Chapter 3: The Truth Hidden in the Salon
I should have left.
Every instinct told me to run.
But there was one problem.
I had spent ten years searching for answers.
And now, for the first time, the answers were chasing me.
Adrian didn’t speak for several minutes after the call ended.
That silence scared me.
“Tell me she’s lying,” I said.
He looked exhausted.
“I wish I could.””
My stomach dropped.
“You were there?””
“Yes.””
The honesty hurt more than a lie.
“Why?””
Adrian sat down.
“When your family discovered the betrayal inside their company, they contacted me.””
“Why you?””
“Because I was Ethan’s friend. Because your father trusted me.””
I laughed bitterly.
“So you were there when they died?””
“I was there when they tried to save you.””
The room went silent.
I wanted to believe him.
I wanted to believe the man who saved my life was the hero of my story.
But heroes didn’t keep secrets for ten years.
“What happened that night?””
Adrian looked at the floor.
“Your father gave me the evidence. He told me to get you out.””
“And?””
“And someone betrayed us.””
“Who?””
He looked at me.
“I never saw their face.””
I hated that answer.
After everything.
After ten years.
He still didn’t know.
Two days later, Adrian took me to the most expensive beauty clinic in New York.
I thought it was ridiculous.
I was chasing murderers, not getting a makeover.
But he insisted.
“The scar on your head is hiding something.””
“What?””
“The doctors who treated you after the accident missed it.””
“Missed what?””
He looked at the entrance.
“Your hair.””
The clinic belonged to a famous celebrity stylist known for creating transformations worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The appointment cost $90,000.
I felt uncomfortable the moment I entered.
Women sat beneath crystal lights while assistants carried designer handbags and champagne.
I didn’t belong there.
The stylist, Isabella Laurent, greeted me warmly.
Then she saw my scar.
Her smile disappeared.
“Where did you get this?””
I looked at Adrian.
“An accident.””
Isabella touched her scissors.
“No.””
The room went quiet.
She leaned closer.
“This isn’t an accident scar.””
My heartbeat increased.
“What do you mean?””
She carefully separated my hair.
Hidden beneath the scar was a thin line of unusual stitching.
Almost invisible.
Like someone had intentionally placed something under my skin.
Adrian stepped forward.
“Can you remove it?””
Isabella hesitated.
“Whatever was placed there was done by someone who knew exactly what they were doing.””
The next hour felt unreal.
A surgeon was called.
The private room was locked.
And when the small device was finally removed from beneath my scar…
Everyone stopped breathing.
It wasn’t a chip.
It wasn’t technology.
It was a tiny piece of metal.
A piece of metal engraved with the same symbol as my necklace.
And underneath it were four words.
Words that changed everything.
*THE VALE HEIR LIVES.*
I stared at Adrian.
“You knew.””
He looked away.
“You suspected.””
“No. You knew.””
Before he could answer, the clinic doors slammed open.
Three armed men entered.
The staff screamed.
One man pointed directly at me.
“Take her.””
Adrian moved instantly.
He stepped between us.
The man laughed.
“Still protecting her after all these years?””
Adrian’s face changed.
A flash of guilt.
A flash of anger.
The attacker smiled.
“Tell her the truth, Adrian.””
The gun lifted.
“Tell Lillian why her parents died because of you.””
A shot fired.
The lights went out.
May you like
And when they came back on…
Adrian was gone.
