Luna couldn't sleep that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Lucien , the way he looked at her before he kissed her. The way he said he wasn't her enemy.
But if he wasn't… then who was?
The mansion was silent, but not peaceful. It felt like the walls were watching.
She turned on her side, staring at the dim light spilling through the curtains. Her heart told her to stay in bed. Her mind told her to move.
She chose the second.
Pulling on her robe, Luna slipped quietly into the hallway. The air was cold, the marble floor colder. A faint glow came from downstairs, from Lucien's office.
Her pulse quickened,It was stupid to go there. Risky. But she needed answers.
Her brother's voice still echoed in her memory, bright, loyal, and gone too soon.
She had to know why.
The office door was slightly open. She pushed it gently and peeked in.
Empty.
She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. The room smelled faintly of whiskey and old wood.
Luna started searching.
Drawer after drawer, paper after paper, all neat, all expensive, all hiding something.
Then she saw it.
A brown folder tucked under a stack of documents. The label on it made her breath hitch.
DAVE STERLING
Her hands trembled as she opened it. Inside were files, photos, and one blurry picture of her brother, standing beside a younger Lucien. Both smiling.
Her throat tightened. They knew each other.
A sound behind her made her jump.
"Can't sleep either?"
Luna spun around. Lucien stood at the door, barefoot, wearing a loose shirt and dark pants. His hair was messy, but his eyes were sharp.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
He raised an eyebrow. "Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing."
She hid the folder behind her. "Don't play games with me."
Lucien glanced at her hand. "You found it, didn't you?" Luna said nothing.
He sighed and stepped closer. "You're looking for the truth about your brother. I get it."
Her chest burned. "You don't get anything. Your family destroyed him."
Lucien's jaw tightened, but his voice stayed calm.
"I didn't lie when I said I wasn't part of it," he said quietly. "But I've started asking questions. About what really happened. About what my father covered up."
Luna stared at him. "You're investigating your own father?"
He nodded slowly. "You should understand by now, Alaric Roth doesn't forgive betrayal. Not even from his own son."
For a moment, she saw something in his eyes. Not arrogance. Not cruelty.
Fear.
"You shouldn't have come back here, Luna," he said softly. "If he finds out you're digging… you won't make it out of this house."
Her fingers tightened around the folder. "Then I'll find the truth before he finds me."
Lucien let out a small, bitter laugh. "You're either the bravest woman I've ever met… or the most foolish."
"Maybe both," she said quietly.
They stared at each other for a long second, the kind of silence that said more than words ever could.
Finally, Lucien spoke again. "Keep the file. But promise me something."
"What?"
"If things start getting dangerous… you come to me first."
Luna hesitated. "Why should I?"
His voice softened. "Because you're not the only one with something to lose."