LOGINHailey POVThe phone screen felt burning hot against my fingertips as I held it, my eyes locked on that tiny, pixelated loop of video. My breathing stopped entirely, the air trapping itself in my chest like a solid block of ice while the world around me seemed to tilt on its axis. I knew that movement, the subtle, elegant tilt of the chin, the precise, measured stride that even the heavy night shadows and a dark coat could not fully conceal."Hailey?" Calix's voice cut through the fog in my brain, low and sharp with immediate concern, his hand reaching out to steady my elbow as I swayed on my feet. "What is it? What do you see?"I couldn't look up at him, my gaze completely glued to the screen as the figure vanished past the northern edge of the camera’s frame. "It's her," I whispered, the words sounding dry, like autumn leaves scraping across concrete. "That isn't Helena Frost, Iris. That is the woman who tucked me in when I had fevers. The woman who taught me how to tie my shoes."I
Hailey POVMy eyes stayed fixed on the raw, pale gouges in the stone, the fresh dust from the masonry still clinging to the edges of the jagged lines. The letters seemed to glow in the darkness of the driveway, a blunt command screaming out from the grey pillar.Evans gripped my upper arms tightly from behind, his hands warm but trembling against my cold skin as he forced me to turn around toward the house. "Inside, Hailey, right now," he muttered, his voice low and urgent as he guided me back up the gravel path, his eyes scanning the tree line one last time before he pulled the heavy front door shut and locked the deadbolt with a loud, metallic click.I let him lead me back up the grand staircase and into our bedroom, but I didn't take off my coat, and I didn't climb back into the bed. I sat on the small armchair by the window, staring out into the dark yard, watching the empty space where that silent sedan had been parked at the end of the road.The hours dragged by in total silence
Evans POVI didn't argue with her. I held her against my chest on the kitchen floor for a few seconds longer, feeling the terrifying stillness in her body, and then I nodded my head against her shoulder."Okay," I said, my voice cutting through the heavy silence of the room. "We leave."I got to my feet and pulled her up with me, guiding her over to a chair before I pulled out my phone. The next forty-eight hours became a blur of silent, frantic coordination. I stayed up through the nights, working from the small desk in the corner of our bedroom, utilizing secure channels that had absolutely no connection to the Wilson family name or the corporate registry. I moved personal assets through secondary offshore accounts, shifting funds into private liquidity where the board members couldn't track the movement.Marcus was the only person I contacted outside of the house, calling him from an encrypted burner phone at three in the morning."I need the deed to the property near Grasse," I to
Hailey POVMy fingers gripped the plastic casing of the phone so tightly that the edges dug into my palm, but my voice stayed completely level when I spoke. The initial shock had receded, leaving behind that strange, icy focus that always came when my deception-sensing ability took over. I could hear the erratic rhythm of his breathing on the other end of the line, a chaotic flutter that told me he was terrified, but I needed to hear the truth beneath his panic."Who is he, Dad?" I asked, keeping my tone measured, slow, and entirely unhurried because I needed to anchor him before he spun out of control.I heard him draw in a sharp, ragged breath, the sound of paper rustling in the background indicating he was moving around a room. "His name is Victor Vance," he whispered, the name sounding foreign and heavy as it spilled through the small speaker. "You won't find him in the standard news, Hailey, because he doesn't want to be found. He is one of the oldest and wealthiest private colle
Evans POVThe silence in the kitchen stretched so tight that I could hear the faint hum of the refrigerator. Hailey stood directly across the marble island from me, her small hands flat against the edge, leaning forward as if the distance between us was the only thing keeping her upright. Her question hung in the air, cold and sharp, cutting through the quiet room.I looked down at the old photograph lying between us. The black and white image was grainy, but the face of the man standing next to Helena Frost was unmistakable. It was her father, looking decades younger, his jaw set in that familiar, formal way. I had looked at that exact same image months ago, in the dark of my study, feeling the exact same sickness that was currently washing over her face."Eight months," I said, my voice sounding rougher than I intended. I didn't try to look away from her. I owed her that much. "Marcus found the connection when he was digging into the early financial backers of the initial facility."
Hailey POVThe table between Calix and me felt like it was miles wide, and my eyes stayed glued to the yellowed edge of that second photograph. My breath caught in my throat, thick and dry, because the man standing next to Helena Frost had the exact same square set of the shoulders that I used to watch from the back seat of our old car. It was him. It was the man who had tucked me into bed, the man who had checked my homework, the man who had held my hand when I scraped my knees."Hailey," Calix said, his voice coming from somewhere far away, rough and careful, "you need to breathe."I didn't answer him right away because my lungs wouldn't work, so I just stared at the ink on the paper until the edges went blurry. "He was there," I whispered, the words scraping against my teeth as I forced them out. "He wasn't just a bystander, Calix. He was standing right next to her.""He was one of the primary reasons she had the money to build the first facility," Calix said, leaning forward, his
Hailey's POV I stood on the stairs with my phone pressed to my ear, Marcus' words sitting heavy in my chest."I will be there in thirty minutes," I said quietly. "Send me the address."I hung up and stood completely still for a moment. The address came through immediately. A warehouse on the east
David’s POVI watched the sunrise from my office window with a glass of whiskey in my hand.Not because I was celebrating. Because I was thinking.Evans had finally done it. He had told her everything. My people inside the mansion had confirmed it last night — Hailey went to the guest room at eleve
POV: Hailey WilsonI was in my office, staring at the blueprints of the mansion on my computer screen, when my phone rang. It was Evans."Hailey," his voice sounded broken, hollow. "I need you to come home. Right now. Please.""Evans, I'm in the middle of—""Please," he interrupted. "This can't wai
POV: Evans WilsonI watched the needle slide into Nancy's arm, and something inside me snapped.I stopped struggling against the guards. I stopped pleading. Instead, I looked directly at Valarie and said, very calmly, "Marcus, execute protocol seven."Valarie's smile faltered. "What?"I repeated my







