All Chapters of THE HEIRESS THEY BURRIED : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

ASHES OF THE PASTThe pages floated through the air.Like snow.Like ashes.Like the ghosts of twenty-six years refusing to stay buried.Marcus lunged first.“No!”His calm facade shattered completely.For the first time, Aurora saw the real man beneath the polished exterior.Desperate.Terrified.Sebastian moved just as fast.“Grab the journal!”The command echoed through the vault.Gunfire exploded.Lucien fired first.Two of Sebastian’s men dropped instantly.Alexander covered Aurora’s left side, forcing the attackers behind the stone pillars.Bullets ricocheted across the marble walls.The vault erupted into chaos.Aurora clutched the journal tightly against her chest.Half its pages were already gone.Scattered across the floor.Others drifted through the air.Marcus dove after one.Another.Another.He wasn’t interested in Aurora.He wasn’t even interested in Lucien.He wanted the pages.Every single one.Vivienne watched him with narrowed eyes.Then realization flashed across h

INTO THE FIREFive minutes.The words echoed through the building like a death sentence.Nobody moved.Nobody spoke.The emergency lights continued flashing.Red.Cold.Relentless.Aurora stood in the middle of the corridor, Lucien’s hand wrapped tightly around hers.She could feel his pulse.Fast.Steady.Alive.She refused to let go.Victor was already issuing orders.“Seal every lower entrance.”“Move the civilians through Tunnel Three.”“Snipers to the east roof.”The guards scattered immediately.No hesitation.No panic.Only discipline.Vivienne looked toward the ceiling as another explosion shook the building.“They’re planting charges.”Lucien nodded.“They’re trying to collapse the upper floors.”Aurora’s stomach tightened.“They’re willing to kill everyone.”Victor’s expression hardened.“Sebastian always is.”A voice crackled through Lucien’s earpiece.“Sir!”One of his security men sounded out of breath.“They’ve breached the west wing!”Gunfire erupted somewhere nearby.R

THE FINAL LIESilence.Nobody moved.Nobody breathed.The words echoed through the ruined operations room.“Lucien Vale is.”Aurora stared at Eleanor.Then at Lucien.Then back again.Her mind refused to understand.“No…”The whisper barely left her lips.Lucien looked just as stunned.“What did you say?”Eleanor lowered her gun slowly.“I said you are the second heir.”Sebastian burst into laughter.Cold.Mocking.Amused.“I was wondering how long it would take you to tell him.”Lucien’s jaw tightened.“Enough.”“No.”Sebastian smiled.“It’s about time everyone stopped pretending.”Victor looked as though he had seen a ghost.Vivienne didn’t speak.She couldn’t.Because the impossible…Had suddenly become possible.Aurora shook her head.“This doesn’t make sense.”She looked at Eleanor desperately.“Lucien isn’t a Blackwell.”Eleanor’s expression softened.“No.”“He isn’t.”Another pause.“But his mother was.”The room froze.Aurora blinked.Once.Twice.Lucien remained perfectly sti

THE PHOENIX RISESSilence.Absolute silence.Aurora stood frozen.“My Queen.”The words echoed through the warehouse.Again.And again.And again.She stared at the woman kneeling before her.Then at the dozens of riders behind her.Every single one remained on one knee.Heads bowed.Waiting.Not for Lucien.Not for Alexander.For her.Aurora swallowed.“I… think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”The woman slowly stood.A faint smile touched her lips.“No.”Her voice was calm.“We’ve been searching for you for twenty-six years.”Aurora’s pulse hammered.The leader removed a silver chain from around her neck.Hanging from it…Was the exact same phoenix emblem engraved on Aurora’s memory pendant.The room froze.Alexander looked stunned.“It’s the Royal Guard…”Vivienne nodded slowly.“I thought they were destroyed the night of the fire.”“There were rumors.”Lucien finished quietly.“But no proof.”The woman inclined her head.“We made sure there wasn’t.”Aurora looked between them

THE BLACKSTONE VAULTMorning arrived.But peace did not.The Blackwell Estate buzzed with activity.Federal agents moved in and out of the mansion.Evidence boxes filled the hallways.Computers.Documents.Weapons.Years of secrets were finally being uncovered.Yet Aurora couldn’t bring herself to care.She stood alone on the balcony.Watching the sunrise over Los Angeles.The city looked beautiful.Normal.As though nothing had happened.As though blood hadn’t been spilled in its shadows for more than two decades.Footsteps approached quietly behind her.She didn’t turn.“I knew I’d find you here.”Lucien.His deep voice wrapped around her like warmth after a storm.She smiled faintly.“You always do.”He stepped beside her.Neither of them spoke for several moments.The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.For the first time, it felt peaceful.“You should be resting,” he finally said.Aurora looked out at the city.“So should you.”Lucien’s bruises had begun to darken.His ribs were still