CHAPTER FOUR

The morning after that , the world was on fire. Every newspaper had a picture of Mark bowing to me. They called me the "Ghost Queen."

I was sitting in my office at Titan Group. I was finally in my true home. The cold air of the air conditioner felt good against my skin. I wasn't a housewife anymore. I was a boss.

Suddenly, my office door crashed open. Mark stumbled in. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. His expensive suit was covered in stains, and his eyes were wide with panic.

"Evelyn! You have to stop this!" he screamed. He tried to run toward my desk, but my security guards caught him. They held him firmly.

I didn't move. I didn't even blink. "You are trespassing, Mark. Leave before I call the police."

"The banks are taking everything!" Mark sobbed, falling to his knees. "Because you canceled the deal, they think I’m a fraud. They are taking the house. They are taking my parents’ cars. We have nowhere to go!"

I leaned forward. "You had a home, Mark. You had a wife who loved you and worked for you. You pushed her down the stairs seven times. Did you think the world would just let you keep your crown?"

Before he could answer, the door opened again. Sarah walked in. She was carrying a suitcase. She didn't look sad. She looked bored.

"Stop crying, Mark," Sarah said. She tossed a piece of paper on his lap. "It’s over. I’m leaving for Italy tonight."

Mark looked at her, confused. "What? Sarah, we have a son! Leo needs his father."

Sarah laughed, and it was the meanest sound I had ever heard. "Mark, you really are a fool. Leo isn't yours. He belongs to a man I met years ago. Your parents paid me to lie to you. They wanted a reason to get rid of Evelyn, so they bought a 'son' for you.

Mark’s face turned gray. He looked like he was dying.

 His own parents had hired a woman to break his marriage. He had destroyed his life for a child that wasn't even his. He looked at me, his eyes begging for mercy.

"Evelyn... please... I didn't know..."

"It doesn't matter what you knew," I said. "It only matters what you did."

Theodore walked into the room. He stood behind me, tall and strong. "The guards will show you out, Mark.

 You are no longer part of this family."

The guards dragged Mark and Sarah away. The room became quiet again. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. The revenge was finished. Or so I thought.

Theodore didn't leave. He walked over to the window and looked out at the city. The sun was starting to set, turning the sky a beautiful, bloody orange.

"Evelyn," he said softly. "There is something I haven't told you."

I stood up and walked to his side. "What is it? Mark is gone. We won."

Theodore turned to me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an old, silver key. It was covered in strange symbols. "Mark was a distraction. He was never the real king. My family has been guarding a secret for a thousand years. A secret about a girl who disappeared twenty years ago."

He took my hand and placed the key in my palm. It felt freezing cold, and then suddenly, it felt burning hot.

"Your parents weren't who you think they were," Theodore whispered. His eyes were full of a strange light. "The man who raised you found you in the woods after a Great Fire. This key... it only reacts to the blood of the True Royals."

As he spoke, the silver key began to glow. A map appeared in the air, floating like golden dust. It showed a hidden island, a place that wasn't on any map I had ever seen.

"Theodore, what is this?" I asked, my heart racing.

He looked at the golden map and then back at me.

 "The people who tried to kill you when you were a baby just found out you are alive, Evelyn. And they aren't coming for your company. They are coming for your life."

At that moment, the lights in the entire city went black. The only thing glowing was the key in my hand. From the dark sky above, we heard the sound of a helicopter that didn't have any lights.

"They are here," Theodore said, pulling a gun from his belt. "Run."