Three days after the incident in the hallway, I finally made my decision.I was going to read the records.The triplets had left the file in Mira's care. It was a heavy, leather-bound folder containing exact photocopies of the Duchess's meticulous documentation. I had stared at it every single day since I returned to the greenhouse. I was completely terrified to open the cover, yet entirely unable to look away from it. It sat on my workbench like a live explosive.Now, sitting alone with the afternoon light pouring through the glass walls, I reached out and flipped the leather cover open.The very first page was dated eighteen years ago. The year of my parents' death. The fire. The entry began with a cold, clinical description of the tragic accident that had claimed two brilliant researchers and left their young daughter orphaned.Directly below that summary, written in the Duchess's elegant, sweeping handwriting, was a single sentence.Orphan secured. Debt obligation activated. Veyn
Last Updated : 2026-08-23 Read more