Episode7
1016 Words
Isabella's POV
I nodded against his chest, not trusting myself to speak. Nathaniel’s arms stayed firm around me, his heartbeat strong and steady — a sound I shouldn't have memorized.
“Go be with the girls,” he whispered, pulling back just enough to look at me. “I need to speak with Henry and the security team.”
I nodded, blinking back the tears, and turned away before he could see them fall.
As I climbed the stairs, my hands clenched at my sides. Everything was unraveling faster than I could catch it. Sophie was rattled. The plan with Davis had failed. And Alex… Alex was sniffing closer to the truth.
I walked into the girls’ bedroom and found Emily fast asleep, curled into a tiny crescent, her thumb near her lips. Natasha, however, was sitting cross-legged on her bed, cradling a book in her lap. She looked up when I entered.
“Jenna?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
Her voice was small. “Why was Grandpa yelling?”
I crossed the room and sat beside her, gently closing the book. “He got a little wet, that’s all. It was just an accident.”
Her eyebrows puckered. “But why was everyone so scared?”
Because I failed. Because someone else pushed him before I could. Because I’ve put this entire house in a storm I’m no longer sure I can control.
“Sometimes grownups overreact, Natasha. But I promise everything’s okay now.”
She nodded slowly and leaned into me. “You smell like roses,” she mumbled sleepily.
My heart ached. These girls were never supposed to mean this much to me. And yet… they did.
When they were both finally asleep, I stepped into the hallway and pulled out my phone to message Sophie. Before I could even type, her message came through.
Sophie: Meet me. Urgent.
I bit my lip. This was not the night for another detour, but something in my gut said it couldn’t wait.
Ten minutes later, we were both seated in the back of Sophie’s car, parked at the edge of the estate’s rear driveway, hidden from the cameras.
“What happened back there?” I asked, whispering even though the car was silent.
“I got spooked,” she confessed. “When I saw Nathaniel dragging you away, I thought the plan was blown.”
“Someone else pushed Davis.”
“I know,” she said. “And we may not get another chance like that.”
I nodded, trying to steady my thoughts.
She leaned forward, eyes serious. “That’s not all. I found something — on the encrypted backup drive from the Blackwood archives.”
I froze. “Tell me.”
She pulled a small printed paper from her bag and handed it over.
Project Eden — that cursed name again.
“It’s a preliminary budget draft,” she said. “Signed by two people. Elaine Watson... and Lucien Blackwood.”
My mother and Nathaniel’s father.
“The date on this?” she whispered. “Three weeks before your parents died.”
The air sucked out of my lungs.
“They were co-developers,” Sophie said. “But somehow, all records after this point remove your mom’s name entirely.”
I stared at the page. A forged history. A silenced legacy.
“I also found something else,” Sophie added. “I don’t think Nathaniel knows. About the project. About what really happened. I think it was all orchestrated by Lucien… and Alex.”
I swallowed hard. “Then I need to get closer to Davis.”
“Be careful,” she said. “Alex is watching. He might know.”
I looked away. “He does. And he threatened to kill me.”
Sophie’s breath caught. “Bella—”
“I can handle him,” I lied.
Because I wasn’t sure anymore.
Back in the mansion, the air was thicker than before. Nathaniel’s voice echoed from the living room where he was speaking to Henry.
I hovered near the stairs just in time to hear Henry say, “There’s no sign of a break in. But whoever tampered with the cameras knew what they were doing.”
Nathaniel rubbed his jaw. “Keep digging. And call the tech team. I want a fresh install on every floor.”
I stepped quietly back upstairs, my heart in my throat.
Later that night, while the house slept, I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the velvet box I had taken from the office earlier that day — the one I had returned after discovering the bracelet inside. My mother’s bracelet. The one meant for her Godson.
Nathaniel had it. But what did it mean?
Was he her godson?
Had he known my parents all along?
And if so, why hadn’t he said anything?
Unless… unless he didn’t remember. Or didn’t know the bracelet's origin. That was possible, wasn’t it?
My thoughts were spiraling. And the silence of the house felt like a trap.
I reached for my phone. My hands were shaking.
Me: Sophie, I need to know who delivered the last few packages to Blackwood House in the past six months. Maybe the bracelet came recently. If so, Nathaniel didn’t know.
Her reply was quick.
Sophie: On it.
The next morning, I awoke to something strange.
An envelope on my nightstand.
I hadn't heard anyone come in.
I sat up slowly, eyes narrowed.
No name on the front. Just my room number, written in thick black ink.
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a folded note. Old paper. Smelled faintly of smoke.
“He didn’t fall. He was pushed. Just like your father.”
My blood ran cold.
There was no signature.
Just a second line:
“Don’t trust anyone. Not even the ones who say they love you.”
I gripped the sheet tighter.
This changes everything.
Who left the note?
How did they know?
And what did they mean — just like my father?
I stood, the room spinning.
Who was watching me?
- Writer
