The Vale estate had always had a quiet kind of power.
It wasn't silent.
Never silent.
But it was controlled.
Everyone spoke carefully. Every move had a reason. Every choice was made in rooms that kept secrets.
Lila had lived in that place long enough to understand its rhythm.
What she hadn't known—
Was how much of it was hidden from her.
Until now.
It all started with a door.
Not a dramatic one.
Not a f*******n chamber sealed with guards and warnings.
Just a door she had never seen open before.
It was in the inner hallway, close to Dorian's study.
It looked normal.
Blending into the architecture like it had always been there.
Because it had.
And yet—
Lila had never stepped inside.
That fact alone spoke volumes.
She stood there for a while, longer than she probably neede
