Ariella faced Vincent Crowne, her hands tightly clasped in her lap. The flickering lights of the warehouse highlighted his sharp features, creating deep shadows that added to the tension in the room.
For years, she had believed herself to be an orphan with no ties to power or privilege.
But now, she had uncovered the truth.
She was Isabelle Devereux, the missing heiress of one of the most influential families in the nation.
And someone had gone to great lengths to erase her existence.
Leo sat next to her, his body tense. His hand rested protectively on her thigh, his dark eyes fixed on Vincent.
"You said someone took everything from me," Ariella said, her voice calm despite the turmoil inside her. "Who was it?"
Vincent leaned back, a smirk forming on his lips. "That's the right question to ask."
Ariella narrowed her gaze. "Then give me the answer."
Vincent sighed, glancing at Leo before returning his focus to her. "The Devereux family wasn't just powerful, Isabelle. They were untouchable. They were a formidable force. Too powerful. And that made them a target."
Ariella felt a knot in her stomach. "A target for whom?"
Vincent's smirk disappeared. "For someone who wanted their power desperately. Someone who stood to gain everything by eliminating your bloodline."
Ariella's heart raced. "Who?"
Vincent leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Gabby Armstrong's father."
Silence filled the room.
Ariella gasped in shock. "You've got to be kidding me. This is a joke right?"
Leo froze completely.
Vincent tilted his head. "I see you didn't see that coming."
Ariella's hands shook. "No, not in my wildest dreams" she whispered. "That can't be true."
Vincent laughed darkly. "Can't it?"
Leo's jaw clenched. "Gabby's father was a businessman and a politician. What could he possibly want with the Devereux family?"
Vincent's expression darkened. "Because he wasn't just any businessman. He was a strategist. A man who played the long game."
Ariella's heart raced. "Explain please, I'm losing my mind". Noticing the goosebumps on her body, She gently brushed her hands over her knees and down to her feet in an effort to calm her nerves.
Vincent reclined in his chair, fingers drumming on the table. "Your mother, Eleanor Devereux, was a powerful figure in her era. She ran a vast financial empire, had key political connections, and most importantly—"
He hesitated.
"She possessed something your enemies desired."
Ariella felt a knot in her stomach. "What is it?"
Vincent's grin returned.
"A wealth worth billions—and a secret that could bring down influential people."
Ariella felt dizzy. "What secret?"
Vincent drummed his fingers on the table, weighing his words. "That's the part I haven't pieced together yet. But I do know this—your mother was killed because she wouldn't give up control of the Devereux empire. And your father? He disappeared because he knew they would come for him next."
Ariella's heart ached. "And me?"
Vincent's eyes sparkled. "You, my dear, were the final piece of the puzzle."
Leo tightened his grip on her leg. "Who took her?"
Vincent's smile grew. "That's where it gets intriguing." He leaned in, lowering his voice.
"Your mother didn't just vanish, Isabelle. She fought back. She was aware they were coming. So she hid you."
Ariella gasped. "Hid me?"
Vincent nodded. "Someone in your family smuggled you out the night she was murdered. But after that? You were off the radar. No records. No evidence. As if you never existed."
Ariella's thoughts spun.
She had always believed she was abandoned. She had concluded that the people who birthed her didn't want her.
But instead, she had been safeguarded, protected.
Leo's voice was low and menacing. "And the ones responsible? Are they still searching for her?"
Vincent's face grew serious. "What do you think? You be the judge of that"
Ariella's heart sank.
If those who had taken her past were still out there, it meant—
They would want to complete what they started.
The ride home was quiet, tension heavy in the air. Ariella gazed out the window, her mind racing with thoughts. The events of the past few days couldn't be any different from a movie on Netflix. She still couldn't absolve all that she had heard. Gabby Armstrong's father??
Finally, Leo spoke, his voice tightly controlled.
"We need a strategy."
Ariella looked at him. "A strategy for what?"
Leo gripped the steering wheel tighter. "For when they come searching for you."
Ariella felt a tightness in her chest. "Leo—"
He interrupted her. "This isn't just about getting your past back, Ariella. It's about staying alive."
She took a deep breath. "But we don't even know who's after me."
Leo's jaw clenched. "We know enough."
Ariella let out a breath, her thoughts racing. "Then we must uncover the rest before they do."
Leo agreed with a nod. "Right."
Ariella turned back to the window, her determination growing.
She had spent her entire life believing she was nothing. A nobody.
But now?
Now, she knew she was Isabelle Devereux.
And she would not be erased again. Never!
That night, as Ariella and Leo lay in bed, a loud knock at the front door broke the quiet.
Leo sprang up, reaching for the gun on the nightstand.
Ariella's heart raced. These unannounced visits were beginning to take their toll on her mental health. Even more importantly, her pregnancy.
Leo signaled for her to stay behind him and moved toward the door.
Ariella followed, her stomach churning with fear.
Leo peered through the peephole.
His body went rigid.
Ariella's heart raced. "Who is it?"
Leo carefully unlocked the door.
When he opened it—
A man stood there, bloodied and barely upright.
Ariella stared in shock. The sight of blood suddenly sending a wave of nausea over her.
He looked familiar.
His eyes met hers, filled with urgency and desperation.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper— He said,
"Isabelle?"
Ariella froze.
She recognized that voice.
Even though she hadn't heard it since childhood. She could identify that voice any day, anywhere, any time.
It was her father.
And then—he collapsed.