Chapter seventeen.

CHLOE’S POV

The name on the envelope was mine.

CHLOE SUMMERS.

I stared at the photograph Damian had sent me. It showed Caroline Reed lying unconscious in a hospital bed, with an envelope placed beside her.

The message written inside it was even more disturbing.

She was never supposed to survive the first attempt.

What attempt?

And why would anyone want me dead?

I read the message again, hoping I had misunderstood it.

I hadn't.

My phone rang.

Damian.

"Have you seen the photograph?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I don't want you going anywhere alone."

"Damian, someone has threatened my life. I think I deserve an explanation."

"I know."

"Then tell me what you know."

He was silent for a moment.

"Someone has been monitoring you for longer than we thought. The message suggests they may have targeted you before."

I sat down.

"Before what?"

"Before you proposed our marriage arrangement. Possibly before I even knew you."

A cold feeling settled in my stomach.

"Do you think this has something to do with my family?"

"I don't know yet."

I looked toward the window.

For years, I had believed my greatest enemies were Pearl and James. They had betrayed me, stolen my work and destroyed my life.

But now I was beginning to suspect that someone else had been moving pieces around long before either of them entered the picture.

"Damian, I want to see Caroline."

"Not until the doctors confirm she's stable and the security team clears the hospital."

"She's the only person who might know what happened to Isabella."

"I understand. I'll take you there as soon as it's safe."

I exhaled.

"All right."

Then I remembered something.

"Did you tell Ethan about James's meeting invitation?"

"Yes. We're monitoring the location."

"Good. Because I'm not letting James disappear again."

"Neither am I."

---

THE PRIVATE HOSPITAL

By midday, Damian had arranged for us to visit Caroline.

The hospital was small, discreet and heavily guarded. Ethan met us at the entrance.

"She's still unconscious," he explained. "The doctors believe she was given a sedative. There are no serious physical injuries, but she hasn't regained consciousness."

"Can we speak to the doctor?" Damian asked.

Ethan nodded.

A few minutes later, a physician approached.

"Mr. Rourke, we've reviewed her condition. She's stable, but we cannot predict exactly when she'll wake up."

"Has she received any visitors?"

"Only the person who brought her here."

"Do you have a description?"

The doctor checked his notes.

"Male. Mid-forties, approximately. He claimed to be a relative, but he left before our staff could verify his identity."

"Did he leave a name?"

"No."

I looked at Damian.

"Could it have been Jonathan?"

"Possibly," he replied.

Ethan handed Damian a photograph from the hospital's security cameras.

The man was wearing a cap and a medical mask.

His face was mostly hidden, but something about his posture seemed familiar.

I studied the photograph.

"Wait."

Damian looked at me.

"What?"

I pointed at the man's wrist.

A silver watch.

"I've seen that watch before."

"Where?"

I thought carefully.

Then it came to me.

"At the Summers Estate. My father wears one almost identical to it."

Ethan examined the photograph.

"That doesn't prove anything."

"I know. But the strap has a distinctive dark mark near the clasp. My father has the same mark."

Damian's expression became serious.

"Can you confirm whether it belongs to Richard Summers?"

Ethan nodded.

"I'll investigate."

I looked through the glass window at Caroline.

"Someone brought her here because they didn't want her dead."

"Or because they still need something from her," Damian said.

I hated that possibility.

---

THE WOMAN WHO REMEMBERED

As we were preparing to leave, a nurse hurried toward us.

"Mr. Rourke?"

Damian turned.

"Yes?"

"Miss Reed has regained consciousness."

I immediately stepped forward.

"Can we see her?"

"Briefly. She's weak, so please don't overwhelm her."

We entered the room.

Caroline's eyes moved slowly toward us.

When she saw Damian, she tried to sit up.

"Don't move," he said.

She swallowed.

"You came."

"Of course."

Her gaze shifted to me.

"Chloe Summers."

I nodded.

"Yes. I'm glad you're alive."

Caroline's expression changed.

"You shouldn't be here."

I pulled a chair closer.

"Why?"

She looked toward the door.

"Because they know you're asking questions."

"Who?"

She closed her eyes briefly.

"Victor. Jonathan. They're not working alone."

Damian leaned forward.

"Who is helping them?"

Caroline's breathing became uneven.

"I don't know everyone. But Edward knew. He found the records."

"What records?" I asked.

"The payments. The transfers. The names of people who were being paid to keep certain secrets."

"Where are they?"

Caroline looked at Damian.

"Your father's document case."

Damian went still.

"You know where it is?"

She nodded weakly.

