Chapter 31

Helena Chen stepped into the gleaming lobby of the Meridian Hotel like she owned the place—and perhaps, once upon a time, she might’ve said she did. Her heels clicked against polished marble, the echo sharp and commanding. She was elegance dressed in steel—flawless makeup, a coat tailored to perfection, and an expression that said she hadn’t come to play games.The mirror-like elevator doors caught her reflection as she paused, adjusting the diamond earring on her left ear. Her skin, kissed by six months of Milanese spa treatments and distance, glowed. But beneath the surface—under the highlighter and the silk blouse—was something far less peaceful. Restlessness. Bitterness. Rage, sharpened with patience.The elevator pinged open.Penthouse.Helena didn’t hesitate.The top floor smelled faintly of fresh-cut peonies and imported leather. The door wasn’t locked. It never was.She pushed it open and walked in like she had the right—because, frankly, she believed she did."Victoria."Her

Last Updated : 2025-07-20

Chapter 32

Grace's hands wouldn’t stop trembling.The tiny room felt smaller with every passing minute, as if the walls were inching closer, trying to crush the air out of her lungs. A flickering overhead bulb buzzed like an insect trapped in amber, casting jagged shadows across the floor. The silence wasn't peaceful—it was full with dread.She paced across the cracked linoleum floor, her phone gripped tightly in one hand like a lifeline. The other hand kept curling and uncurling against her chest, her fingernails digging into the cotton of her sweater as if pressure could keep the panic inside.Luna's voice still echoed in her ears.“Grace?”It had been cautious. Raw. Laced with disbelief, but undeniably familiar.Hearing her again had felt like stepping barefoot into a memory—painful, but grounding.“She remembered the lullaby,” Grace whispered, half to herself. “She remembered the hummingbird…”“You did the right thing.”The voice came from the corner of the room. Soft. Steady. Wrapped in sha

Last Updated : 2025-07-20

Chapter 33

The red tulip sat on the desk like a silent threat.Grace couldn’t take her eyes off it. Her chest rose and fell in shaky breaths. The letter opener trembled in her hand, catching the dim light every time her fingers twitched. Across from her, Damien stood like he had all the time in the world. Calm. Like they were old friends catching up. Not predator and prey.“You remember tulips, right?” His voice was soft, too soft. “Your mom loved them. Red ones. Just like this.”Grace’s jaw clenched. Her grip tightened on the letter opener. “Don’t.”“Don’t what?” He tilted his head like a child pretending to be confused. “Talk about Elise? About how she used to braid your hair while telling stories? Or how she’d make us hot chocolate when I stayed over?”“Stop.” Her voice cracked.He stepped closer. His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “She was like a second mother to me. After my dad left… after my mother lost her damn mind with her plans. Elise took me in. Fed me. Held me when I cried.”Grace bac

Last Updated : 2025-07-23

Chapter 34

The phone slipped from Luna's trembling fingers. The gunshot echoed in her mind like a death knell."Grace!" She dove for the phone, pressing it against her ear. Static. Silence. Nothing.Grayson caught her as her knees buckled. "Luna, what happened?""She's... the gunshot... Grace is..." The words fractured in her throat. Her sister's final warning replayed endlessly: Don't trust anyone. Not even—"Breathe." Grayson's hands framed her face. "Tell me what you heard.""I think they found her." Luna's voice broke. "someone shot her, Grayson. My sister is— I think she was shot. She might be dead."The words hung in the air like shattered glass. Grayson pulled her against his chest, but Luna felt hollow. Empty. Grace had reached out after decades of silence, only to be murdered within hours."We don't know that," Grayson said quietly. "The call could have—""I heard it." Luna pushed away from him, fury replacing grief. "The gunshot. Her voice stopping mid-sentence. She was trying to warn

Last Updated : 2025-07-25

Chapter 35

Grace's world was pain and darkness. She floated between consciousness and oblivion, aware only of gentle hands and a soft voice whispering words she couldn't quite grasp. The gunshot wound in her shoulder burned like fire, but she was alive. Somehow, impossibly, alive. "Shh," the voice murmured. "You're safe now." Grace forced her eyes open. A woman's face hovered above her—kind eyes, graying hair, features that seemed strangely familiar. The woman was tending to her wound with practiced efficiency. "Who..." Grace's voice came out as a croak. "Someone who's been looking for you for a very long time," the woman said softly. She pressed a cool cloth to Grace's forehead. "Don't try to talk yet. You've lost a lot of blood." Grace's mind was foggy, but fragments of memory surfaced. Damien's face. The gunshot. The phone call with Luna cutting off mid-sentence. "Luna," she whispered. "Your sister is safe. For now." Grace tried to sit up, but gentle hands pressed her back