Chapter 7 THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS

Adrian stood before the towering gates of the Devereux estate-his childhood prison dressed up in marble and gold. The wind howled, whipping through the trees like ghosts hungry for justice. He adjusted his coat collar and walked through the gates, no longer as a son... but as a storm.

Inside, the grand hall gleamed under crystal chandeliers. Portraits of cold-eyed men lined the walls-each a chapter in the Devereux legacy. At the center of the room stood Sebastian Devereux, Adrian's uncle and the current puppet master of the empire. He was dressed in an immaculate suit, a glass of brandy in his hand and a calculated smile on his lips.

"You've returned," Sebastian said smoothly. "I wondered when you'd grow the spine."

Adrian didn't flinch. "I'm not here for small talk."

"No," Sebastian said, circling him like a vulture. "You're here because of the boy. A bastard you've tried to keep hidden. The board knows, Adrian. And they're... displeased."

Adrian's fists clenched. "Caleb is none of your business."

"But he is," Sebastian replied, voice tightening. "He's a Devereux. That means he belongs to us. Just like you did."

"Not anymore."

Sebastian's smile vanished. "Then you leave us no choice."

Adrian stepped closer, lowering his voice. "If you come near him-if you touch her-I will burn this empire to the ground."

For a moment, silence filled the room, thick with decades of buried violence.

Then Sebastian chuckled coldly. "So much like your mother... always mistaking emotion for strength."

That name.

Adrian's expression darkened. "Don't. Mention. Her."

But it was too late.

"You want to know the truth?" Sebastian sneered. "She wasn't just a maid. She was sent to spy on our family. And when she got pregnant, your father wanted her gone. I was the only one who stopped him. You're not our shame, Adrian-you're our mistake."

Adrian's world tilted.

A spy?

He staggered back, the weight of betrayal crashing through him like a wave.

Sebastian approached, voice dripping with venom. "Do you really think the board will allow that mistake to breed another?"

But Adrian wasn't listening anymore. His mother's last words-hidden behind a door, whispered in desperation-came flooding back.

"If anything happens to me, find the music box. Inside, you'll learn the truth about who you are... and who your father really feared."

Adrian turned without a word and strode out of the mansion, his mind reeling.

He had to find that box.

And fast.

Because secrets had awakened.

And someone was already hunting them down.

---

Meanwhile, in the Safe House...

Leah tucked Caleb into bed, her nerves fraying at the edges. The cabin was warm, cozy, but her heart couldn't rest.

A knock came at the door.

She froze.

Then Marcus's voice: "It's me."

She opened the door a crack.

He handed her a sealed envelope. "Adrian sent this. Said it's urgent."

Leah tore it open.

Inside was a photograph-old, worn. A woman with eyes like Caleb's, standing beside a man whose face was crossed out with a thick red line.

And scribbled across the back: "Find the music box. She hid it where love bloomed and war ended."

Leah stared.

A new mystery had begun.

And the past was clawing its way into the present.

Adrian drove with white-knuckled fists gripping the steering wheel. The icy rain sliced across the windshield, but his thoughts were louder than the storm outside.

A spy.

His mother.

Everything he thought he knew had been poisoned.

She never told me.

His chest tightened.

He remembered the way she used to hum to him at night, her lullabies soft and sorrowful. He'd never thought much of them before. But now, each note felt like a hidden code, like something was buried inside the melody itself.

He pulled over at the edge of the city and retrieved a small key from his glove compartment-gold, old, and engraved with the initials E.D.

His mother's name: Eloise Devereux.

She had hidden her true identity all this time.

Find the music box, her voice echoed again.

Adrian knew exactly where to go.

---

Flashback – Ten Years Ago

A sixteen-year-old Adrian stood in the overgrown garden behind the Devereux summer estate. His mother sat on the swing beneath the giant weeping willow, her gaze distant.

"Why do you always come out here?" he asked her.

She smiled faintly. "Because this is where your father first told me he loved me. And where I realized he never really meant it."

He sat beside her, confused.

She turned to him, brushing his hair back. "One day, when you're older, and the world turns cruel, I want you to come here. Listen closely."

She pulled out a delicate, rosewood music box from her coat and wound it gently. A haunting melody began to play-one Adrian would never forget.

"This song," she whispered, "will lead you to the truth. When I'm gone, promise me you'll remember."

"I promise."

But he hadn't remembered.

Not until now.

---

Present

Adrian climbed the rusted gate of the abandoned summer estate, his flashlight beam slicing through the darkness. The willow tree still stood, swaying as if it had been waiting for him all these years.

He dropped to his knees at the base of the tree and started digging.

The rain mixed with mud, soaking his clothes, but he didn't care.

Then-his fingers struck something hard.

A small, rusted box.

He pried it open.

Inside was the music box... and a letter, sealed in wax with the Devereux crest.

He opened the letter, hands trembling.

"Adrian,

If you're reading this, then I'm gone. You were never a mistake. You were my salvation. I was never sent to spy-I was sent to protect. Your father knew his enemies would come for him one day, and they feared you. Because you were the heir they couldn't control.

You carry blood that threatens their power.

Guard it.

And don't trust anyone wearing the Devereux name.

Not even your uncle.

Not even... your father."

Adrian stared at the words, disbelief spiraling into fury.

He wasn't just a pawn in a revenge game.

He was the key to an empire.

And they had lied to him to keep him tame.

Not anymore.

Adrian closed the box, the music still playing softly, and stood with a new fire in his eyes.

They wanted war?

He'd give them one.

---