Chapter 39

CH 39

Find Her

POV: Alexander / Julian

The police vehicles disappeared beyond the iron gates of the Hartwell estate.

Their flashing lights faded into the night, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than the chaos that had filled the ballroom minutes earlier.

Inside the mansion, the grand hall slowly emptied.

Guests who had once arrived with bright smiles and expensive gifts now departed quietly, their voices lowered to cautious whispers. Luxury cars rolled down the long driveway one after another, their headlights cutting through the darkness like silent witnesses to the scandal that had unfolded.

What was meant to be a celebration had turned into something far more dramatic.

A revelation.

A confession.

And an arrest

Victoria’s confession replayed in Alexander’s mind like an unwanted memory. Her words had changed everything and confirmed the doubts that had been growing for days. The name still felt strange in his thoughts.

Elena.

Because she was not just a stranger who had crossed their path. She was family.

Julian stepped beside him, loosening the tight cufflinks on his sleeves as he glanced around the nearly empty ballroom. The celebration had ended, but the tension still lingered in the air.

“Well,” he muttered quietly, “that was definitely not the kind of party the investors expected.”

Alexander didn’t respond. His gaze remained fixed on the darkness beyond the tall windows.

Julian studied his brother’s expression for a moment before sighing. “You’re thinking about her.”

Alexander finally spoke. “Yes.”

Julian rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling slowly. “All this while,” he said quietly. “All this time… and we accepted her.”

Alexander’s jaw tightened.

Julian continued, his voice heavier now. “Neglecting our own sister… pushing her out of her own home.”

The words lingered in the silent ballroom.

Victoria had made sure of it. She erased Elena from the family records. She manipulated the DNA results. She even framed her for the missing necklace. Every piece of the deception had been carefully planned.

And it worked.

For a while.

They had believed it.

Worse… they had allowed Elena to be thrown out of her own home.

Alexander finally turned away from the window. “We wasted too much time.”

Julian frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

Alexander’s voice remained calm, but there was a firm determination behind it. “If Victoria hadn’t confessed tonight, we might never have discovered the truth… or cleared our doubts.”

Julian nodded slowly. “That’s unfortunately true.”

Silence settled between them again.

Then Julian exhaled quietly. “I should have trusted my instincts earlier.”

Alexander glanced at him.

Julian leaned against the table beside him. “When I saw that hair clip in Elena’s hair… something felt wrong.”

Alexander’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Julian continued. “It looked exactly like the one our mother used to keep among Isabella’s things.”

Alexander remembered it now. A small silver hair clip shaped like a crescent moon. Their mother had treasured it, saying it once belonged to Isabella when she was a child.

It had seemed like a small detail at the time.

Easy to ignore.

But Julian hadn’t ignored it.

“That was the first moment I started questioning everything,” Julian admitted quietly.

Alexander said nothing, but the memory stirred something heavy in his chest.

Julian sighed again. “But by the time we started looking deeper… she was already gone.”

The word echoed quietly in the empty ballroom.

Gone.

Alexander’s expression hardened. “Then we find her.”

Julian looked at him carefully. “You’re serious.”

Alexander met his gaze without hesitation. “She’s our sister.”

The words carried weight. Responsibility. And something deeper.

Regret.

Julian straightened slightly. “Finding someone who we throwed out of her home won’t be easy.”

Alexander’s voice remained steady. “We’re the Hartwells.”

A faint smirk touched Julian’s lips. “Fair point.”

At that moment, Laniel Reeves approached from across the ballroom, the investigation folder still in his hand. “The authorities have taken Victoria and Sophia away,” he reported.

Julian nodded. “Good.”

Laniel continued, “The charges will be processed by morning.”

Alexander turned to him. “Do we have anything on Elena?”

Laniel opened the folder and scanned the documents inside. “Very little.”

Julian frowned. “Define very little.”

Laniel flipped another page. “After she left the Hartwell household, most of her records became scattered. Temporary jobs. Short-term housing. Different cities.”

Julian shook his head slowly. “She’s been surviving on her own all this time.”

Alexander’s expression darkened.

While they had lived in luxury…

Their real sister had been struggling somewhere in the world alone.

Laniel closed the folder. “We can begin a search immediately.”

Alexander nodded once. “Do it.”

Julian crossed his arms thoughtfully. “We should also hire a private investigation team.”

Alexander agreed. “I want the best.”

Laniel nodded. “I’ll arrange it tonight.”

Alexander turned back toward the empty ballroom. The chandeliers still glowed above them, reflecting off the polished marble floor. The decorations of the celebration remained untouched, but the atmosphere had changed completely.

Tonight had not only exposed a lie.

It had revealed the truth.

And somewhere out there, Elena was living a life that was never meant to be hers.

Alexander’s voice was quiet but firm. “Wherever she is…”

Julian finished the sentence. “We’ll find her.”