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Chapter 34

last update publish date: 2025-07-25 15:43:24

The phone slipped from Luna's trembling fingers. The gunshot echoed in her mind like a death knell.

"Grace!" She dove for the phone, pressing it against her ear. Static. Silence. Nothing.

Grayson caught her as her knees buckled. "Luna, what happened?"

"She's... the gunshot... Grace is..." The words fractured in her throat. Her sister's final warning replayed endlessly: Don't trust anyone. Not even—

"Breathe." Grayson's hands framed her face. "Tell me what you heard."

"I think they found her." L
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    Saturday dawned clear and bright, the kind of perfect autumn day that seemed designed for weddings. Luna woke to find Grace and Helena already in her room, carrying breakfast trays and wearing matching grins."The bride doesn't cook on her wedding day," Grace announced, setting down a tray of pastries and fresh fruit."We also brought champagne," Helena added, producing a bottle. "For mimosas, obviously."They ate together in Luna's suite, the three sisters laughing and talking like they'd done this their whole lives instead of just a few months. The ease between them still amazed Luna—how naturally they'd fallen into being family."I need to tell you both something," Luna said as they were finishing breakfast. "Before today gets crazy and emotional and I forget."Her sisters looked at her expectantly."Thank you. For finding me, for accepting me, for becoming my family when I'd been alone for so long." Luna's voice wavered. "I spent so many years thinking I'd never have this—sisters,

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    The boardroom at Vaughn Industries didn’t feel like a room for business that morning—it felt like a battlefield. The sleek glass walls, once a symbol of transparency and strength, now seemed to trap the pressure inside like a boiling kettle.Grayson sat at the head of the long, mahogany table, his

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