Damien's POV(First POV switch)
The board meeting is a disaster.
Someone leaked our Q3 projections to the Wall Street Journal. Our stock is dropping by the minute, and my board members are demanding answers I don't have.
This is a catastrophic breach of security, Richards growls. We need to find the source.
We will, I say, voice cold. But right now, we focus on damage control.
But I'm barely listening. My mind is on Isla, alone at the mansion with Julian's poison working its way into her head.
I should have told her the truth years ago. Should have confessed everything before someone else could twist it.
But how do you tell the girl you love that you're responsible for her parents' deaths? That every moment of safety you've given her was built on murder?
You don't. You bury it and hope it stays buried.
My phone buzzes. Security alert from the mansion.
Someone entered through the back garden entrance. Someone Isla let in.
I pull up the camera feeds and see Harper Chen sneaking through the shadows.
Fuck.
I end the meeting early and call Elias. Get the car. Now.
Sir, the board
I don't care about the board. Isla's in danger.
The drive back to the mansion takes twenty minutes that feel like hours. By the time I arrive, it's almost dark.
I find Isla in her room with Harper, both of them looking guilty.
What's going on? I ask, keeping my voice calm.
Nothing, Isla says too quickly. Harper just came to visit.
Through the garden entrance? Without notifying security?
Harper stands, defiant. Maybe because your security is invasive and creepy.
You don't live here. You don't get to make that call.
Neither do you, Isla says quietly. Not anymore. I'm eighteen.
The rebellion in her voice should anger me. Instead, it terrifies me.
I'm losing her.
Harper, I need to speak with Isla alone.
No, Isla says. Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of her.
This is not a negotiation.
You're right. It's not. Isla stands, her eyes blazing. Because I'm done negotiating my own life. Done asking permission. Done being controlled.
Isla
Get out, Damien.
The words hit like a physical blow.
What?
Get out of my room. Now. Before I call security myself and have you removed.
Harper's eyes widen. She didn't expect this either.
I look at Isla—really look at her—and see a stranger. Not the broken twelve-year-old I took in. Not the compliant teenager I raised.
A woman who's done being caged.
We'll talk about this tomorrow, I say evenly. When you're calmer.
I'm perfectly calm. And we'll talk when I'm ready. Not before.
I leave before I do something I'll regret. Like lock her in her room. Like confess everything just to make her look at me with something other than defiance.
Like beg.
Downstairs, Elias is waiting. Sir, we have another problem.
What now?
Julian Cross just filed a petition with the court. He's challenging your guardianship, claiming you've been financially exploiting Isla and emotionally manipulating her.
Of course he is. Because Julian sees opportunity in Isla's rebellion.
Schedule a meeting with our lawyers. First thing tomorrow.
Already done. But sir... Elias hesitates. Maybe you should consider telling her the truth. Before someone else does.
The truth would destroy her.
Lying to her is destroying her anyway. And you.
After Elias leaves, I pour myself a scotch and stand at my office window, looking out at the dark grounds.
Somewhere out there, someone's pulling strings. Sending messages. Leaking information. Turning Isla against me.
Julian? Victoria? Someone else?
It doesn't matter. Because I'll find them, and I'll destroy them before they can touch her.
My phone buzzes. Unknown number.
She found the trackers. Your control is slipping, Blackwood. How does it feel, knowing she's learning the truth? That soon she'll know everything you did? Tick tock.
I crush the phone in my fist, plastic and glass cutting into my palm.
Blood drips onto my desk, but I barely feel it.
Because whoever this is, they're right.
I'm losing her.
And without Isla, I'm nothing.
Isla's POV
After Damien leaves, Harper and I sit in silence for a long moment.
That was intense, she finally says.
I know. My hands are shaking. I've never stood up to Damien like that before.
It felt terrifying and powerful in equal measure.
What do we do now? Harper asks.
We wait for your cousin's report. See what he finds about the accident. I look at the tracking devices on my desk. And we make Damien think everything's fine. That I'm still his compliant little ward.
You're playing a dangerous game.
I learned from the best.
Harper leaves around midnight, using the front entrance this time. Let Damien's security see her. Let him think I'm listening.
But I'm not.
I'm done being controlled.
I'm in bed when I hear Damien's footsteps in the hallway. They pause outside my door, and I hold my breath.
For a moment, I think he'll knock. Come in. Try to explain.
Instead, after a long moment, I hear him walk away.
My phone—the burner Harper brought me—buzzes.
Unknown number: Well played tonight. You're stronger than he expected. But there's something you should know about tomorrow. Julian's filing a guardianship challenge isn't about protecting you. He has his own agenda. And Damien's about to do something desperate to keep control. Be ready.
I stare at the message, my heart pounding.
Everyone's lying.
Everyone's manipulating me.
And I'm caught in the middle of a war I don't understand.