THE WRONG HEIR'S BRIDE

The words settled between them like shattered glass. Someone from the Hart family ordered my death. Amelia stared at Adrian, certain she had misunderstood. "That's impossible." Adrian remained standing beside the window. The late afternoon sunlight cut across his face, sharpening the hard lines of his expression. "My investigator rarely made mistakes." "Rarely is not never." "He died an hour after contacting me." Amelia folded her arms tightly across her chest. "My family has many problems, Mr. Kingston, but murder is not one of them." "Adrian." "What?" "My name is Adrian." The correction caught her off guard. He moved toward the desk and picked up a thin folder. "He left this at my office before meeting his source." Amelia accepted the file. Inside were copies of financial statements, phone records, and several photographs. The first photograph made her stomach drop. It showed her uncle, Richard Hart, leaving a restaurant in downtown Manhattan. Across the table from him sat a man Amelia recognized immediately. Ethan Cole. Adrian's former head of security. The man who had resigned abruptly two months earlier. "When was this taken?" "Three weeks ago." Amelia looked again. Her uncle appeared agitated. Ethan looked nervous. Another photograph showed the two men shaking hands. The third showed Richard placing a thick envelope on the table. "This proves nothing," Amelia said quietly. "No. It doesn't." "Then why accuse my family?" Adrian's gaze never left her face. "Because six days later, Ethan disappeared." Amelia closed the file. "My uncle handles most of Hart Group's external negotiations. He meets hundreds of people." "Convenient." The skepticism in Adrian's voice irritated her. "You asked me to be honest," she said. "So I'll be honest. I don't trust you enough to believe this isn't manipulation." For a brief moment, something flickered across his face. Approval. "Good," Adrian said. Amelia frowned. "Good?" "You shouldn't trust me." Silence stretched between them. She realized then that Adrian genuinely believed what he was saying. Trust, for him, wasn't difficult. It was impossible. A knock interrupted them. The office door opened, and a man in his early forties entered without waiting for permission. He stopped abruptly upon seeing Amelia. "I can come back." "No," Adrian said. "Stay." The newcomer offered Amelia a polite nod. "Lucas Bennett." "Amelia Hart." "Future Mrs. Kingston," Lucas corrected with a faint smile. Unlike everyone else Amelia had encountered within the Kingston world, Lucas looked entirely ordinary. No designer suit. No carefully cultivated image. Yet the ease with which he addressed Adrian suggested something unusual. Adrian handed him the file. "Tell her." Lucas read the documents quickly. "The investigator who died was named Daniel Price," he explained. "He worked exclusively for Adrian for twelve years." "Twelve years?" "He saved my life once," Adrian said. Lucas nodded. "Daniel never exaggerated evidence. If he suspected the Hart family, there was a reason." Amelia looked between them. "You trust him completely." "Yes," Adrian answered immediately. The certainty surprised her. Apparently, Adrian did trust someone. Lucas noticed. "He doesn't trust many people," he said. "I've known him since we were teenagers." "Lucas is the closest thing I have to family," Adrian said. The statement was delivered casually. Still, Amelia noticed something shift in Lucas's expression. Affection. Loyalty. Grief. The kind born through shared hardship. For the first time since meeting Adrian, Amelia glimpsed the lonely reality beneath his controlled exterior. A man abandoned by his family, who had built his own. Her phone rang. Her mother's name appeared on the screen. Amelia excused herself and stepped into the hallway. She answered immediately. "Mother." "Where are you?" "Kingston Tower." Silence. Then Victoria exhaled shakily. "You need to come home." "What happened?" "It's your uncle." Amelia's pulse quickened. "What about him?" "The police are here." The Hart residence had never felt so cold. Police vehicles lined the circular driveway. Two uniformed officers stood near the entrance. Inside, the atmosphere was worse. Victoria sat in the drawing room, clutching untouched tea. Richard Hart paced near the fireplace. The moment Amelia entered, he rushed toward her. "This is absurd." His normally immaculate appearance had deteriorated. His tie hung loose. Sweat dampened his collar. "What happened?" "They think I had something to do with Daniel Price's death." Amelia froze. The room seemed suddenly smaller. A detective approached. "Miss Hart." He introduced himself as Detective Marcus Hale. "We'd like to ask your uncle a few additional questions." Richard's face reddened. "I've already answered