All Chapters of The Secret Son Of Lucien Ardent: Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

"The first one, darling. The one Eleanor paid to 'die' so Lucien could have his prize. Did you really think an Ardent would let you have a past they didn't own?"The voice in the headset was a chilling symphony of nostalgia and malice. I froze, the medical shears in my hand trembling against Lucien’s blood-soaked bandages. The world inside the vibrating helicopter cabin seemed to tilt."Julian?" I whispered, the name tasting like copper and old regrets. "That’s impossible. You died in that fire. I saw the wreckage. I saw the report!""Reports are just stories for people who don't have enough money to rewrite the truth," the voice purred. "Lucien didn't just take your future, Elowen. He bought your grief. He paid for my 'death' so he could play the hero who rescued the broken widow."I looked down at Lucien. His eyes were open now, glassy and clouded with pain, but I saw the flicker of recognition at the sound of that voice. He tried to speak, his chest heaving, but only a wet wheeze e

The silence that followed Julian’s collapse was more deafening than the rotors of the helicopter. Eleanor Ardent stood frozen by the mahogany desk, her hands—once the instruments of a global empire—trembling against the velvet upholstery of her chair. I held Liam so tightly I could feel his small heart hammering against my ribs, a frantic rhythm that mirrored the chaos of the last hour."Get him out of here," I commanded, my voice cold and steady, even as my soul felt like it was fraying at the edges.Sarah didn't hesitate. She hauled a gasping, semi-conscious Julian toward the door. As they passed Lucien, Julian’s eyes flickered with a dying spark of resentment, but Lucien didn't even look at him. Lucien’s gaze was fixed on me—or perhaps, on the child I was shielding from him."Elowen," Lucien rasped, his legs finally giving out. He slumped against the doorframe, the biometric unit skittering across the floor. "The boy... is he...""He’s alive, Lucien. No thanks to your family’s lega