He looked through the mansion window and saw his wife shoving his children into a locked doghouse.

A dull throbbing began behind my eyes.

I set the cup down slowly. My vision blurred at the edges. My tongue felt thick and heavy in my mouth. I tried to stand, but my legs folded beneath me. I slumped to the floor, gasping, my heart hammering a wild, uneven rhythm against my ribs.

She had already done it. Before we even sat at the table. Before I followed her into the shadows. She had poisoned me hours ago, slowly, carefully, ensuring I would never connect it to her.

I crawled toward the door, dragging myself inch by inch across the carpet. Every breath felt like fire. My fingers brushed the handle, but I could not grip it. I slumped against the wood, struggling to call out. My voice came out as a ragged whisper.

Adrian.

I do not know how long I lay there. Darkness crept in at the corners of my sight. I thought of Lily and Noah. Waiting for me. Trusting me to keep them safe. I thought of Adrian. Waiting for Clara to make her move at the vault, unaware the danger had already struck inside my own room.

Footsteps ran down the hall. The lock turned. The door flew open.

Adrian stood there. His face drained of all color. He dropped to his knees beside me and gathered me into his arms.

“Grace! Grace, look at me!” He pressed his hand to my face, his voice cracking. “Call an ambulance. Now!” he shouted over his shoulder. “Get help!”

“I heard them,” I managed to say, clutching his shirt. “Clara… and Marcus. They worked together. The tea…”

“I know. I know, my love. Save your strength. Help is coming.” Adrian lifted me easily in his arms. His stride was long and desperate as he carried me down the stairs. “Stay with me. Open your eyes. Look at me.”

I clung to his collar, fighting the pull of unconsciousness.

“She means to destroy the notebook… blame Vanessa… then kill you and take everything.”

“Not if I find them first,” Adrian said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “Security found the passageway minutes ago. They saw Clara return to her rooms. Marcus is being held downstairs. He tried to leave through the kitchen door. He had a vial in his pocket. The same substance they gave you.”

Relief washed over me, soft and weak. They were caught. At least part of them were caught.

But then I remembered. Clara was clever. She had planned for this.

“Clara knows you found the passage,” I whispered. “She will not wait to be taken. She will run. And she will not go alone.”

Adrian stopped. He looked toward the staircase leading to the children’s wing.

Lily and Noah.

Adrian handed me into the arms of the arriving paramedics with one sharp instruction—*Watch her. Keep her safe.*—and then turned and sprinted back up the stairs, taking them two at a time, his face grim and set.

The paramedic worked swiftly. An IV line. Oxygen. My breathing steadied as the antidote began to flow. But I kept my eyes open, staring up at the ceiling, listening. Waiting for the shout. The sound of running feet. Anything.

Minutes dragged by. Then I heard footsteps descending rapidly. Adrian. And he was not alone.

I turned my head. Adrian walked into the hall holding Clara firmly by the arm. She struggled, her face twisted in rage, every trace of the gentle cousin gone forever. Behind them came two security guards. And Lily. Running behind them, crying.

Adrian stopped beside the stretcher and knelt, placing one hand over mine. His expression was dark with fury, but his voice was gentle when he spoke to me.

“She was already in their room,” he said quietly. “She had a bag packed. She meant to take them. To disappear. To hold them hostage until I agreed to her terms.”

Clara laughed, a wild, broken sound.

“You have no idea what you have done,” she spat at Adrian. “You think this ends with me? You think Marcus and I invented this plan alone? We were only following orders!”

“Whose orders?” Adrian demanded.

Clara’s eyes flickered toward Lily. Then back to Adrian. She smiled—a terrible, knowing smile.

“Keep your enemies close, Adrian. And keep your family closer. That is what your grandfather always said. Remember it.”

Adrian stood slowly. He signaled the guards. They led Clara away, still shouting riddles and warnings that made the air feel thin and dangerous.

“She did not act alone,” I whispered. “Even above Marcus. There is someone else.”

Adrian looked at me, his face pale and drawn. He squeezed my hand.

“I know. And I promise you… I will find out who stands at the very top of this shadow. And when I do… I will end it, once and for all.”

The ambulance doors closed. As we pulled away from the gates, I looked back one last time at the great house rising against the night sky. Beautiful. Grand. Full of secrets.