The Bounty

HAZEL'S POV:

"TELL ME, I'M I A CLONE?!" I asked.

Silence.

The bastard whom I called Father refused to speak. He couldn't even look me in the eyes.

"Answer me," I raised my voice. "I need to know if my life has always been a lie."

Father kept quiet. Then for the first time since we met, he met my gaze.

"Clones have surgical marks on their chest," he said. "If you were a clone, you'd have one on you."

Neither Nikolai nor I saw any need to check. We both knew I don't have surgical marks on my chest.

"Now you have your answers," Father said. "You're my original daughter."

"And how are we certain you're the original Arthur Flamecrest and not a clone?" Nikolai asked.

Father unbuttoned his shirt and showed us his chest. "Take a good look."

He was real enough. He wasn't a clone.

I buried my face in my hands. My brains couldn't process the truth.

"How could you," I didn't recognize my voice. It was filled with rage. "You hired Nikolai to murder our family just so you could keep the min