Forsaken Petals

Chapter 3: Fractured Loyalties

The Order for a Background Check

Damian sat in his opulent office, the dim light reflecting off the whiskey glass in his hand. His jaw clenched as he stared at the man standing across the room—his right-hand confidant and close friend, Leon. Unlike Damian's brooding intensity, Leon possessed a striking charm, his golden eyes softer but equally sharp, a dangerous weapon in their world. Leon had been with Damian through blood and fire, but now, even he looked uneasy.

"She has a twin," Damian growled, his voice laced with frustration. His fury had simmered since the revelation that Evelyn wasn't Emilia. Still, she was a Hart, and he couldn't shake the suspicion that she was somehow involved in the betrayal.

"Get me everything on the Hart family," Damian ordered. "I want to know why I didn't know Emilia had a twin."

Leon, leaning casually against the desk, raised a brow. "A twin? That's... unexpected."

Damian's glare was sharp. "You and the others brought her to me. I expect answers."

Leon nodded, his usual nonchalant demeanor tempered by the tension in Damian's tone. "On it. But you know the Harts are good at keeping secrets."

"They can't keep them from me," Damian growled. "Not anymore."

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The Secrets Unveiled

Hours later, Leon returned, a file in hand. He tossed it onto Damian's desk with a grim expression.

"The Hart family hid Evelyn," Leon explained. "She was a shadow, a secret they only revealed to a handful of close allies. Apparently, she wasn't meant to be part of their public life. A liability, maybe?"

Damian opened the file, scanning the information with sharp eyes. The truth unfolded in fragments: Evelyn was the twin sister Emilia had never acknowledged publicly. Her existence was known only to a select few, kept deliberately in the dark to protect the family's image. Unlike Emilia, who basked in her family's attention and societal privileges, Evelyn was hidden away—a shadow in the glittering world of the Harts. The recent incident that led to her kidnapping was the first time her name had surfaced in whispers.

"They used her as a pawn to cover for Emilia," Damian muttered, his voice tight. "And they thought they could hide this from me?"

Leon crossed his arms. "To be fair, they almost did."

Damian's grip on the file tightened. The betrayal he had suffered at the hands of the Harts now had a new face, one he couldn't fully understand. Evelyn wasn't Emilia, but she was still a Hart. That was enough to fuel his hatred.

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EVELYN HART

Damian's guilt gnawed at him, though he buried it beneath layers of anger. Evelyn had endured more than he intended, but his mistrust of the Harts burned stronger. Despite transferring her to a better room and providing better clothes and food, Damian refused to face her. Servants now brought her meals, but Damian kept a watchful eye through the cameras in her room.

From his screen, he saw her pacing the new room, her expression cold and unreadable. Evelyn's aloofness intrigued him more than he liked. She rarely ate the meals served, sitting by the window as though waiting for a world that had long abandoned her.

Evelyn's new room was a stark contrast to the cold, barren cell she had endured before. The bed was soft, the shelves were lined with books, and the food—though she barely touched it—was far from the scraps she'd been given initially.