LOGINLila’s POV
“I’M SORRY,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
The words left my mouth feeling heavy, like cement pressing down on my chest. My stomach twisted in knots, but my face betrayed nothing.
I forced the corners of my lips into the faintest curve of apology. Just enough to satisfy Adrian’s eyes in the room, sharp and calculating, without giving him the full weight of my revol
Adrian’s POV“THEY THINK they’re clever,” I said.The words left my mouth low and measured, but the irritation beneath them was sharper than I preferred.Across the desk, the head of my private security team didn’t react. He stood still, hands clasped behind his back, posture straight, waiting.Good.At least someone in this house still understood discipline.I leaned back slowly in the chair, letting my gaze drift to the monitors mounted across the far wall. Multiple camera feeds flickered quietly. Hallways. Entrances. Grounds. The estate looked calm from a distance.It always did.That was the illusion.“Run it again,” I said.The man nodded once and reached for the tablet in his hand. With a few precise movements, the footage shifted. The timeline rolled backward.There.I leaned forward slightly. “Pause.”The frame froze.Lila.Standing near the east corridor, her expression unreadable from the angle. But her posture… Different. Subtle. But I knew her.I studied the image. “She’s
Lila’s POV“WE DOit at the wedding,” Jacob said.The words settled into the room like a decision already made.I stood near the center table, my hands resting lightly against its edge, feeling the cool surface press into my palms. The space around us was quiet, sealed off from the rest of the estate. One of the older conference rooms my father used for private meetings. Fitting.Unsettling.Because it felt like he should be here.Instead, it was us.Jacob leaned forward slightly across from me, his expression focused, grounded in a way that made everything feel more real. More immediate.Marco stood to my left, flipping through a set of printed documents with controlled precision. His movements were sharper than usual. Tighter.And across the table, Vivienne sat like she belonged exactly where she was. Relaxed. Observant. Watching all of us like w
Marco’s POV“YOU SHOULD never have opened that drive,” I said.The words came out sharper than I intended.I watched Lila’s expression shift across the small space of the garage office. Not fear. Not hesitation.Resolve. That made it worse.Jacob stood just slightly in front of her, not blocking me, but close enough that the line was clear. Protective. Steady. Unmoving.I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face.“It wasn’t meant for you to see like that,” I added, quieter this time.Lila didn’t step back. She didn’t soften. She just held my gaze.“It was meant for me,” she said.Her voice was firm. Certain.“He made it for whoever found it,” I replied.“For me,” she repeated.The conviction in her tone hit harder than anything else.I swallowed, glancing briefly at the laptop still open on the table. The black screen reflected all three of us. Distorted. Fragmented.Like the truth we were standing in.“You don’t understand what you just stepped into,” I said.“I do,” she shot bac
Lila’s POV“MY NAMEis Daniel Montgomery,”the video began.The sound of his voice hit me harder than anything else.My breath caught in my throat.For a second, I couldn’t move.I couldn’t think.I just stared at the screen at him, alive.Sitting behind his desk, the same one we stood beside now. The lighting was dim, shadows cutting across his face, but it was him. Every line, every familiar detail, every quiet strength I remembered.My chest tightened painfully.“Lila…” Jacob said softly.I didn’t look at him.I couldn’t.If I did, I might break before I heard everything.“I’m okay,” I whispered, even though my voice trembled.But I wasn’t okay.Not even close.I stepped closer to the desk, my fingers cur
Lila’s POV“THE OFFICE was locked after his death,” Marco said.The words settled heavily between us.I tightened my grip on my phone, staring at the darkened hallway ahead of me. The east wing of the estate always felt different at night. Quieter. Colder. Like the walls remembered things they weren’t supposed to.“I know,” I said softly.Jacob shifted beside me, his presence steady, grounding. I could feel the warmth of him even without touching. It helped more than I wanted to admit.Marco’s voice came through again, low and cautious.“Lila, I mean it. No one’s been allowed in there. Adrian made sure of it.”A flicker of anger moved through my chest.Of course he did.“Then it’s a good thing I stopped asking permission,” I replied.There was a pause on the other end. Then a quiet exhale.“I’ll keep watch from my side,” Marco said. “But if anyone notices you’re gone…”“They won’t,” Jacob cut in, his voice calm but firm.I glanced at him.He was already focused, scanning the hallway,
Lila’s POV“YOU’VE been very busy lately,” Adrian said.The words landed softly, almost casual.But something cold slid through my chest anyway.I didn’t look up right away.Instead, I focused on the delicate porcelain teacup in my hands, watching the faint ripple on the surface as my fingers tightened just slightly around it. My reflection wavered in the liquid. Distorted. Unsteady.Like me.I placed the cup down carefully on its saucer before I answered.“I didn’t realize I needed permission to move around my own home.”My voice came out calm.Too calm.I lifted my gaze then.Adrian stood across the sitting room, one hand tucked neatly into his pocket, the other resting lightly against the back of a chair. He looked relaxed. Effortlessly composed. Like he had all the time in the world.Like he wasn’t watchi
Lila’s POV“WHY AREyou still awake?”The words came out of my mouth before I even realized I was speaking.Jacob turned his head slowly, cigarette paused halfway to his lips. The singl
Lila’s POV“ARE YOU planning to stare at that wall all morning, or are you actually going to speak to me?”Adrian’s voice cut through the quiet like a blade tapping against glass.I had been sitting at
Lila’s POV“TAKE YOURtime with that page. There is no rush.”Marco’s voice was calm, unhurried, the kind of tone that made a person breathe a little easier without realizing it.I looked up from
Lila’s POVADRIAN STOODat the head of the dining table and lifted his wine glass like he was opening a board meeting instead of a family dinner.“I thought it would be nice to bring a little structure to the evenin







