Chapter 18

{Hailey’s Pov}

I couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss.

Julian’s lips on mine. His hands gripping my waist. The heat. The fire. The way he kissed me, like he hated it and wanted it all at once.

It messed with my head. I didn’t even like him.

Julian Lachlan was cocky, rude, and had a way of making me feel like I didn’t belong, even though I was the one who inherited this place.

But still… when he kissed me, my body didn’t care.

I needed air. I left the hidden room in the library, climbed the stairs, and didn’t stop walking until I reached the garden doors. I stepped outside barefoot, the cold stone path shocking me back to reality.

It was still early. The sky was pink and gold. Quiet.

Too quiet. The mansion sat behind me like a beast watching my every move. I looked back at the windows. Some were lit, some dark. I wondered who else was awake. I wondered if Julian was standing behind a curtain, watching me.

Or maybe I wanted him to be. I shook the thought away.

“No more distractions,” I whispered to myself. “Focus.”

There were too many secrets in this place. Too many eyes. Too many games.

George Lachlan didn’t just leave me a house, he left me a test. And I was going to pass it.

Later that morning, Clara found me in the dining room, picking at toast.

“Hailey,” she said gently, “you should eat something real. We’ve got eggs, bacon, and pancakes.”

“I’m good, thanks.”

She gave me a look but didn’t push. Then she handed me a small box. “This came for you.”

I opened it. Inside was a single silver key and a note in George Lachlan’s handwriting. I recognized it from the will.

“The door opens in silence.”

That was it. No explanation. Just that.

“What does this mean?” I asked Clara.

She looked at the key but didn’t answer. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Of course. No one in this house ever gave straight answers. I kept the key close.

By noon, I was back in the west wing. I’d already found one hidden door in the library. There had to be more.

I tried the key in every hallway I passed. Bedroom doors. Study doors. Closets. Nothing.

Then, near the end of the hall, I found a wooden panel with no knob. Just a keyhole.

I slid the key in. Click. The wall opened.

Behind it was a small hallway, dustier than the others. I stepped inside slowly. At the end was a room with nothing but old furniture covered in white sheets. A long mirror stood in the corner. When I pulled the sheet off it, I froze.

There was writing on the glass. Faint. Like someone had written it with a fingertip in steam.

“Blood is louder than truth.”

What the hell did that mean?

I stepped closer. My reflection stared back at me, but something about it felt wrong. Like the mirror knew more than it showed.

“Creepy,” I muttered.

Then I heard a voice behind me.

“You really shouldn’t go into places you don’t understand.”

I turned fast. Marcus.

He stood at the entrance, arms crossed, leaning against the frame like he’d been watching me the whole time.

“Are you following me?” I asked.

“I was here first.”

“Sure you were.”

He stepped inside. “You’re getting bolder, Heiress.”

“I’m trying to understand the house,” I said. “Isn’t that what George wanted?”

Marcus walked over to the mirror and stared at the words. “He wanted to be remembered. That’s all men like him want in the end.”

I watched him carefully. Marcus was different from Julian. Quieter. Smarter. Like he played a longer game.

“You kissed my brother,” he said suddenly, not looking at me.

I blinked. “Is that your business?”

“No.” He looked at me now. “But I notice things. You should be careful, Hailey. You’re already tangled in this family. One wrong move and you’ll choke.”

“Maybe I already have,” I whispered.

There was a long pause. Then Marcus reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He handed it to me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Something George left behind. It wasn’t addressed to anyone. But I think it’s meant for you.”

I opened it.

“To find the end, you must first see the beginning. – G.L.”

Another riddle.

I looked up, but Marcus was already walking away.

“Wait,” I called.

He stopped at the doorway. “This house is watching you, Hailey. Try not to give it a reason to bite.”

And then he was gone.

I stared at the mirror again. At the message. At my reflection.

“Blood is louder than truth.”

Maybe it meant I was family. Or maybe it meant something darker. Either way, I was in it now.

And if this house wanted to play games with me, I’d play back.