CHAPTER 76: THE LAST OF THE BLOODLINEVENUS:I took the photo from Elspeth and took a long look at it. It was a picture of a chubby child with cute brown eyes.There was no smile on the baby's face as she stared at the camera and it looked as though she knew she was about to face the cruel world without her beloved parents.Maxine took the picture from me and also looked at it. “This was certainly you, Venus,” Maxine remarked without hesitation. “You held on to the officer's shirt stubbornly and didn't even bother to smile at the camera.”I chuckled. I knew Maxine was trying to ease the tension on my shoulders.Elspeth shuffled around in her slippers, gathering a few things that had something to do with me. “You said… I had a mark,” I reminded her softly, trying to prompt her memory.She nodded slowly, then sat across from me and leaned forward. “Yes. A crescent-shaped mark, like a half-moon… right here.” She motioned to my shoulder. “That mark is not just any birthmark, my dear. It’
CHAPTER 75: THE FIELD OF ASHESVENUS:I could barely keep my hands from trembling as Maxine helped me out of the black SUV. We were finally in New York—standing in front of the building that had once been my home, the one place that might hold the key to everything I never knew about myself.“”Welcome to St. Hilary's Home for Infants and Children,” Maxine read aloud from the faded brass plate nailed above the doorway.The building looked smaller than I imagined, with peeling white paint and a wooden porch that creaked under our feet. It felt more like an echo of the past than a beacon of answers. I took a deep breath, trying to steady the weight in my chest.Maxine pushed the door open and stepped in first. “Hello?” he called, his deep voice commanding and smooth.An older woman appeared from a side hallway. Her eyes were guarded, like she’d seen too many stories, too many lost children.“Good morning,” Maxine greeted her politely. “We’re looking for information on a girl who was adop
CHAPTER 74: PLEASE HELP ME VENUS:Margaret's lips parted, and for a moment, I thought she might bang the door on our faces. But instead, she stepped aside and murmured, “Come in.”Maxine followed close behind me as we entered the house. The living room was dark and cold, despite the sun outside. The curtains were drawn, and there was a thick layer of dust on some of the furniture. The coffee table still had the old photo frames—except now they were turned face-down.Maxine sat down calmly but didn’t let go of my hand.I glanced around. “Is Uncle Raymond home?”She hesitated. “He’s… not home.”That was a lie. A bold, poorly delivered lie.I tilted my head slightly. “Yes, he is.”Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? Where did you learn to challenge me?”“This is not about challenges, Aunt Margaret. I just heard his voice,” I said, my voice calm but firm. “He called your name from the back room.”Maxine’s body tensed beside me.My aunt’s face went white.I turned to Maxine. “I swear.
CHAPTER 73: A TRIP TO MY PAST VENUS:Maxine’s deep voice woke me from sleep and when I opened my eyes, I saw him standing at the foot of my bed, fully dressed and already looking like a cover model from a werewolf CEO magazine.“Baby,” he called softly, like he didn’t want to wake me too harshly. “Get ready. We’re going to visit your uncle.”I sat up slowly, blinking the sleep from my eyes. “Uncle?” I was still drowsy from sleep and forgot that we had a discussion about visiting uncle Raymond.“Raymond,” he said, walking over to pull the covers off me gently. “We’re going to find out the truth about your biological parents.”My heart thumped heavily in my chest. The last time I saw Uncle Raymond was months ago, and that memory was something I don't like to remember. He had bursted into the library where I sat with a book in my hand, asking me to return home with him. I was a slave here but my life in this pack was so much better than what I went through living with uncle Raymond. I
CHAPTER 72: ON YOUR KNEES, OLIVIA VENUS:Maxine took my hand, locking eyes with. “Listen, I think we should go talk to your uncle, Raymond first. He might know something,” he suggested.My body stiffened instinctively. I had gone through a lot while I lived with him that just the mention of his name left me nervous. Now I understand why uncle Raymond treated me so badly. He probably knew we weren't related.Crystal nodded in support of Maxine's idea. “I think we should go talk to him. He might give us a hint on how to find your biological parents.”Maxine turned to me, his expression serious. “If Raymond can't help us, then we will go to the palace and ask for a DNA test.”I stared at him. “I really want to see Celeste.”“You’ll see her eventually,” he replied. “If there’s a connection between you two, we will find out. Don't worry Venus, we'll find answers.”My pulse raced. I didn’t know if I was ready for whatever truth might come out of this.But I nodded anyway.Maxine leaned in
CHAPTER 71: SHE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE YOU VENUS:I was reading one of my favourite books when the door opened. The sound made me lift my eyes from the sentence I’d read three times without understanding. It was just a romance novel but I couldn't understand how a billionaire and his wife could make their maid get pregnant for him without the maid knowing that he slept with her.“Hey, you're okay?” Maxine said as he walked in.I looked up from the book clutched in my hands and found Maxine stepping into my room, hair still damp from a fresh shower, wearing a dark shirt that clung to his chest like a second skin. He looked exhausted… but in that rugged, broody kind of way that made it impossible to look away.He smiled softly. “Caught you reading again, little wolf?”I smiled back and closed the book. “It’s better than curling up and worrying about what chaos tomorrow will bring.”Without a word, Maxine crossed the room, leaned down, and kissed me—slowly, deeply. The kind of kiss that ma