Chapter 9: Blood Ties and Betrayals

Back at the Lockwood estate, Clara stood in front of the grand mirror in her room, staring at her own reflection. The face she wore now—a picture of poise, strength, and control—was worlds away from the girl who once begged for affection in the Quinns' crumbling house.

Rosalind's words kept echoing in her mind: You weren't adopted. You were stolen.

She could feel the weight of that truth sinking into her bones.

Her phone buzzed.

It was Adam.

> We need to talk. Meet me in the garden. Now.

Clara slipped on her coat and made her way out. The garden, illuminated by antique lanterns and a pale moon, was quiet… too quiet.

Adam stood waiting beneath the old willow.

"I know you visited Rosalind," he said without turning around.

"You've been spying on me."

"I've been protecting the family," he snapped. "Rosalind is dangerous."

"No," Clara said evenly. "She's the only one who told me the truth and the only one I trust now."

Adam's jaw tightened.

"My father did what he had to," he said after a beat. "You weren't supposed to come back. And now that you have… you're going to ruin everything."

"Everything?" she echoed. "You mean the inheritance? The company?"really.

"Our legacy."

"My legacy," she corrected him. "I'm not going to be quiet anymore, Adam. And if you or your father had anything to do with what happened to me—"

His face hardened. "Don't push me, Clara. You have no idea what's at stake."

"I

do now," she said. "And I won't stop."