4 - Bl

Ares

c of my thoughts as I pour whiskey into

She's hiding

d, I stare at the swirling amber liquid, letting

look more like the devil than a father. He's not wrong to be suspicious. He never is.

say, taking a sip

e when do you defend w

ot just

. "She's gotten under your skin too fast. She's either naive

"This house?" I echo, with a smirk

He never does. He's us

rly," he says coolly. "Sh

nd swallow my urge to las

about," I say, setting the glass down on

"Which is why I'm telling you now-watch

do you,

I

eady beg

ay Ea

m the hours we spent tangled in each other. Her breathing was

wa

never be s

in the dark, splayed over my

ery flicker of vulnerability she tried so hard to hide. She was beaut

o manipulate.

at made her

er. I couldn't.

war to wage. And Ivy was the perfec

sen

allway, past the portraits of my ancestors-men with cold eyes and colder

ypted terminal and

looks too clean. No record before the age of ninete

ill across the screen-her arriving at our estate, her meeting with our staff,

er eyes in one

sh

focu

t some l

a we

ho se

did she

: Thirtee

he night my

ns. I waited by the window for hours, clutching

o the driveway, it wasn't her b

es were cold. He didn't speak. Just

before

s silence told

the one who climbed in first. Her lungs burned alive while he s

ver

on

er let someone close eno

il

t N

e she owned it, wearing one o

in bed," sh

m the screen. "Didn'

and slid her hands onto my s

ed the

" I said, tu

for a second-just one-I th

amien's voice: She'

replied

That

ities-sends me a secured message. It pings my burner phone as

document

middle of butt

n the

rmed alias. Birth records located. Real name: Isadora "

od run

cla

w tha

d raid. A woman found dead in a bathtu

o

sn't r

asn't

here f

chosen me

hone

ber. Scramb

. My voi

al

ks with calm precision. "We

le

she says she

ink. I don

nclair 's

t, every inch of

ang

t the framed photo of me and Ivy from last

hat I ha

that still feels

art he

tion in th

let