everything." "Then answering again shouldn't be difficult." The detective's calm response only aggravated him further. After the officers left the room, Amelia turned slowly toward her uncle. "Did you know Daniel Price?" Richard hesitated. "Professionally." "Why did you meet him three weeks ago?" His expression changed. Barely. But enough. Amelia noticed. "So you did meet him." Richard rubbed his forehead. "Daniel approached me first." "About what?" "Your father." The answer stole her breath. "My father?" Richard nodded reluctantly. "He claimed he had new information regarding the scandal." Amelia sat down. For years, no one had mentioned her father's case. Not willingly. "What information?" "He wouldn't say." "Why not?" "He wanted money." Victoria looked shocked. "You never told me this." "I didn't think it mattered." Amelia studied him carefully. Her uncle had always loved her father. Or at least she had believed so. "What happened next?" "I refused." Richard looked genuinely exhausted. "He called twice afterward. I ignored him." Amelia remembered the photographs. The envelope. "Did you give him money?" "No." "Then what was in the envelope?" Richard looked confused. "What envelope?" Before Amelia could continue, the front door opened. Everyone looked up. Adrian entered. Behind him stood Lucas. Richard stiffened instantly. "What are you doing here?" Adrian ignored him. His attention remained fixed on Amelia. "You left your file." He handed it to her. She accepted it silently. Detective Hale reappeared moments later. His expression changed when he noticed Adrian. "Mr. Kingston." "Detective." "You know each other?" Adrian nodded once. "We've crossed paths." The detective hesitated. "Actually, Mr. Kingston, perhaps you can answer something." Adrian waited. "We found surveillance footage from outside the restaurant where Mr. Hart met Daniel Price." Richard visibly paled. "The footage shows Daniel leaving alone." The detective paused. "Thirty minutes later, he entered a vehicle registered to Kingston Holdings." Silence filled the room. Everyone looked at Adrian. Even Amelia. Adrian's expression remained unreadable. "Interesting." "Do you know who was driving?" "No." Detective Hale studied him. "The registration belongs to your executive fleet." Lucas frowned. "That's impossible. Those vehicles require security authorization." "Apparently, someone had authorization." Richard suddenly laughed. The sound was strained. "So this entire investigation points back to your family." Adrian looked at him coldly. "Perhaps." Amelia noticed something. For the first time since arriving, Richard looked relieved. Too relieved. As if suspicion shifting toward the Kingstons solved a problem. Adrian noticed it too. Their eyes met briefly. Both reached the same conclusion. Richard was hiding something. The detective eventually left. Night had fallen by then. Victoria insisted Adrian and Lucas remain for dinner. To Amelia's surprise, Adrian accepted. Dinner proved uncomfortable. Victoria attempted a conversation. Lucas politely participated. Richard barely touched his food. Adrian observed everyone. Quietly. Constantly. Halfway through dinner, Amelia excused herself. She needed air. The garden behind the house was empty. Moonlight illuminated the pathways her father had once designed himself. She missed him terribly. "You come here when you're overwhelmed." Amelia turned. Adrian stood several feet away. "I didn't hear you." "I know." Neither spoke for several seconds. Finally, Amelia said, "My father loved this garden." Adrian looked around. "It shows." She laughed softly. "That's the first pleasant thing you've said to me." "I've said several pleasant things." "No. You've said practical things." Unexpectedly, Adrian smiled. A real smile. Brief. But real. The transformation startled her. For a moment, he looked younger. Less guarded. More human. Then it disappeared. "You don't believe your uncle is innocent." Amelia stiffened. "You reached that conclusion quickly." "I watched him during dinner." "So did I." Silence. "I don't know what to believe," she admitted. Adrian looked toward the house. "Neither do I." It was the most honest thing he had said. Suddenly, headlights swept across the garden. A black sedan sped through the front gates. Voices erupted inside the house. Moments later, Lucas appeared, running. "Adrian." Something in his expression made Amelia's heart stop. "What happened?" Lucas looked between them. "The police just received Daniel Price's final voicemail." Adrian's face hardened. "What did he say?" Lucas swallowed. "He identified the person who hired him years ago to investigate Edward Hart." Amelia's blood turned cold. Her father. "Who?" she whispered. Lucas looked directly at her. "He said the order came from Harrison Kingston."