Braelyn’s POV
"I think I know who drugged ..."
Lucien was still massaging my feet when the words left my mouth. His fingers paused for a fraction of a second before continuing, slower this ti. His touch was gentle, and I could already feel the tension leaving my body.
His brows arched slightly as he looked up at . "You suspect Alia?" he asked. It was one of the most oblivious suspicions but she couldn’t have done it alone.
I shook my head imdiately, my fingers tightening slightly around the edge of the couch. "She might be involved, but she does not have that kind of access. Alia doesn’t have direct access to my food and before the open marriage facade she barely ca to my ho..."
Alia mostly appeared at family functions and public events. She kept her distance and that’s why I didn’t suspect her of having evil intentions towards my marriage.
His attention shifted fully to then, the teasing ease from earlier having completely gone. He leaned back slightly, still holding my ankle in one hand, waiting for to continue. He had that familiar calculation look in his eyes.
I drew in a slow breath, trying to steady my thoughts. "I need you to find soone," I said quietly. "Do you rember what Richard said? About a maid who could impersonate ? Soone who knew all my habits and had a similar stature."
Lucien’s gaze sharpened, and I knew he rembered. "Yes." He drawled.
I glanced toward the window as I spoke, my thoughts drifting with the movent outside. Soft snow had started to fall, quietly outside, dusting the world in white. It was the first snow of the year.
For a mont, it almost felt peaceful..Then everything I had just learned settled back in, it was a heavy weight to carry.
"I think that maid is the key to everything," I continued, my voice steadier now. "Alia would not risk involving too many people. She is careful and has been planning my marriage ruin for only God knows how long.." I hissed at the thought.
Lucien’s hands resud their slow movent, but his eyes never left . "So you think this maid is working for her," he ntioned while listening to the details.
I nodded then my lips parted to answer. "Yes. And it makes sense now. When Alia took over the house, she changed almost everything. Staff, routines, even small things that made no difference."
I swallowed, my chest tightening slightly as the mory surfaced.."But she only fired one maid." I rembered that fact. Then I thought she was just being petty but it might have been sothing deeper.
Lucien’s fingers stilled again.
I let out a quiet breath, my gaze still fixed on the falling snow. "At the ti, I thought she was isolating . That she was trying to take away anything familiar."
A faint, bitter smile touched my lips which didn’t reach my eyes as a bitter taste filled my mouth.
"She was more than just a maid to . She had been with since childhood. We were close. She handled almost everything for . My als, my tea, even my dication when I forgot." My voice trailed off as I listed everything out.
Lucien’s expression darkened, but he said nothing.
I continued, my voice softer now, almost distant. "She knew my routines better than anyone. There was even a ti when I was younger... I made her impersonate just to skip school. With contacts and a face mask, it would be hard to tell..." A chill crept up my spine because I could never have thought of this before.
A hollow laugh slipped out. "And it worked," I stated. His breath stilled.
I finally turned to look at him. "If there is one person who could impersonate without raising suspicion, it is her."
The silence between us thickened. "And now it makes sense," I added, my voice dropping. "Alia did not fire her to isolate . She fired her to erase her."
Lucien’s jaw tightened slightly, his gaze turning colder with every word. "What is her na?" he asked. His jaw was clenched as he waited.
"Sylvia Kent," I answered without hesitation.
A silent beat passed after her na slipped out. Lucien gave a small nod, already processing, already moving steps ahead. "I will have soone find her," he said calmly. "If she is involved, we will know soon enough."
I watched him carefully, noticing the shift in him. The calm was still there, but he was like a tiger waiting for his prey.
"But we cannot stay hidden anymore," he continued. "You have been gone for too long. Raphael is already losing control, although he had gotten enough ti to breathe. It’s ti I move to the next step. If there is no Volkov Apex he would have nothing to hold you back with..."
My stomach tightened slightly at the ntion of Raphael..Lucien stood then, his hands leaving my legs as he straightened. "My n will handle finding Sylvia," he added. "I will focus on Raphael."
There was a brief pause before his gaze settled back on with a sharper intensity.."It’s ti we returned ho. To our ho.." he said quietly.
Our ho. For a mont, I just stared at him, my thoughts scrambling to catch up. A ho with Lucien might have felt absurd before but there was no escaping anymore. I wasn’t running from the truth again.
It was ti I moved in with him. My hand moved instinctively to my flat stomach, my fingers resting there as if grounding myself.
There was no going back now.
I let out a slow breath and nodded. "Then I will inform the Voss family," I said quietly. "They deserve to know." I was a mber of the Voss family. Margaret had already handled the transition of the properties which were in my na to .
Lucien’s gaze softened just slightly, but the determination in it did not fade. "You should do that or Francesca would lose her mind," he replied with a soft note.
Outside, the snow continued to fall, quiet and steady, covering everything in white. It almost looked like a fresh start but I knew better.
This was not the beginning of peace.
It was the beginning of the war.
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