she closed the door behind her. Not an ordinary silence. Not a silence that made a room calm or comforting. A suffocating silence that made every breath feel forced. Her hands t
The pregnancy test sat between them. Small. White. Harmless-looking. Yet Dani had never seen anything more terrifying. The ballroom had almost emptied. Only a few employees remained in the distance, gathering decorations and packing equipment. Far enough away. Far enough not to he
For one horrifying second, nobody moved. The contents of Dani's purse lay scattered across the polished marble floor. Her phone. Her planner. Her keys. A tube of lipstick. And partially hidden beneath the edge of her notebook— The pregnancy test. Dani's blood turned to ice. No. No, no, no