"Edward gave me instructions before he died. He told me that if anything happened to him, I should make sure the documents reached Isabella."

"What happened to Isabella?" I asked.

Caroline's eyes filled with tears.

"I helped her leave."

The room fell silent.

"Did she survive?" Damian asked.

Caroline nodded.

"Yes."

I felt my breath catch.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know where she is now. We arranged for her to be taken somewhere safe. But before she left, she gave me something."

"What?"

"A photograph."

"Of whom?"

Caroline looked directly at me.

"Your mother."

My entire body stiffened.

"My mother?"

"Yes. Eleanor was at the mansion that night. But she wasn't the only person who came to help Edward."

Damian's expression darkened.

"Who else?"

Caroline hesitated.

"Your mother wasn't there to help Edward, Mr. Rourke. She was there because Edward had discovered something about her family."

I stared at her.

"What did he discover?"

Caroline tried to speak, but a coughing fit interrupted her.

The nurse hurried over.

"That's enough for now. She needs to rest."

Damian stepped back reluctantly.

Before we left, Caroline caught my wrist.

"Chloe..."

I turned.

"Yes?"

"Don't let your sister get the document case."

My heart skipped.

"Pearl?"

Caroline's grip weakened.

"She knows where it is."

Then her eyes closed.

---

THE ROURKE MANSION — EVENING

I couldn't stop thinking about Caroline's warning.

Pearl knew where the document case was.

How?

I had suspected she was connected to Victor and James, but this was something else entirely.

Damian found me in the study, staring at the photograph of my mother.

"You're thinking about Pearl."

I nodded.

"Caroline said she knows where your father's document case is."

"That means someone has given her information about the investigation."

"Or she's been involved from the beginning."

Damian walked to his desk.

"There's another possibility."

I looked at him.

"Which is?"

"Someone is using Pearl without telling her the full truth."

I considered that.

Pearl was selfish, jealous and ambitious. She was also easily manipulated when someone promised her something she wanted.

"Even if she's being used, she still chose to steal my paintings."

"I know."

"I won't excuse what she did."

"You shouldn't have to."

I looked down at the photograph.

"Damian, I want to know what Edward discovered about my family."

"So do I."

He opened a drawer and removed the silver key.

"We're going to the storage facility tonight."

I stood.

"You said we would wait."

"We have a new reason to go. Caroline confirmed that the document case is connected to the records Edward kept."

"Then I'm coming."

He looked at me for a moment.

"All right. But we follow Ethan's security instructions."

I nodded.

This time, we were going to find answers.

---

THE STORAGE FACILITY

The facility was located outside the city, behind an old commercial building.

Ethan had arranged for security personnel to inspect the surrounding area before we arrived.

"Unit 218," he said, checking his tablet.

Damian held the silver key.

The corridor was quiet.

We stopped in front of the metal door.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

I nodded.

He inserted the key.

It turned.

The door opened with a low metallic sound.

Inside was a small storage room filled with old boxes, furniture and covered equipment.

A thick layer of dust covered everything.

Ethan switched on the light.

"Someone has been here recently."

I looked at the floor.

There were fresh footprints near the back wall.

Damian noticed them too.

"Check the room."

Ethan moved toward the boxes while Damian examined a metal cabinet.

I walked toward a wooden desk.

There was a photograph lying beneath a stack of papers.

I picked it up.

It showed Edward Rourke standing beside three people.

Victor Hale.

Jonathan Pierce.

And my father.

Richard Summers.

I stared at it.

My father looked much younger, but there was no mistaking him.

On the back of the photograph was a date.

The day before Edward's murder.

"Damian."

He turned.

I handed him the photograph.

His expression hardened.

"Your father was meeting mine."

"Yes."

"Do you know why?"

"No."

Ethan approached with a small leather case.

"Sir, I believe this is what we're looking for."

Damian opened it.

Inside were several documents, a flash drive and a folded letter.

He unfolded the letter carefully.

The handwriting was Edward's.

If anything happens to me, the truth must be revealed. Victor and Jonathan are not the only people involved. Someone from the Summers family has been providing information about Isabella's movements.

I read the words twice.

Someone from my family.

Damian continued.

I have reason to believe that the information is being passed through a member of Richard's household. I cannot yet determine whether Richard knows the full extent of the arrangement.

My heart tightened.

My father might have been involved, but Edward himself hadn't been certain.

There was more.

The person responsible has access to both families. They know our schedules, our private conversations and our security arrangements.

I looked at Damian.

"That means someone close to both families."

He nodded.

