The guesthouse was beautiful — quiet, private, with its own view of the skyline. But to Ariella, it felt like exile.
Lucien hadn't spoken to her since that night.
Not a word.
Not a glance.
Not a single sign he cared she'd disappeared from the main house completely.
But it was fine. It had to be.
She wasn't here for feelings. She wasn't here for love.
She was here because he bought her.
And maybe… to destroy her.
That thought took root late one night, as she stood alone in the guesthouse study. The lights were dim, the air too still. Her fingers grazed the bookshelves absently, until one frame tilted slightly out of place.
She reached to fix it — and noticed something behind it.
A hidden panel.
She pressed it gently.
Click.
The wall creaked open, revealing a narrow cabinet filled with files. Folders. Contracts.
Curiosity flared.
Ariella pulled one out — thick, labeled in Lucien's neat handwriting:
"Roth Debt Consolidation: Daniel Lane."
Her father.
Her pulse spiked. Hands trembling, she flipped it open.
Inside were photos. Emails. Transaction logs. Signed papers.
And at the top…
A wire transfer from Kane Holdings.
She blinked.
Lucien had paid off the bank that had bought their home. Not recently — a year ago. Months before her father ever told her about the debt. Months before the so-called auction. Months before she ever met Lucien.
He'd been involved long before she walked into that penthouse.
Her throat tightened.
He didn't just buy her.
He set up the entire trap.
She stumbled back, bile rising in her chest. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes, but she held them in.
She couldn't afford to be weak.
Not now.
She carefully put everything back the way she found it, closed the secret panel, and sat on the edge of the couch, hands shaking.
Lucien Kane hadn't just lied.
He'd orchestrated her downfall.
And worst of all?
He'd made her want him while doing it.