The silence after Elara's words felt suffocating.
"There's blood downstairs."
Selina stood frozen with the phone pressed against her ear.
Lucian's expression darkened instantly the moment he saw her face.
"Elara," Selina said slowly, "what exactly happened?"
On the other end, Elara's breathing remained uneven.
For the first time in her life—
Selina heard genuine fear in her sister's voice.
Not irritation.
Not superiority.
Fear.
"They opened the lower level an hour ago," Elara whispered. "At first everything looked empty."
Selina exchanged a quick glance with Lucian.
Then Elara continued—
"But there's another door beneath it."
Selina's pulse slowed heavily.
Another door.
"How many people went down there?"
"Five."
A pause.
"Only three came back."
The room became completely still.
Lucian stepped closer immediately.
Selina lowered the phone slightly so he could hear more clearly.
"What happened to the other two?" Selina asked.
Elara's silence lasted too long.
Finally—
"I don't know."
The answer came out strained.
"One moment they were there. Then the lights shut off."
Selina's chest tightened faintly.
Elara continued quickly now, words trembling slightly.
"When the emergency lights turned back on… there was blood on the floor."
Lucian's jaw tightened visibly.
"No bodies?"
Selina repeated carefully.
"No."
Another silence.
Then softly—
"One of the men started screaming that someone was inside with them."
A chill spread down Selina's spine instantly.
Lucian reached for the phone gently.
"Elara."
The moment she heard his voice, silence filled the other end briefly.
Then—
"…Lucian."
Cold tension settled immediately between them.
Lucian's voice remained calm.
"Who entered the underground level first?"
A pause.
Then reluctantly—
"Damian."
Selina's eyes widened slightly.
Her father had gone down there personally.
Lucian's expression remained unreadable.
"And now?"
"He locked the east wing completely," Elara whispered. "No one is allowed near it anymore."
Selina frowned.
"Then why are you calling me?"
Silence.
Longer this time.
When Elara finally answered—
her voice sounded smaller than Selina had ever heard it before.
"Because they asked about you again."
The room felt colder instantly.
Lucian's gaze sharpened.
Selina tightened her grip on the phone.
"What exactly did they ask?"
Elara inhaled shakily.
"One of the men said the door deeper inside wouldn't respond."
A pause.
"Then he asked where the Blackthorn heir was."
Selina's heartbeat stumbled painfully once.
Lucian's expression turned dangerously still.
Elara continued quietly—
"They know it's you now."
Silence crashed heavily through the room.
No more uncertainty.
No more suspicion.
They knew.
Selina slowly closed her eyes.
For years, she spent her life feeling invisible.
Now suddenly—
everyone was looking directly at her.
And somehow that felt far more terrifying.
Lucian spoke calmly into the phone again.
"Did Damian confirm anything?"
"No."
Elara hesitated briefly.
"But he didn't deny it either."
Selina's chest tightened painfully.
Of course he didn't.
Because Damian already knew.
Maybe not everything.
But enough.
Enough to raise her differently.
Enough to watch her carefully all these years.
Enough to hide the truth while she begged for affection inside that house.
Selina opened her eyes slowly.
"Elara."
Her sister went silent immediately.
Selina's voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"How long did you know?"
The question lingered heavily between them.
Then finally—
"I didn't know the full truth," Elara whispered.
"But I knew you weren't really part of our family."
Selina looked away toward the window.
The answer hurt less than expected.
Maybe because deep down—
she always felt it too.
Elara continued shakily.
"Father warned me never to ask questions about your arrival."
Lucian's eyes narrowed slightly.
Selina remained silent.
Then Elara whispered something unexpected.
"I thought if you disappeared… everything would go back to normal."
Pain flickered briefly across Selina's chest.
Not because of cruelty.
Because of honesty.
Elara sounded genuinely ashamed now.
"I hated you for years," Elara admitted quietly. "But now—"
Her breathing faltered.
"I don't think we understood what was following you."
The room fell silent again.
Lucian finally spoke.
"Lock your door and stay away from the east wing."
Elara immediately responded.
"They won't let anyone leave the estate now."
Selina's attention sharpened instantly.
"What?"
"The gates are sealed."
Lucian's expression darkened.
Elara continued quickly.
"The men downstairs brought additional security an hour ago."
A pause.
"They're treating the mansion like containment."
Selina's stomach tightened painfully.
Containment.
Not protection.
Lucian ended the call without another word.
Silence immediately filled the office again.
Selina slowly lowered herself into the chair behind her.
Her thoughts moved unevenly now.
Too much information.
Too many truths colliding together.
Lucian remained standing nearby, visibly calculating something.
Selina finally looked up.
"You already knew there was another level downstairs."
It wasn't accusation anymore.
Just exhaustion.
Lucian answered honestly.
"I suspected."
She let out a soft breath.
"And the blood?"
His jaw tightened slightly.
"That part is new."
Selina studied him carefully.
For the first time since meeting him—
Lucian looked uncertain.
Not emotionally.
Strategically.
That frightened her more than anything else tonight.
Because if even Lucian couldn't predict this—
then something deeper had already begun moving beneath the surface.
Selina leaned back slowly.
"What exactly was my family hiding down there?"
Lucian remained silent for several seconds.
Then finally—
"I don't think it was only information."
A chill spread through her instantly.
"What does that mean?"
Lucian's silver eyes held hers steadily.
"The Blackthorn family wasn't feared only because of the archive."
The room became still.
Selina's pulse slowed.
"Then why?"
Lucian hesitated.
And that hesitation alone made her chest tighten painfully.
Finally—
"Because they were researching something the Hollow Circle wanted control over."
Selina frowned immediately.
"Researching what?"
Lucian's voice lowered.
"We never found out completely."
A pause.
"But every investigation connected to your family mentioned the same phrase repeatedly."
Selina stared at him carefully.
"What phrase?"
Lucian's gaze darkened slightly.
"Temporal inheritance."
The words settled into silence like something alive.
Selina's breathing slowed unevenly.
Temporal.
Time.
Her heartbeat suddenly became painfully loud in her ears.
Lucian continued quietly.
"We originally believed it referred to encrypted generational data transfer."
A pause.
"But after watching seven timelines collapse…"
His silver eyes locked onto hers.
"…I'm no longer certain."