Chapter 26

{Julian’s pov}

Hailey doesn’t know how to stay in her damn lane. How the hell did George think it was a good idea to leave her in the Lachlan house for a full year?

Where the hell are my brothers?

I found them in the west wing sitting room—Marcus pretending to read a book he hadn’t turned a page in, Luca pouring himself whiskey like the sun hadn’t even set, and Aaron scrolling through his phone with fake disinterest. Classic.

The second I stepped in, the air shifted.

I didn’t sit.

“She knows about Eloise,” I said flatly.

That got their attention.

Aaron dropped his phone on his lap. “What the hell do you mean she knows?”

Marcus didn’t even flinch. Of course, he didn’t. “Linda told her.”

Luca muttered a curse. “Linda? That Linda?”

“Yes. Your Linda,” Marcus added without looking up.

Luca leaned back in his chair, his jaw tightening. “She’s not mine anymore.”

Aaron gave a short laugh. “You sure about that? ’Cause she’s still spilling our family’s dirty laundry like she’s being paid to ruin us.”

Marcus calmly folded his book shut. “Hailey asked the right question to the wrong person.”

“And now it’s unraveling,” I snapped. “She thinks this is some treasure hunt—George’s riddles, keys, hidden rooms—but this isn’t a damn game. Eloise—”

“Eloise is dead,” Aaron cut in, sharply. “We all remember. You don’t need to keep repeating it like we forgot.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” I said through clenched teeth. “And none of us should’ve let it go that far.”

Marcus stood, moving to the window. The light sliced across half his face, the other half swallowed by shadow. “She asked me if George killed Eloise.”

That hit like a punch to the ribs.

I stared. “And what did you tell her?”

“The truth,” he said. “That it’s not that simple.”

Aaron gave a humorless snort. “Nothing’s ever simple in this damn house. Every secret’s wrapped in a riddle, and every riddle’s stained in blood.”

I turned to Luca. “Why is Linda still hanging around Lachlan Corp? I thought you ended that circus months ago.”

“I did,” he said, jaw locked. “She’s not over it. She thinks bringing Hailey down is some kind of revenge.”

“She’s not just stirring drama,” I said. “She’s leaving landmines. And now Hailey thinks she’s the next Eloise.”

Silence dropped over the room like a curtain.

“She’s not Eloise,” Marcus finally said, voice low. “But this house is trying to make her one.”

I started pacing, fingers flexing at my sides. My skin felt hot. My blood was buzzing.

“She’s getting too close. She found the letters. She’s unlocking mirror rooms. And she has the key to the garden wing—”

Aaron jolted. “She has what?”

“She doesn’t know what it opens yet,” I said. “But if she figures it out…”

“Then everything comes out,” Marcus said grimly.

I spun toward him. “And what exactly is ‘everything,’ Marcus? You think I don’t remember what happened in that wing? What Eloise saw?”

He held my stare. Said nothing.

Aaron stood too, letting out a slow breath. “Okay, can we all stop pretending Hailey tripped and landed in this mess? George chose her. He didn’t just write her name into a will for fun. He gave her riddles, keys, and control. Maybe we should stop blaming Hailey and start asking why George set this fire in the first place.”

“We can’t undo what George did,” I muttered.

“But we can control what happens next,” Luca said.

Marcus nodded slowly. “Then we’d better move fast. If she steps into that garden wing… we won’t be able to stop what comes next.”

Aaron walked over to the bar cart and poured himself a shot. “So what’s the plan? Lock her in her room? Interrogate Linda? Burn the garden wing to ash?”

“No,” I said. “We don’t scare her. That’ll only make her dig deeper.”

Luca gave me a slow look. “You’re scared.”

I didn’t deny it.

“You’re scared she’ll find the truth,” he said.

“No,” I replied, quieter now. “I’m scared she won’t survive it.”

Marcus turned from the window, eyes shadowed. “Then we make sure she’s not walking into that place alone.”

Aaron raised a brow. “You volunteering to be her dark knight?”

“If I have to,” I said.

Luca shook his head. “She won’t let you. She’s stubborn.”

“Just like Eloise,” Marcus said softly.

Silence again.

I looked at the three of them—my brothers, bound by blood, pride, and secrets. We weren’t a family. We were the aftermath of one. And this house? It wasn’t finished with us yet.

Hailey didn’t understand what she was walking into.

But if she found that door tonight…

God help her.

I turned to leave but paused in the doorway. One last warning:

“If she finds that door… pray she doesn’t open it.”