Clara Bennett.
The name burned in my mind. Next of kin.
I held the notebook tightly, struggling to accept that my closest friend had been connected to Arthur all along.
“I’ll talk to her alone,” I told Victor and Xander. “I need to hear the truth from her.”
I found Clara in the archives, surrounded by books and documents. She smiled when she saw me, but the smile disappeared the moment she noticed the notebook in my hands.
“You found it,” she whispered. “I was hoping you wouldn’t. Not yet.”
“You’re his niece,” I said, my voice shaking. “You knew who I was. You knew what he was doing, yet you said nothing.”
Clara stood, tears filling her eyes.
“I didn’t know everything at first. I knew he was my great-uncle, and my mother always spoke proudly of the foundation he built. But I knew n