Ethan picked up the flash drive.

"Sir, should I have this examined?"

"Yes. But make a copy before you do anything else. Keep the original secure."

I noticed a smaller envelope hidden beneath the lining of the case.

It had my mother's name written on it.

ELEANOR.

I opened it.

Inside was a single photograph.

My mother stood beside Edward.

But there was someone else in the background.

A woman with long dark hair.

Pearl.

My breath caught.

"That's impossible."

Damian looked over my shoulder.

"When was this taken?"

I turned the photograph over.

There was a date.

TWO DAYS BEFORE EDWARD'S MURDER.

Pearl had been there.

My sister had been connected to the Rourke family long before I knew anything about Damian.

Then my phone vibrated.

An unknown number.

You found the photograph. Now ask Pearl why she was at the mansion.

I looked at Damian.

"Someone knows we're here."

He immediately turned toward Ethan.

"Secure the room. Nobody leaves until we've checked the perimeter."

Ethan nodded.

A second message appeared.

And Chloe, if you tell Damian what you saw, your mother will pay for it.

My stomach twisted.

I looked at the photograph again.

Pearl.

My mother.

Edward.

What had happened between them?

---

PEARL’S POV

I stared at the message on my phone.

They found the photograph.

My hands trembled.

I had warned them not to let Chloe discover the truth.

But she never listened.

She always had to interfere.

The man sitting opposite me poured himself a glass of water.

"Did you understand what I told you?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

"Then you know what happens if Chloe finds out everything."

I swallowed.

"She won't."

He smiled faintly.

"You sound very confident."

"Because I can handle my sister."

He placed the glass down.

"Don't underestimate her. She's not the same girl you remember."

I looked away.

I knew that better than anyone.

Chloe had changed.

She no longer begged for approval, no longer allowed me to take her things, and no longer believed my lies.

And now she was getting closer to the one secret I had spent years trying to bury.

"Where is the document case?" he asked.

"I don't know."

His expression hardened.

"Don't lie to me, Pearl."

"I'm not!"

He leaned forward.

"Then find it. Before Chloe does."

I stood.

"What happens if I refuse?"

He smiled.

"Then I'll tell everyone how you became A-Star."

My blood ran cold.

He knew everything.

The stolen paintings.

The false identity.

The lies.

I had thought I was using him to get what I wanted.

Now I understood that he had been using me all along.

---

CHLOE’S POV

We returned to the mansion shortly before midnight.

Damian had arranged for the documents to be secured, and Ethan was examining the flash drive.

I stood by the window, holding the photograph of Pearl.

My sister had been at Edward's mansion two days before his murder.

I couldn't understand why.

Had she known Edward?

Had she been helping Victor?

Or had someone simply brought her there?

Damian approached.

"You're quiet."

"I'm trying to remember whether Pearl ever mentioned the Rourkes before."

"Did she?"

"Not that I remember."

He placed a hand on the back of the chair.

"We'll find out."

I looked at him.

"There's something else. Caroline said my mother was there because Edward discovered something about her family. Edward's letter says someone in Richard's household was passing information."

"Your mother may have been trying to protect someone."

"Or someone may have been using her."

Damian nodded.

My phone rang.

This time, it was my father.

I answered.

"Father?"

His voice was tense.

"Chloe, where are you?"

"Why?"

"Your mother is missing."

I closed my eyes.

"I know."

"Do you know where she is?"

"No. But I need you to tell me something."

"What?"

"Why was Pearl at Edward Rourke's mansion two days before he died?"

Silence.

A long, terrible silence.

Then my father whispered:

"Who showed you that photograph?"

I looked at Damian.

"Answer my question."

My father's breathing became unsteady.

"Chloe, listen to me. Whatever you have found, destroy it."

"Why?"

"Because Pearl was not the only person who went to that mansion."

My heart began pounding.

"Who else went?"

He whispered five words.

"Your sister was there with James."

The call disconnected.

I stood completely still.

James and Pearl.

At Edward Rourke's mansion.

Two days before his murder.

I turned toward Damian.

"There's something you need to know."

But before I could continue, Ethan rushed into the study.

"Sir! We accessed the flash drive."

Damian turned.

"What did you find?"

Ethan placed a printed document on the desk.

It contained a list of payments made before Edward's death.

At the bottom were two names.

JAMES THORNTON.

PEARL SUMMERS.

And beside them was a final note:

Payment authorised by the person who ordered Edward Rourke's death.

I stared at the page.

For the first time, I wondered whether my sister's betrayal had begun long before she stole my paintings.