Hugo leaned in close, his breath hot against my ear. "Your mother, Ivy—she isn't—"
"Hugo!"
The shrill voice cut through the night air like a knife. I turned to see Imogen rushing toward us, her face contorted with panic.
"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed, grabbing Hugo's arm.
Hugo's sleazy smile widened. "Just having a chat with my niece about family matters."
"Family matters?" Imogen's eyes darted between us. "What did you tell her?"
"Nothing yet," Hugo replied, his tone casual but his eyes calculating. "Though I was about to share some interesting information about her birth."
Imogen's face drained of color. "I already paid you to keep your mouth shut!"
I crossed my arms, watching this exchange with growing interest. So Imogen knew something about my birth that she didn't want me to know.
"You paid me last month," Hugo said, shrugging. "But expenses come up, you know how it is."
"You can't just keep blackmailing me!" Imogen's voice cracked.
