FAZER LOGIN“Pearl.”The name hung in the room.Amelia stared at her mother.For the first time, Mara didn't look like a victim.She didn't look frightened.She looked tired.Like someone who had carried a secret for far too long.Amelia slowly released Noah's hand.“You knew.”Mara's eyes filled with tears.“Yes.”“You knew who I was.”“Yes.”“You knew about Noah.”Mara nodded.“You knew about Samuel.”“Yes.”Amelia's voice broke.“And you let me live all these years without knowing any of it?”Mara swallowed.“I thought I was protecting you.”Amelia laughed bitterly.“Everyone keeps saying that.”She wiped her tears.“Dad said it. Samuel said it. Now you're saying it.”She stepped closer to Mara.“But nobody ever asks whether I wanted to be protected.”Mara lowered her head.“You're right.”The admission silenced Amelia.Mara took a breath.“I was wrong.”Alexander looked at her.“Mara…”“No.”She turned toward him.“No more.”Her voice was calm.“She deserves the truth.”Alexander didn't argue
Nobody breathed.The little boy stood between Amelia and the staircase, clutching the old photograph against his chest.Daniel—or whoever he was—had stopped smiling.The man's entire expression had changed.“You know,” Damian said quietly, “I was wondering when you would finally stop pretending.”The stranger's eyes shifted toward him.Amelia looked between them.“Damian…”“Stay behind me.”The boy suddenly grabbed Amelia's hand.“Don't let him take me.”Amelia immediately pulled him closer.“I won't.”The stranger laughed softly.“You still do that.”Amelia frowned.“Do what?”“Protect people you don't understand.”He reached into his pocket.Damian raised his weapon.“Don't.”The man stopped.Then slowly lifted both hands.“I don't need a weapon.”Alexander stepped forward.“You've already done enough.”The stranger looked at him.“Have I?”His voice changed.It was deeper now.Colder.“You destroyed my identity.”Alexander's face tightened.“You destroyed yourself.”The man smiled.
Nobody moved.The voice from upstairs had silenced the entire house.Amelia's fingers tightened around Damian's hand.“No,” she whispered.Damian looked at her.“What?”She shook her head. “I don't know.”A slow smile could be heard in the man's voice.“You always said that when you were afraid.”Amelia's heart pounded.Alexander stepped toward the staircase.“Stay behind me.”Adrian immediately moved beside him.“You're not going anywhere alone.”Alexander looked at him.“This isn't your fight.”Adrian gave a humorless laugh.“You disappeared from my life for years. You don't get to decide what my fight is.”Another sound came from upstairs.A chair scraping against the floor.Then silence.Damian looked at Amelia.“Stay here.”“No.”“Amelia—”“I've spent my entire life being told to stay behind someone.”She stepped forward.“Not anymore.”Damian stared at her for a moment before nodding.“Then we go together.”They climbed the stairs.One step at a time.Alexander followed.Adrian
For several seconds, nobody moved.The words remained on the screen.THE CHILDREN WERE NEVER CREATED BY REUNION.THEY CREATED REUNION.Amelia stared at them, her breathing shallow.“No,” she whispered.Alexander stood several feet away, his face unreadable.“Dad…”He looked at her.“I know.”“You knew?”“I knew enough to be afraid.”Damian stepped closer to Amelia.“What exactly are you saying?”Alexander looked at him.“That Reunion wasn't originally a project.”He paused.“It was a response.”Elena's expression changed.“Alexander…”“I have kept this secret long enough.”Adrian folded his arms.“You've been keeping secrets since we were children. Start talking.”Alexander walked toward the screen.“When Amelia and Adrian were children, there was an incident.”Amelia frowned.“What incident?”“The first memory.”She froze.The strange childhood memory.The room.The newborn.The little girl.Lucian.The flashes that had haunted her for years.Alexander continued.“Before Reunion had
The car sped through the empty streets.Nobody spoke.Amelia stared at the photograph on her phone.Her father.Her mother.Together.Alive.After everything she had believed for years.She couldn't make sense of it."Adrian.""Yes?""Where are we going?""To a house your father prepared years ago.""Where?""You'll know when we get there."Damian looked at him through the rearview mirror."I don't like that answer."Adrian smiled faintly."I don't like the situation either."Amelia turned toward Damian."What if my father really is behind everything?"Damian reached for her hand."Then we'll face him together.""And if he's not?""Then we'll find out the truth."She squeezed his hand."I don't know what to believe anymore.""You don't have to."Damian looked at her."Just believe me."Amelia smiled faintly."I do."---An hour later, the car turned onto a narrow road surrounded by trees.There were no streetlights.No houses.Nothing.Then Adrian stopped in front of an enormous iron
The gunshot echoed through the hotel.Amelia froze.Damian immediately pulled her behind him."Stay here."Another gunshot.This time, closer.Adrian rushed toward the staircase."Don't come down!"A man's voice answered from below."Too late."Footsteps thundered through the lobby.Damian looked at Richard.He was still conscious, but blood was spreading across his shirt."Richard!"Elena rushed toward him."He needs help."Damian pulled out his phone."No signal."Adrian looked toward the hallway."They blocked the network.""Who are they?" Amelia asked.Adrian looked at her."The replacements.""What does that mean?"Before he could answer, the lights came back on.Three men stood at the bottom of the staircase.All dressed in black.One of them raised his weapon."Amelia Hart."Damian stepped forward."Put the gun down."The man laughed."Still playing the hero, Damian?"Damian's expression hardened."Who sent you?""The same person who sent everyone else.""Who?"The man smiled.
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
Damian Vale did not sleep that night.By three in the morning, the entire top floor of Vale Corporation remained brightly lit while executives and assistants moved nervously through the hallways like soldiers preparing for war.Nobody dared ask questions.Nobody dared mention Amelia.But everyone c
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







