The library was eerily quiet as I slid the last book back into place on the shelf. I had been trying to distract myself from the tension of dinner, but my nerves were still frayed. Victor’s sudden arrival had left me with more questions than answers, and the brothers’ reactions weren’t exactly reassuring.
I was just about to leave when I felt it—a presence.
“You’re not running away already, are you?”
Victor’s smooth, velvety voice made me jump. I turned to find him standing in the doorway, his sharp eyes studying me like a predator sizing up its prey.
“I was just leaving,” I said, my voice firmer than I felt.
He stepped into the room, his polished shoes clicking against the hardwood floor. “Leaving so soon? We haven’t even had the chance to talk properly.”
“I don’t think we have anything to talk about,” I said, crossing my arms.
Victor smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Oh, I think we do, Lila.”
I stiffened at the sound of my name on his lips. There was something about the way he said it—calm, deliberate—that made my skin crawl.
“You don’t know the half of what they’re capable of, do you?” Victor said, his tone light but laced with something darker.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “And you think you do?”
He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “I know more than they’ll ever admit. My sons have… secrets, Lila. Dangerous ones. And yet here you are, entangled in their mess.”
“I can handle myself,” I said, my voice steady despite the unease curling in my stomach.
Victor took a step closer, his eyes glinting with something I couldn’t quite place. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that. But bravery doesn’t make you invincible. If you want to survive, you need to start making smarter choices.”
“And you think the smart choice is to trust you?” I shot back, my heart pounding.
He smiled again, that same cold, calculating smile. “Trust isn’t the word I’d use. But staying close to me might just keep you alive.”
I laughed bitterly. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Am I?” he asked, tilting his head. “Tell me, Lila, have they told you the truth about Evelyn?”
My breath caught, and Victor’s smile widened at my reaction.
“They haven’t, have they?” he continued, his voice soft and coaxing. “Of course not. Why would they? The truth is messy, complicated. And if you knew it, you might start to see them differently.”
I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to keep my voice steady. “What do you know about Evelyn?”
Victor’s gaze never wavered. “Enough to know that her disappearance wasn’t an accident. And enough to know that my sons weren’t innocent bystanders.”
The room spun for a moment, his words cutting through me like a knife. “You’re lying,” I said, though my voice lacked conviction.
“Am I?” he said again, his tone almost mocking. “Think about it, Lila. Do you really know them? Or do you just know the version of them they’ve shown you?”
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. “Why are you telling me this? What do you want?”
Victor stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I want to protect you, Lila. But more importantly, I want you to see the truth.”
The room seemed to close in around me, his words echoing in my mind.
“I don’t believe you,” I said, though my voice was barely above a whisper.
Victor smirked, brushing past me as he moved toward one of the shelves. “Believe what you want, my dear. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
As he reached for a book, something fell from between its pages—a folded piece of paper. I bent down to pick it up before he could stop me, my curiosity outweighing my fear.
“What’s this?” I asked, unfolding the paper.
Victor’s expression shifted, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. “That’s none of your concern.”
But I was already reading it. The letter was addressed to “Mr. Cross” and signed by someone with the initials T. Sterling.