Chapter 40 A crazy twist
The room felt too small.
Too tight.
Like the walls were closing in around the three of us.
Me.
Kylen.
Adrian.
And the truth sitting right there in my hands.
“You weren’t supposed to find that like this.”
Kylen’s voice was low, controlled, but I could hear it.
The tension.
The fear.
“Like what?” I shot back, my grip tightening on the file. “Like the part where my entire life is apparently a lie?”
His jaw clenched.
“Lenora—”
“No,” I cut him off, my voice sharper now. “You don’t get to stall again. Not this time.”
Adrian didn’t say anything.
But I could feel him behind me, steady, watching, waiting.
“Tell me,” I demanded.
Kylen stepped closer. Slow. Careful.
Like I was something fragile.
And that made it worse.
“I will,” he said. “But not like this.”
My chest tightened.
“Then when?”
Silence.
Of course.
I let out a shaky breath, laughing bitterly. “You always say that.”
“I mean it,” he insisted.
“And I don’t care,” I snapped. “You don’t get to decide when I’m ready to know my own life.”
That hit him.
I saw it.
Good.
He ran a hand through his hair, pacing once, clearly struggling.
For a second…
I thought he might actually say it.
Finally.
But then—
A loud crash echoed from downstairs.
All three of us froze.
“What was that?” I whispered.
Adrian straightened immediately, his expression sharpening.
“That didn’t sound like nothing.”
Another sound followed.
A door slamming.
Voices.
Not just one.
More than one.
Kylen’s head snapped toward the hallway.
“They’re not supposed to be home.”
My heart started racing again.
Fast.
Wrong.
“They’re not,” I said. “I checked.”
Adrian moved toward the door quietly, opening it just enough to listen.
His expression changed instantly.
“That’s not family,” he said.
My stomach dropped.
“What do you mean?”
Before he could answer—
“Upstairs.”
A voice.
Male.
Unfamiliar.
My blood ran cold.
“They know someone’s here,” Adrian said quickly.
Kylen stepped forward immediately, his entire body shifting into something protective.
“Stay behind me.”
“I’m not hiding,” I snapped.
“You’re not arguing either,” he shot back.
That tone.
Sharp. Commanding.
And for once…
I didn’t fight it.
Because something felt wrong.
Deeply wrong.
Footsteps hit the stairs.
Heavy.
Fast.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Kylen…”
He didn’t look at me.
Didn’t respond.
His focus was locked on the door.
Adrian moved beside him now.
Not behind.
Not watching.
Beside him.
And that said everything.
The door pushed open.
Hard.
Three men stepped in.
Not familiar.
Not friendly.
And definitely not supposed to be there.
“Where is it?” one of them demanded.
My breath caught.
Kylen didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
“Wrong house,” Adrian said calmly.
The man’s eyes scanned the room.
Then landed on the desk.
On the open drawer.
On the file in my hands.
And everything changed.
“There,” he said.
Before I could react—
He moved.
Fast.
Kylen stepped in front of me instantly, blocking him.
“Don’t,” Kylen warned.
The man smirked slightly.
“You don’t want to do this.”
“I already am,” Kylen replied.
Tension snapped.
Adrian grabbed my arm, pulling me slightly back.
“Lenora, move.”
“I’m not leaving that,” I said, clutching the file tighter.
“Now’s not the time to be stubborn,” he muttered.
But I couldn’t let go.
Because whatever was in this file…
They wanted it.
Which meant it mattered.
A lot.
One of the other men stepped forward.
“Take it.”
And that was it.
Everything exploded.
Kylen moved first.
Shoving the man back hard enough to send him stumbling.
Adrian stepped in immediately after, blocking the second one.
“Go!” Adrian snapped at me.
I hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then another man lunged forward.
Right at me.
My heart stopped.
But Kylen caught him.
Hard.
The sound of impact filled the room.
“Run, Lenora!” Kylen shouted.
This time…
I listened.
I turned, clutching the file, my heart pounding as I rushed out of the room.
Behind me, I could hear it.
Shouting.
Struggling.
Chaos.
I didn’t stop until I reached the hallway, my breathing uneven, my hands shaking.
What was happening?
Who were they?
And why did they want this file so badly?
My chest tightened as realization hit me.
This wasn’t random.
This wasn’t coincidence.
This was planned.
And somehow…
It was connected to me.
I looked down at the file in my hands.
At my name.
At the truth that was still just out of reach.
And I knew.
Whatever this secret was…
It was bigger than all of us.