LOGINThe chamber went completely silent.Amelia stared at Alexander.Her father stood at the entrance.Alive.Calm.Almost smiling.But something about him was wrong.Not his face.Not his voice.Something deeper.Something Amelia couldn't explain.Damian stepped in front of her."Stay behind me."Alexander laughed softly."Still protecting her, Damian?"Damian's eyes narrowed."Who are you?"Alexander's smile faded."You know exactly who I am.""No."Damian's hand tightened around the baby."My father taught me one thing."Alexander raised an eyebrow."Which was?""Never trust a man who knows too much about a dead person."A strange silence followed.Alexander looked at Amelia."Your father is dead."Amelia's heart stopped."What?"The man standing before her tilted his head."I said your father is dead."Amelia shook her head."No.""You saw him die.""No.""You remember the blood."Amelia took a step backward."Stop.""You remember his hand.""Stop!""You remember him telling you to run
The Archive exploded with light.Amelia screamed.Damian pulled her against his chest as the chamber shook violently around them.Glass shattered.Metal screamed.The floor beneath their feet trembled as if something enormous had just awakened beneath the estate.The baby cried.The seven children appeared at the entrance.And the Curator,For the first time,looked afraid."No," he whispered.Amelia lifted her head.Her eyes were fixed on the Archive.A thousand images were moving across its surface.Not randomly.They were arranging themselves.Memories.Dates.Names.Faces.Events.Everything Amelia had forgotten.Everything she had never known.Everything that had been hidden from her.And then one word appeared.ARCHITECT.Damian stared at it."What does that mean?"Nobody answered.Amelia slowly stepped forward."I know."Mara grabbed her wrist."No."Amelia looked at her."I know what it means."Mara shook her head."You're not ready.""I've been told that my entire life."Amel
The world disappeared.Amelia couldn't hear Damian.Couldn't hear the Curator.Couldn't hear the alarms screaming somewhere beyond the chamber.There was only darkness.Then,A child's cry.A little girl.Three years old.Amelia opened her eyes.But she wasn't standing inside the Archive anymore.She was somewhere else.A laboratory.White walls.Cold metal beneath her tiny bare feet.She looked down at herself.Small hands.Small arms.A hospital gown far too large for her body.And then she saw him.The boy.The First Subject.He was sitting behind the glass, his knees pulled against his chest.He looked at her through the window."You came back."Three-year-old Amelia smiled."I told you I would."The memory shifted.---"Mara, you can't do this."Samuel's voice.Amelia turned.Her mother stood beside a table covered with files.Mara was crying."I have no choice.""There is always a choice.""Not when they have both my daughters."Amelia froze.Both?The memory shifted again.A ba
The estate doors stood wide open.No one moved.Amelia stared at the enormous entrance.The lights inside were on.Every single one.But there was no one standing in the doorway.No guards.No staff.No movement.Just darkness beyond the illuminated hall.Damian stepped in front of Amelia.“Stay close.”She nodded.The baby remained unusually quiet in her arms.His eyes were fixed on the estate.Almost as though he recognized it.Anastasia whispered:“He knows this place.”Amelia looked at her.“How?”“I don't know.”The oldest boy stepped forward.“I do.”Everyone turned.He stared at the estate.“This is where they brought us after the laboratory.”Amelia's heart sank.“You've been here?”“Once.”He pointed toward the eastern wing.“That was where they trained us.”Damian's face hardened.“In my home?”The boy nodded.“You didn't know.”Damian looked at the estate.“I should have.”“You were a child too.”Damian said nothing.Alexander stepped forward.“We don't have time.”Amelia l
Dozens of armed men emerged from the darkness.Amelia froze.Anastasia grabbed her arm.“Don't move.”Damian stepped in front of both sisters.“Stay behind me.”The men surrounded them.Weapons raised.Alexander stood among them, blood running down the side of his face.Amelia stared at him.“Dad…”Alexander looked at her.“Don't believe what you see.”The Curator smiled.“He still thinks he can protect you.”Damian's eyes narrowed.“You're not taking anyone.”The Curator looked at him.“I'm not here for everyone.”His gaze moved to the baby.“I'm here for him.”Amelia held her son tighter.“You'll never touch him.”The Curator smiled.“That depends on whether Damian makes the right choice.”Damian stepped forward.“There is no choice.”“There always is.”The Curator raised one hand.Every soldier lowered their weapons.Damian frowned.“What are you doing?”“Giving you a chance.”“A chance for what?”“To save your wife.”Damian's expression changed.The Curator pointed toward Amelia.
The ground shook again.Amelia screamed as Damian pulled her against him.“Hold on!”The floor beneath them cracked.A violent tremor ripped through the chamber, sending equipment crashing against the walls.The baby in Amelia's arms began crying.“It's okay,” she whispered desperately. “Mommy's here.”The moment she said it, the crying stopped.Damian looked at her.Then at the baby.Another tremor came.This one was stronger.A section of the floor collapsed.Adrian grabbed the edge of the doorway.“WE HAVE TO MOVE!”The seven children immediately began running toward the exit.“Amelia!”Damian reached for her.She clutched the baby tighter.“I have him!”“I know. Move!”They ran.Behind them, the chamber exploded into darkness.Something enormous moved beneath the laboratory.A deep metallic groan travelled through the walls.Then came a sound that didn't belong to any machine.A heartbeat.Slow.Massive.THUMP.Amelia stopped.THUMP.The baby in her arms opened his eyes.THUMP.Hi
For one terrifying second, Damian thought he misheard.The noise of the ballroom faded into the background.“What did you say?”On the other end of the call, the hotel manager sounded nervous.“Mrs. Vale collapsed near the west entrance. Security said she nearly fainted in the rain.”Damian’s grip
The moment Amelia signed the papers, the ballroom erupted into whispers.Some people pitied her.Most enjoyed the spectacle.After all, scandals involving powerful families were entertainment for the rich.Amelia could practically feel their eyes burning into her skin as she placed the pen down car
The crystal chandeliers of the Grand Orion Hotel glowed above the crowd, casting gold across silk gowns and tailored suits. Laughter echoed through the ballroom, champagne glasses clinked softly, and cameras flashed toward the stage where the powerful elites of the city gathered.At the center of i
“Amelia!”The sound of Damian’s voice echoed through the apartment with a panic nobody had ever heard from him before.Sophie gasped.Nathan froze.And Adrian immediately lifted Amelia into his arms as her body went limp against him.“Move.”His calm tone cut sharply through the chaos.Years of med







