Chapter 34

CH 34

Who Are You?

Sophia’s POV

For the first time that night, she looked unsure.

The silence pressed against her ears. The ballroom no longer felt grand. It felt close. Watching. Waiting.

“Where is what?” she repeated, but her voice had lost its earlier brightness.

Alexander did not blink.

“The crescent birthmark.”

The words were clear. Unavoidable.

Sophia swallowed. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A murmur moved through the guests again, louder now. Not admiration. Not celebration.

Suspicion.

Julian stepped forward slightly, his tone controlled but firm. “The birthmark on your back. Upper spine. Crescent-shaped. It has been documented.”

Sophia’s heartbeat thudded violently in her chest. She forced herself to stand straight. To breathe evenly.

“Birthmarks fade,” she said quickly. “Or maybe it’s just not visible under these lights.”

Alexander’s eyes darkened.

“Birthmarks do not disappear.”

That did it.

The ballroom shifted from confusion to something sharper.

Victoria moved instantly, placing herself closer to Sophia. “This is unnecessary,” she said smoothly. “She’s overwhelmed. It’s a big night. Surely this can be discussed privately.”

Alexander’s gaze moved to Victoria.

“Stay out of this.”

The authority in his voice sliced through her composure. For a brief second, even Victoria hesitated.

Sophia felt the ground slipping beneath her heels.

“Alexander,” she tried again, softer now, almost pleading, “I am your sister.”

The word hung in the air.

Sister.

He stepped closer.

Close enough that only she could see what lay beneath his calm.

Disappointment.

And something colder.

“If you are,” he said quietly, “then answer the question.”

Her mind raced. Every memory she had rehearsed. Every detail she had memorized. Every file she had studied.

None of them covered this.

Guests had stopped pretending not to listen. Phones were lowered but recording. Board members exchanged uneasy looks.

Julian’s voice cut in again, steady and clear. “The real Isabella Hartwell was identified by that mark when she was found.”

Found.

The word echoed differently now.

Sophia’s eyes flickered — not to Alexander.

To Victoria.

Just for a second.

But it was enough.

Alexander saw it.

His jaw tightened.

The silence deepened.

Then he asked it.

Calm.

Direct.

Deadly.

“Who are you?”

The question carried across the ballroom without him raising his voice. It echoed off crystal and marble, off stunned faces and frozen smiles.

Sophia opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

For the first time since stepping into this mansion, she had no prepared answer.

And everyone could see it.Her lips trembled slightly before she pressed them together. The confidence she had worn like armor all evening was cracking, piece by fragile piece. The chandelier lights that once felt warm now felt harsh, exposing. Her breathing grew uneven, shallow enough that Julian noticed.

Victoria’s fingers tightened around her arm in silent warning.

“Say something,” Victoria whispered under her breath.

But Sophia couldn’t.

Because for the first time, she realized the performance was over.

And the audience was no longer applauding.

They were judging.