Isabella's POV The glass didn't fall inward; it disintegrated.A high-velocity projectile, likely a non-lethal acoustic round from the lead drone, turned the pane into a cloud of lethal sand. I dove for the floor, shielding the sapphire box with my chest. Beside me, the laptop screen flickered as the wired hardline was severed by the blast. Eleanor’s face vanished into a smear of static."Down!" Liam’s voice was a bark. He shoved the mattress off the frame, creating a makeshift barrier against the open window.I tasted dust. I tasted iron. I looked at the glass slide clutched in my palm. It was a thin sliver of history, stained with a dried, dark crimson smear. Look at the blood."Isabella, the stairs," Liam said. He was already on his feet, his posture low, one hand gripping the edge of the nightstand to steady himself. His injured shoulder was a map of red."The slide," I said, my voice thin. "Liam, if she isn't my mother, then the trust—""The trust is a ghost. We have thirty seco
Last Updated : 2026-01-19 Read more