Semua Bab THE HEIRESS THEY BURRIED : Bab 1 - Bab 8

THE WOMAN WHO FOLLOWED NUMBERSThe city of Los Angeles never truly slept.Even at nine o'clock on a Wednesday evening, the streets below glittered with movement. Cars crawled through traffic like streams of red and white lights, while towering glass buildings reflected the last traces of sunset fading beyond the horizon.Twenty-six year old Elara Quinn barely noticed any of it.She sat alone in her office on the twenty-third floor of Quinn & Mercer Forensic Accounting, her eyes fixed on a sea of spreadsheets displayed across three monitors.Most people would have been exhausted after staring at numbers all day.Elara wasn't most people.Numbers were comforting.Numbers were predictable.Numbers didn't wake up one morning and decide to betray you.People did.Her fingers danced across the keyboard as she examined another suspicious transaction.A construction company had somehow reported a loss of six million dollars despite recording record profits.To everyone else, it looked legitim

THE PENTHOUSE OF SECRETSThe city lights blurred outside the car windows.Elara sat silently in the passenger seat, her hands clenched tightly in her lap.The events of the night replayed endlessly in her mind.The hidden account.The video message.The armed men.The dead security guards.Lucien.Especially Lucien.She turned slightly to look at him.His hands rested calmly on the steering wheel as the black sedan sliced through the rain-soaked streets of Los Angeles.How could someone look so composed after everything that had happened?People had died.Someone was hunting her.And somehow he acted as though this was just another Tuesday.The realization irritated her.“You’ve been awfully quiet.”Lucien’s voice broke the silence.Elara folded her arms.“Maybe because armed men tried to kill me.”His jaw tightened.Fair enough.For several moments neither spoke.The tension inside the car felt almost tangible.Finally, Elara reached her limit.“No.”Lucien glanced at her briefly.“N

THE CHILD THEY TOOKThe photograph hit the floor.Neither of them moved to pick it up.Elara couldn’t.Her legs felt weak.Her chest felt tight.Her mind refused to process everything she had just heard.For twenty-six years she had believed she was abandoned.For twenty-six years she had carried questions that nobody could answer.Why didn’t they want me?Why didn’t they come back?Why didn’t they look for me?Now, in less than twenty-four hours, everything had changed.You weren’t abandoned.The words echoed through her mind.Again.And again.And again.Lucien stood a few feet away, watching her carefully.As though he expected her to break.The worst part?She wasn’t sure she wouldn’t.“Tell me everything.”Her voice sounded distant.Almost unfamiliar.Lucien remained silent.That silence lasted three seconds too long.Elara laughed bitterly.“Of course.”His jaw tightened.“Elara…”“No.”She stepped backward.Her emotions finally boiling over.“No more pieces.”“No more half-trut

NOT THE WHOLE TRUTHThe room froze.Nobody moved.Nobody breathed.Vivienne stood inside the penthouse as though she owned it.The white dress she wore was flawless.Untouched.Untainted.A stark contrast to the armed men surrounding her.Elara's pulse hammered.How had she gotten this far?How had she breached every layer of security?But more importantly…What did she mean?"Not the whole truth, Lucien."The words echoed inside Elara's mind.Again and again.Lucien stepped forward immediately.Positioning himself between Elara and Vivienne.Protective.Instinctive.Familiar.Vivienne noticed.A faint smile touched her lips."Still doing that."Lucien's voice was ice."Leave."Vivienne laughed softly."As always, straight to the point."The armed men remained silent behind her.Waiting.Watching.Not one of them lifted a weapon.Not one.And somehow that made the situation even more unsettling.Because it suggested they didn't think they needed to.Elara's eyes moved between Lucien a