chapter five
1392 Words
The wrought-iron gates of the Harrington estate had barely clicked shut behind Evelyn’s Mercedes before she began scrubbing at her steering wheel as if she could wash away the lingering scent of Adrian’s cold, sterile library. Her chest heaved, the expensive silk of her blouse straining against the frantic rhythm of her heart.
It wasn't fear that consumed her, though Adrian Harrington was a man who was intimidating.
How dare he?
The words looped in her mind like a broken record. How dare he look at her as if she were a common criminal? How dare he put his hand out to protect that girl? Liana was a shadow, a glitch in the grand design of the family’s future. She was the quiet inconvenience they kept in the attic of their lives, and seeing her standing amidst the gold-leafed luxury of the Harrington estate was like seeing a weed growing through a marble floor.
By the time Evelyn pulled into the driveway of the family’s sprawling suburban villa, her fury had calcified into a singular, desperate mission.
Marcus, Liana’s father, was in the study. The room smelled of expensive bourbon and the stale scent of old ledgers, the smell of a man who was watching his empire's foundations turn to sand. He didn't look up when Evelyn slammed the door so hard the crystal decanters on the sideboard rattled.
"How is she?" Marcus asked, his voice weary. He didn't specify who 'she' was, but in this house, names had become dangerous things.
"How is she?" Evelyn mimicked, her voice rising to a shrill peak. "She is sitting on a throne she didn't earn, Marcus! She is playing the martyr, swaddled in Adrian’s protection while our Selena is out there somewhere, terrified and alone!"
Marcus finally looked up, his eyes bloodshot. He didn't look like a man who had successfully saved his reputation; he looked like a man who had sold his soul and was waiting for the check to bounce. "Adrian defended her? I thought he would be... indifferent. At best."
"Indifferent?" Evelyn laughed harshly, throwing her designer bag onto the leather sofa. "He threw me out, Marcus! He threatened us. He looked at Liana as if she were something precious, something he had a duty to guard. He told me never to return without his permission. In my own stepdaughter’s home!"
"It isn't her home, Evelyn," Marcus said quietly, turning back to his papers. "It’s a bunker. And she’s the one inside it."
"It should be Selena’s bunker!" Evelyn snapped. She marched over to his desk, slamming her palms down onto the mahogany surface. "Do you understand the danger we’re in? If Liana stays there too long, if she manages to get into his head with that silent act of hers, Adrian might decide he doesn't want Selena back. He might start asking questions we can't answer."
Marcus sighed, a long, rattling sound. "Be glad the wedding went through. Be glad we aren't in a jail cell for breach of contract. The girl is fed, she is housed, and the Harrington money is flowing into our accounts. Calm down, Evelyn. For once in your life, just let the water be still."
Evelyn stared at her husband, her eyes narrowing. She had married Marcus for his ambition, for the way he moved through the world like a man who owned it. But ever since the "switch," he had become a ghost of himself. He wasn't enthusiastic about finding Selena. In fact, he seemed almost relieved she was gone.
"You don't want her back," Evelyn whispered, the realization hitting her like a physical blow. "You’re actually content with this... this sacrifice."
Marcus didn't deny it. He didn't even flinch. "Liana is efficient. She is quiet. She won't cause the kind of scenes Selena was prone to. If Adrian is satisfied, the business is safe. Why would I go looking for a storm when I finally have a little bit of shelter?"
"Because she’s your daughter!" Evelyn screamed.
"They are both my daughters," Marcus replied, his voice devoid of emotion.
Evelyn recoiled. The betrayal stung more than Adrian’s threats. She knew Marcus had never been a particularly sentimental man, but the ease with which he had discarded his "golden child" for the sake of a quiet life was chilling.
"She won't stay quiet forever," Evelyn hissed, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "Liana isn't just 'silent,' Marcus. You know what she is. You know what she’s capable of when she’s pushed. If Adrian finds out why she really doesn't speak, he won't just throw her out, he’ll come for us."
Marcus finally went still. The pen in his hand stopped moving. For a brief second, a flicker of genuine fear crossed his face, the same fear that had been present at the altar.
"Then find her," Marcus said, his voice barely audible. "Find Selena. But do it quietly. If Adrian suspects we are looking for a replacement for his replacement, he’ll see it as another lie. And he doesn't forgive lies."
Evelyn left the study without another word. The house felt too big and empty. Every corner seemed to hold a memory of Liana’s silent, watchful presence. Even when the girl had lived here, she had been like a piece of furniture that you only noticed when you tripped over it.
Evelyn retreated to her dressing room, locking the door behind her. She went to her vanity and pulled out a burner phone she had purchased the night Selena vanished.
She had been sending messages for forty-eight hours. Most went unanswered. Some came back with vague sightings a girl fitting Selena’s description in a coastal town, a blonde woman seen boarding a private jet.
[ TO: S
Liana is in your bed. She is in your house. Adrian is protecting her. If you don't come back now, you will lose everything. He is starting to look at her, Selena. He is looking at her the way he was supposed to look at you.]
She hit send and watched the loading bar with bated breath.
Seeing Liana in that library, seeing the way she hadn't flinched when the slap landed... Evelyn realized the shield had become a fortress.
"I'll find you, Selena," Evelyn whispered to the empty, mirrored room. "I'll find you before she realizes she doesn't need us anymore."
Outside, the sun began to set, casting long, distorted shadows across the lawn. Evelyn watched the horizon, her mind racing. She remembered the day she had entered this family how Liana, a small child of six, had sat on the stairs and watched her with those hazel eyes. Even then, the girl hadn't spoken. She had just... observed.
Evelyn had hated her from that moment. She had spent a decade trying to break that gaze, trying to make the girl cry, scream, or plead. But Liana was a void. Everything you threw at her just disappeared.
Now, that void was sitting in the center of the Harrington empire.
Evelyn gripped the edge of the vanity until her knuckles turned white. She didn't just need Selena back to save the family's standing. She needed Selena back because the alternative, a world where Liana was the one with the power, was a nightmare Evelyn couldn't survive.
She picked up the phone again and dialed a number she hadn't called in years. A man who specialized in finding people who didn't want to be found.
"I have a job for you," she said when the line picked up. "And I don't care what it costs. Find the girl. And bring her home in chains if you have to."
As she hung up, Evelyn felt a grim sense of satisfaction. Marcus could stay in his study and drown in his bourbon. Adrian could play the knight in shining armor to a girl who didn't have a soul. But Evelyn knew the truth.
The silence in the Harrington house wasn't peace. It was the fuse of a bomb. And she was going to make sure it blew up in Liana’s face before the girl ever had the chance to say a single word.
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