جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 50

Ava's POV The rooftop was cold.I sat near the edge, my legs dangling over the side, staring out at the dark sprawl of the estate below. The wind cut through my thin sweater, but I didn't move. I couldn't. My body felt hollow, like someone had scooped out everything inside and left only the shell.The medical report was still in my hand. I'd carried it out of the storage unit without thinking, clutching it like a lifeline. The red ink at the bottom of the page kept flashing in my mind. Unusual genetic marker detected. Flagged for future reference.Flagged. Like I was a package. Like I was a thing to be tracked and studied and controlled.I heard the door open behind me. Soft footsteps on the concrete. I didn't turn around. I already knew who it was.Lucas sat down beside me, not touching, leaving a careful space between us. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The wind howled low, rustling the trees below. Somewhere in the distance, a bird called out, sharp and lonely."Marcus is

Damien POV The envelope burned a hole in my mind all day. I couldn't think straight. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that photo. Margot holding baby Ava. Derek holding Margot's hand. The words on the back—The heir is prepared—echoed in my skull like a curse. I avoided everyone. Stayed in my room, then the gym, then the far end of the garden where no one bothered to look. When Ava passed me in the hallway, I pretended to be on my phone. When Marcus asked if I'd eaten, I grunted and walked away. When Lucas glanced at me across the dinner table, I stared at my plate like it held the secrets of the universe. It was Ava who finally cornered me. I was in the kitchen, pouring a glass of water I didn't want, when she walked in. Her hair was damp from a shower, her face bare and tired. She looked beautiful in a way that made my chest ache. "Hey," she sa

Ava POV The limousine rolled to a stop in front of the main entrance. The doors opened before I could reach for the handle. Guards in black suits flanked the steps, their faces blank, their hands clasped in front of them. The air smelled like pine and cold stone and something else—something old and sharp, like smoke from a fire that never quite went out. Irina stepped out first, her heels clicking against the cobblestones. "Follow me. Madam Kessler has prepared your rooms." I looked at Marcus. He gave a small nod, his jaw tight. We climbed out of the car together, Damien and Lucas close behind. The estate loomed over us, massive and silent, a gothic fortress of glass and black stone that seemed to swallow the light. Inside, the ceilings soared high above us, crisscrossed with dark wooden beams. Chandeliers dripped from the rafters, their crystals catching the faint glow of wall sconces. The flo

Ava POVThe vial was still warm in the guard's hand when the doors opened.No knock. No warning. Just the sudden, violent swing of heavy wood against the wall, and then she was there.Margot Kessler.She stood in the doorway like a queen entering her throne room. Mid-fifties, but preserved like a diamond—flawless skin, high cheekbones, silver-streaked hair swept back from a face that had never known softness. She wore white silk that flowed around her like water, catching the firelight and glowing against the dark wood of the study. Diamonds at her throat. Diamonds at her wrists. And on her left hand, a ring shaped like a serpent coiled around a rose.Her presence stole the air. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I could only stare as she stepped into the room, her eyes finding mine instantly."Ava."The voice. I knew that voice. I'd heard it on the tape, cold and precise, ordering Derek to break me. I'd heard it in my nightmares, whispering through the static of a broken phone. It

Ava POV I found them in a small sitting room near the grand staircase. The guards had tried to hold them there while I was with Margot. Tried and failed, judging by the broken chair in the corner and the blood on Damien's knuckles. They were on their feet the second I walked in. Marcus reached me first, his hands cupping my face, his eyes searching mine for damage. "What happened? We heard you scream." I opened my mouth to answer, but the words wouldn't come. They were stuck in my throat, tangled with the tears I refused to let fall. I just stood there, shaking, while the three of them surrounded me. Lucas moved to the door and closed it quietly. "Give her a minute." "I don't need a minute." My voice came out rough, scraped raw from screaming. "I need to tell you what she said." Damien stepped closer, his face tight with worry. "What did she say, Ava?"