Emma moved slowly across the gravel path, the cold air sharp in her lungs. The gate loomed just ahead, and standing against it was the boy she hadn't seen in what felt like forever.
Jake.
His hair was slightly disheveled, his expression unreadable in the half-light, but when he saw her, something in his face—softened.
"Emma," he said, voice low, like her name was a fragile thing.
She stopped just in front of him, blinking back the sudden tightness in her throat.
"I was worried," Jake admitted, eyes darting to the mansion behind her. "You disappeared. I thought something might've happened to you."
She swallowed hard, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm alright. Just… tired of being indoors. The stars looked too pretty to ignore."
Jake gave a slight nod, and for a second neither of them spoke. They just stood in silence, the night pulling close around them.
"I didn't think you'd come," she said softly.
Jake looked away. "I didn't think I would either. But I couldn't stop wondering. You stood up for me when no one else did. And then… you vanished."
Her heart twisted. "My parents," she murmured. "They didn't exactly appreciate my little outburst."
Jake's mouth curved faintly—not quite a smile, but not bitterness either. "Yeah. I figured."
He shifted, stepping back. "I just came to check on you. Since you're okay… I'll take my leave."
She nodded, even though she wanted to say wait. But he was already walking.
And the moment passed.
Inside the Estate
The halls of the Valeria house had never felt this long.
Emma moved quietly, wiping the last chill of the outside air from her arms. But as she stepped into the drawing room, her breath caught.
Her parents were already there.
Alistair sat on one end of the velvet settee, legs crossed, reading glasses in one hand. Verona perched on the other side, wine glass half-full, mid-conversation.
They both stopped when she entered.
"Where were you?" Alistair asked, calm but sharp.
"I went for a walk," Emma replied, heart hammering. "I was bored… the walls were closing in."
Verona gestured to the couch. "Sit, darling."
The word felt more like a trap than an invitation.
Emma sat, carefully tucking her hands in her lap. Every breath she took felt calculated, every blink slow. They knew nothing. Not about the study. Not about the curtain. Not about Silas Grant.
Stay calm, Emma. Don't give them a reason to look deeper.
Alistair leaned forward. "We've been thinking. Perhaps it's time you return to the university."
Emma's head snapped up. "What?"
"You've rested enough," Verona chimed in. "And it's best not to draw unnecessary attention."
Emma blinked. Her heart lifted—campus meant access. Freedom. Jake.
But then—
"You'll stay in the Valeria mansion near the university," her mother added smoothly. "Lila can stay with you. We thought you'd prefer that."
Emma nodded slowly. "And… I can attend classes?"
"Yes. But," Alistair cut in, voice hardening, "you are not to leave the property without informing us. No late-night escapades. No surprises."
Of course. Nothing from the Valerias ever came without chains.
She smiled. "Understood."
But inside?
They want me close, but controlled. Something's still wrong. They don't know what I've seen. They think they can manage me. Let them believe that.
And then—another thought hit her, uninvited and vicious:
I'm going to expose them.
The people who raised me. The ones who held my hand as I learned to walk. The same arms that tucked me in at night… are stained with blood.
The smile on her face faltered for just a second.
I am the daughter of the Valerias.
And I'm going to tear them down.
Her throat tightened.
What does that make me?
Later That Night – The University Mansion
The mansion was grand but silent. No guards, no maids—only her and Lila, who arrived twenty minutes after Emma.
The moment the doors closed, Emma locked them.
"Talk," Lila said instantly, tossing her duffle bag onto the couch. "You've gone full spy mode. What happened?"
Emma pulled out the folder she had hidden under her jacket—the same one she stole from her father's desk. She flipped through the files and photos with trembling hands, laying them out on the table.
"Jake's parents. My father. Silas Grant. And a project called N-14. Lila, it's all connected. I think… I think my family was involved in their deaths."
Lila's eyes widened as she picked up a photograph. "Emma… this is huge."
"They killed Silas to keep it buried," Emma whispered. "David killed him. I heard everything."
Lila looked up, her face pale but fierce. "Then we take them down. Together."
They reached across the papers, their hands meeting in the middle.
"We expose them," Emma said.
"To the world," Lila added.
But as the vow left her lips, Emma looked down at the photo again—her father, smiling beside Jake's parents like old friends.
What went so wrong?
And why do I feel like I'm ripping my own soul in half to make this right?
The Next Morning – Campus
The minute Emma stepped onto the grounds, eyes turned.
Voices dropped to whispers. Heads turned. She heard bits and pieces as she walked past the courtyard.
"That's her—" "Didn't she say she loved him?" "The Valeria heiress—"
She kept her chin high, shoulders straight. She wore her name like armor now. Let them talk. It only meant they were watching.
But inside?
Every step I take away from my family feels like I'm walking barefoot across glass. And yet… I keep going. Because if I don't, no one else will.
In Professor Denwick's Class – Advanced Ethics
Professor Denwick—a sharp-eyed man in his late forties with a mind like a scalpel—was already placing folders on desks when Emma entered.
"Welcome back, Miss Valeria," he said without a hint of warmth.
Emma nodded and took her seat, heart skipping when she realized—Jake was there.
Two rows ahead.
He turned slightly as she walked past.
And then—he smiled.
Not the hard smile she'd seen before. Not the guarded smirk.
This was something else.
Something soft. Curious. Real.
You missed me, she thought. Even if you don't say it yet.
Behind her, Rhea scoffed under her breath, arms crossed.
"Group assignments," Denwick announced. "This project will determine thirty percent of your grade."
The room rustled with nerves.
"I've grouped you myself," Denwick continued. "You'll be working in threes."
Emma didn't look up until she heard her name.
"Emma Valeria, Jake Rolister, and Lila Hammond."
The folder landed on their desk with a thud.
Jake turned fully toward her now, that same quiet smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Emma's heart beat loud in her ears.
This is it. The moment everything begins again. But this time… I'm standing on a battlefield.
And the war is against my own blood.
TO BE CONTINUED.
End of Part 9!