CHAPTER 9

Adrian Vale sent the message at exactly midnight.

No phone call.

No warning.

Just a video.

Nathan wanted to destroy the device immediately.

I stopped him.

"No."

He looked at me.

"Sarah."

"He wants us to react emotionally."

Nathan frowned.

"And?"

"And people who control others hate losing control."

I pressed play.

Adrian appeared on the screen.

Older.

Gray hair.

Same cold eyes.

"Sarah Mitchell."

Hearing my old name felt strange.

Like hearing a person who no longer existed.

"You always were difficult to predict."

Nathan stepped closer.

"Turn it off."

I ignored him.

Adrian smiled.

"You probably told Nathan about me."

A pause.

"But you didn't tell him everything."

My body went still.

Nathan looked at me.

I hated that.

Because he was right.

There were still things I hadn't said.

Adrian continued:

"Tell him why you really left."

The video ended.

Nathan waited.

That was worse.

Anger would have been easier.

Instead, he waited.

"What didn't you tell me?"

I sat down.

Because suddenly my legs felt weak.

"When I left Adrian..."

I swallowed.

"He didn't just let me go."

Nathan's expression changed.

"What happened?"

"He threatened my family."

Silence.

"My father disappeared for six months."

Nathan's hands tightened.

"Sarah."

"I thought Adrian had something to do with it."

"Did he?"

I looked at him.

"I never found proof."

Nathan looked away.

And I knew.

That answer bothered him.

Because Nathan lived in a world where missing proof didn't mean innocence.

The next morning, we received another message.

This time it wasn't from Adrian.

It was from someone inside the estate.

A photo.

Marcus and Mason sleeping.

Taken from inside their bedroom.

The caption was simple.

YOU SAVED THEM ONCE. CAN YOU SAVE THEM AGAIN?

Nathan exploded.

Security teams moved instantly.

But I stayed still.

Because something was wrong.

The photo angle.

The reflection in the mirror.

The timing.

I zoomed in.

And saw something nobody else noticed.

A reflection.

A person standing behind the camera.

A person wearing a staff uniform.

I whispered:

"He's still here."

Nathan looked at me.

"Who?"

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I looked toward the mansion.

"The person who helped Adrian get inside."