Chapter 10
973 Words
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“Right now, you are still traceable,” she said. “Your phone, your bank activity, your name, your digital footprint—everything still leads back to you.”
My stomach tightened slightly.
“I left my phone.”
“That’s a start,” she said. “But it’s not enough.”
Of course it wasn’t.
Nothing about this was simple.
“They’ll realise you’re gone soon,” she continued. “When you don’t show up tomorrow, they won’t assume you ran. They’ll assume something changed.”
“They’ll know I know,” I said quietly.
“Yes.”
The word landed heavily.
“And then they’ll come looking.”
My chest tightened again, but this time I didn’t let it take over.
“Let them.”
Victoria’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“You don’t understand yet,” she said. “This isn’t about pride. Or proving a point. If they find you before you’re ready—before you understand what you’re dealing with—you lose.”
Lose.
The word felt different now.
Not emotional.
Strategic.
“What do I need to do?” I asked again.
Victoria moved toward the desk, opening one of the drawers and pulling out a small box.
She placed it in front of me.
“Everything starts with control,” she said.
I frowned slightly as I opened it.
Inside was a phone.
New.
Unused.
No case.
No history.
No connection to anything.
“This is yours now,” she said. “It’s secure. Untraceable. No personal links.”
I picked it up slowly, turning it over in my hand.
It felt strange.
Empty.
“This is how you communicate from now on,” she added. “No old contacts. No old habits.”
I nodded slightly, setting it back down.
“What about my accounts?” I asked.
“They’ll be frozen,” she said. “Anything tied to your name is a risk.”
A small part of me hesitated.
Not because I didn’t understand.
Because I did.
This was real.
Fully real.
“Then how do I—”
“You don’t,” she cut in. “Not as Maisie.”
The words settled slowly.
Not as Maisie.
I looked up at her.
“What does that mean?”
Victoria held my gaze.
“It means that for now, Maisie Hart doesn’t exist.”
My breath caught slightly.
That shouldn’t have felt as heavy as it did.
But it did.
“You’ll use a different name,” she continued. “Different details. Temporary, but necessary.”
I let out a slow breath, running a hand through my hair.
“This is insane.”
“No,” she said calmly. “This is protection.”
Silence followed.
Not confusion this time.
Understanding.
Slow.
Uncomfortable.
But real.
“They’ll look for me,” I said.
“Yes.”
“They’ll expect me to come back.”
“Yes.”
A small, cold smile touched my lips.
“Then they’re going to be disappointed.”
Victoria didn’t react.
But I saw it.
That same quiet approval.
“Good,” she said.
She reached into the drawer again, pulling out a small folder and placing it beside the phone.
“Everything you need is in here,” she said. “Identification, basic details, access points.”
I opened it slowly.
A name stared back at me.
Not mine.
A photo.
Still me.
But not me.
Different name.
Different identity.
Different life.
“This feels…” I trailed off.
“Like you’re losing control?” she offered.
I shook my head slowly.
“No.”
I looked back up at her.
“It feels like I’m taking it back.”
Something shifted in her expression.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “Exactly.”
I closed the folder, holding onto it more firmly now.
This wasn’t just survival.
This was strategy.
“What about them?” I asked. “Daniel. Amelia. My father.”
Victoria’s expression darkened slightly.
“They’ll move quickly once they realise,” she said. “They’ll try to secure what they can. Cover their tracks. Regain control.”
“But they can’t,” I said.
“No.”
Because now—
I knew.
“They think tomorrow changes everything,” I added.
“Yes.”
I tilted my head slightly, my thoughts sharpening.
“Then let them believe that.”
Victoria watched me carefully.
“You’re not planning to just disappear quietly, are you?”
I met her gaze.
“No.”
A pause.
Then—
“Good.”
The word landed with weight.
Because this wasn’t just about leaving anymore.
This was about what came next.
I picked up the new phone again, turning it over in my hand.
No history.
No past.
No connection.
A clean start.
I placed it in my bag alongside the folder.
This was my new reality.
Not soft.
Not safe.
But mine.
“When do we leave?” I asked.
Victoria didn’t hesitate.
“Now.”
Of course.
There was no waiting.
No delaying.
No second chances.
I took one last look around the room.
At the screens.
At the empire that had been hidden from me my entire life.
At everything they had tried to steal.
“They wanted my name,” I said quietly.
Victoria’s eyes stayed on me.
“Yes.”
I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder.
“They don’t get it.”
Her voice was calm.
“No,” she said. “They don’t.”
I moved toward the door, stopping just before I stepped out.
One final thought settling into place.
Not fear.
Not doubt.
Something stronger.
Something certain.
“Maisie Hart doesn’t exist anymore,” I said.
Victoria stepped beside me, her voice steady.
“Are you ready to go meet your mother?”
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