THE HEIRESS NOBODY KNEW

tarted bef

lready covered with puddles, and the sound of rain t

et closer to her body a

awake for a

ecome diffi

worried about anyt

as what she kept

at the small alarm

2 a

re

herself o

. There was a sofa near the window, a wooden table that doubled as her

sn't

great for them a

the mirror hanging

ooked

m sleep, and there were fai

si

ful morning, th

at her own

he did whenever li

jo

sm

ept m

opping mea

brought questions she

om the mirror and

clean and neatly arranged. She picked out a

another da

ng sp

at was what

s behind the counter of the

rush had a

cof

r needs th

n you take

swering customers with the same polite

morn

will be re

nk y

a nice

good at

use she

survive and be contente

d against the counter du

u do this

looked

wh

at pe

a lau

art of

ed here as long as you have

st do eve

laug

ause Monday

na s

nds, everythin

above the ca

walk

arely lo

always ne

about this one

the usual customers who

tro

tly fitt

e-lookin

of confidence that made people

café before taking a

dged E

custo

n see

u g

y m

se I'm

terally doi

otionall

rolled

e impo

enu and walked towa

mornin

n look

eyes

ment, neither

ed calm, but somethin

gnit

a fro

ey met

ldn't r

ng," he fin

as deep and

et you s

the menu with

ffe

t ki

la

hing

N

ote it

rig

rned t

ai

stop

ed at h

s your

a hes

hy

tly surprised b

ner of his m

ike ordering coffee from some

him a susp

a strang

s

es

smi

me is

at him fo

, Adr

you

d have wa

, she a

ian

ickered acro

hat she almo

," he r

no

e will be r

alked

watch

t touch

look at

her disappear be

sion slowl

ething famili

face e

hing

uldn't give an

his coat and pul

al missed calls

nored

essage he had received

found a

ed a r

t

the message

e dele

n't su

t time, he thought he might

the coffee on

e yo

nk y

rned t

ian

ooked

es

e met b

ows pulle

N

you s

tty

died h

genuinely

hink I'd f

a bli

posed to be a

ay

ughed

itely haven't

alked

atched h

ing wa

n't kn

e had seen th

in p

a pho

hotograph to

tting inside his father'

h he had on

aph he had ne

Eliana returne

on the chair and k

nal

e kitchen and open

st e

ared i

mor

clos

uld go to the m

would organiz

ally fix the loose han

orr

od at promising hersel

hone

ed at th

wn nu

frow

answer unk

ade her press t

el

le

el

th

he cal

ared at h

ay.

d it on t

ds later, i

ame n

answ

is

l si

voice finally

ay from

na f

ha

ne wen

iately ca

r was una

began beat

as Ad

Adrian which is th

someone call

t down

t was a

e

nvinced herself to be

ook he

are st

d to dis

ning stayed

ian stood inside his

emained untouc

coming here whe

e too man

nanswered

had been a

built an empir

been one subject he

gi

na

ecr

toward the l

ng the books until he

d out a thick

ered the

pene

ume

ogra

paper cl

ed the firs

he st

h fell from

cked

d a litt

e been more than

as the lady he had met

ia

red at the

w tigh

f it was a ha

und, do not let h

ad it

third

hone

red imme

el

iar voi

one k

expressio

ho

n't kn

do the

pa

she's

d down at th

ieved the girl in the

, he had b

she now?

ready look

nt comple

ha

u've been as

ilence f

he voi

orking a

wly closed

egan falling

miliar

range

hotog

ia

d his ey

her fu

n the other

ans

ana

s face

w that

seen it

rece

rs

father had ordered

d back at th

smiled innocentl

o idea wh

hat belon

in the city, people w

t impor

missing heiress of one of the mos

his grip around

looking

er came

ery

all e

d standing in

wondered whether uncovering th

in even gre

Eliana cou

ed staring a

's words kept repl

ay from

urned

the strange way Adri

he knew

rying to remember where

sa

ly are you

was asking himself an en

Eliana

hat the answers were b

that someone had alread

ad remained hidden f

don't stay b

s finally begin

contin