Her Daughter’s Lover のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 101 - チャプター 110

The morning of Lucian’s birthday felt brighter than it should have.Not just the usual kind of bright—the kind sunlight makes when it slips through clean windows and dances across hardwood floors—but a brightness that felt deliberate, almost staged. Too golden. Too perfect. Like the world was trying a little too hard to soften the edges of the last few weeks.My father’s absence clung to the corners of the house no matter how cheerful the voices were. Even with balloons tied to chairs and glitter paper scattered across the dining table from the girls’ hurried last-minute decorations, the silence underneath it all still hummed like a bruise.But I pushed it aside. Today was for Lucian.“Mommy!” Aria’s voice pierced through the hallway before I even had time to sip the coffee warming my palms. “The glue spilled—again!”Of course it did.I set the mug down and hurried toward the chaos.The living room had been transformed overnight—or at least attempted to be—into a festive explosion: ra

Cassian stormed into the living room first, his energy crackling like lightning—wild, loud, impossible to contain. Adrian followed right behind, quieter but sharper, his eyes scanning the room with swift precision.Cassian’s gaze went straight to Lucian.Adrian’s went straight to the notes.And both of their faces changed instantly.Cassian picked up the second note—the one that said YOU’RE NEXT—and his expression darkened in a way I didn’t often see. His smile faded, the humor evaporating from his eyes. He looked… older. Harder.“Who left this?” he demanded.Lucian shook his head. “We don’t know.”Adrian crouched beside the scrapbook, examining the first note without touching it. His calmness wasn’t comforting—it was clinical, the kind of calm that came before a calculated takedown.“He wasn’t supposed to die,” Adrian read aloud, his voice low. “So whoever wrote this thinks the death was deliberate… or premature.”Arian’s little fingers clenched around my shirt.Cassian paced, hands

The next sound made my stomach flip. A heavy crash from the living room, then the unmistakable clatter of furniture being shoved aside.Lucian’s body went rigid. “Now,” he whispered, almost to himself, before springing into action.Cassian and Adrian followed instantly, moving like trained shadows, flanking Lucian on either side. I pressed Arian to my chest, trembling, but Lucian’s presence was a shield. Every movement he made screamed, I will protect you.I wanted to scream, to panic, but Lucian’s eyes locked on mine for a moment, steadying me. Not yet. Breathe. Wait.From the living room came the sound of shattering glass and metal scraping across the hardwood floor. Darius Mercer. He was inside.And he wasn’t alone in his chaos.A sudden movement caught my eye—Darius darted behind the couch, sliding across the floor with predatory precision. His black clothing blended with the shadows, but his eyes… his eyes were impossible to miss. Cold. Calculating. Glinting with amusement.Cassi

The cabin was silent once more, but the weight of what had just happened pressed down on all of us. Darius Mercer’s presence lingered like a shadow that refused to fade, and the folded paper he left behind burned in my hands.Lucian unfolded it again, studying the words carefully. “‘The past is only the beginning. The legacy must survive, or all is lost.’” His voice was low, tight with tension. “This isn’t just a warning. It’s a message. He wants us to follow the trail. To uncover the legacy… and to fail in the process.”Cassian flopped onto a chair, running a hand through his hair. “Great. So he gives us a riddle and expects us to figure it out before he comes back to destroy us. Perfect. Totally manageable.”Adrian crouched beside the desk, studying the scattered envelopes and documents. “It’s more than a riddle. Your father clearly prepared for this. Every location, every symbol… it’s a chain. And this message? It’s the next link.”I pressed the paper to my chest, staring at the wo

The drive to the next location was heavy with tension. Every shadow along the road felt like Darius Mercer was watching, waiting, anticipating our every move. The girls sat quietly in the backseat, Arian gripping my hand tightly, Aria leaning against my shoulder with wide, cautious eyes.Lucian drove with sharp focus, scanning every intersection, every alley. “Stay alert,” he said softly. “He’s testing us. He’s gauging our reactions. Every second counts.”Cassian muttered under his breath, “I’m too old for this. Also, what happened to simple birthdays and ice cream?”I shot him a look, trying to suppress my own fear. “We survive this, Cass. That’s what matters.”Adrian ignored him, already scanning the city from the corner of the windshield. “The next location is a private estate on the outskirts. It’s abandoned now, but heavily secured during the day. Mercer will expect us to approach recklessly. That’s why we won’t.”Lucian nodded. “We move slowly, systematically. Every inch of grou