Reborn for him

Chapter 9:The Name On The List

Alexander's POV

“Gareth has been found.”

Marcus entered my office carrying a report.

“Where?”

“An abandoned hunting lodge beyond the northern boundary. He wasn't alone.”

I stood.

“Who was with him?”

“We're still identifying the second man.

Gareth escaped before our patrol arrived, but he left behind several documents.”

Marcus placed them on my desk.

I examined the pages.

Most contained names, dates, and references to the west archive. One document listed several members of my household security team.

At the bottom was a name that made me pause.

Daniel.

I stared at it.

“Do we know what this means?”

“Not yet. The document appears to record meetings, but we haven't established whether Daniel was present or merely mentioned.”

I closed the folder.

“Keep this information confidential. I want Daniel's movements investigated without alerting him.”

Marcus nodded.

Then he hesitated.

“There is something else. Miss Emma's name appears in one of the records.”

My head lifted.

“What?”

He showed me the page.

Emma's name had been written beside a date corresponding to the gathering.

There was no explanation.

My thoughts moved rapidly.

Had she been involved in the conspiracy?

Had someone been using her to gain access to my family?

Or had she discovered something she wasn't supposed to know?

I remembered her frightened expression when she spoke about the missing records.

I remembered the way she had warned me without asking for anything in return.

And I remembered her question.

Have you ever regretted loving someone?

There was something about Emma that I couldn't explain.

She behaved like someone who knew what betrayal felt like.

“Find out why her name appears,” I ordered. “But do not approach her without my permission.”

Marcus inclined his head.

“As you wish.”

After he left, I returned to the report.

The evidence was incomplete, but one thing was clear.

Someone was trying to obtain confidential information about my bloodline.

And Emma had somehow become connected to the investigation.

I needed to know whether she was a witness, a target, or something more dangerous.

That evening, I found Emma waiting outside the main entrance of Blackthorn Estate.

She looked relieved when she saw me, but the relief quickly gave way to concern.

“Alexander, I need to tell you something.”

I studied her face.

Is it about Daniel?”

Her eyes widened.

“How did you know?”

“I have reason to believe his name may be connected to the missing records.”

She went pale.

“I knew it.”

“You knew?”

Emma pressed her lips together.

“I suspected it.”

“Based on what?”

She hesitated.

“Someone mentioned that Daniel had been asking questions about your bloodline. He was also heard speaking about obtaining something before the next moon.”

My expression hardened.

“Who told you this?”

“Sophia.”

I considered the information.

If Daniel was involved, Sophia might also be in danger.

“Has she told anyone else?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Then she needs to be careful.”

Emma nodded.

“I want to help.”

I looked at her for a long moment.

“Why?”

The question escaped before I could stop it.

Her eyes glistened.

“Because I don't want to lose you.”

The words hung between us.

I should have dismissed them as an emotional response.

Instead, they unsettled me.

“Emma, you barely know me.”

She looked down.

“Perhaps that's the problem.”

For a moment, I had no answer.

Then I stepped aside and gestured toward the entrance.

“Come inside. We need to discuss what Sophia heard.”

As she passed me, I caught the faint scent of roses.

It reminded me of the flowers she had worn at the gathering.

A strange warmth stirred in my chest, followed by an unfamiliar sense of fear.

I didn't know why Emma mattered to me.

I only knew that the thought of someone threatening her had begun to anger me far more than it should.

And that frightened me almost as much as the conspiracy itself.