Chapter 82

Chapter 82
Sloane's POV

The next morning's breakfast felt different. I couldn't put my finger on it at first, but something about Eloise's entire demeanor had shifted overnight. She sat at the head of the table looking... content. Not the careful, calculating contentment she usually wore like armor, but something deeper.

I picked at my eggs and watched her from the corner of my eye. She hummed softly under her breath while buttering her toast, actually hummed, like she didn't have a care in the world.

"You seem cheerful this morning," Juan observed, clearly noticing the same thing I had.

"Do I?" Eloise smiled at him, "I suppose I'm just excited about tomorrow's charity gala. Everything's falling into place so beautifully."

Tomorrow's charity gala.

But Eloise looked like she was looking forward to it. That couldn't be good.

"Where did you go last night?" Juan asked casually. "I heard the carriage quite late."

"Oh, just visiting Mrs. Patterson," Eloise replied smoothly. "You know how she gets when she's anxious about social events. I needed to calm her nerves about the arrangements."

Bullshit. Mrs. Patterson lived ten minutes away, not a two-hour carriage ride. I'd heard those wheels on the cobblestones, heard them coming back well past midnight. That wasn't a quick visit to soothe anyone's nerves.

"How thoughtful of you," I said, keeping my voice light. "Mrs. Patterson must have been so grateful for your support."

Eloise's eyes flicked to me, and for just a second I saw something sharp and satisfied there. "She was very... grateful. We had quite a productive conversation about tomorrow's arrangements."

The way she said 'productive' made my stomach twist. Whatever Eloise had done last night, whatever she'd arranged, it wasn't about table settings or flower arrangements.

After breakfast, I escaped to the garden under the pretense of wanting fresh air. Really, I needed to figure out what the hell was going on. Eloise's mood shift wasn't random, and her late-night trip definitely wasn't innocent.

I walked along the garden paths, trying to look casual while actually scanning the grounds. The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting long shadows across the perfectly manicured lawns. Everything looked normal until I reached the east side of the property.

There.

A man stood just inside the tree line, maybe forty feet away from the main house. He wasn't doing anything obviously suspicious, just... watching. But everything about his posture screamed 'surveillance.' The way he positioned himself behind the larger oak trees, the way his head turned to track movement in the windows, the way he stayed just far enough back to avoid being easily spotted.

Eloise brought backup.

My heart started beating faster. This wasn't paranoia or coincidence. Someone was actively watching the house, and given Eloise's suspiciously good mood this morning, I was pretty sure I knew who'd arranged it.

I kept walking, forcing myself not to stare or react visibly. But I memorized everything I could about him - average height, dark hair, wore plain clothes that wouldn't stand out in a crowd. Professional, not some random thug she'd hired off the street.

When I looked back a few minutes later, he was gone.

Shit. This is really happening.

I made my way back inside, my mind racing. I needed information, and I needed help, but I had to be careful about who I trusted. Most of the servants were loyal to Eloise, or at least too scared to cross her.

But Anna had been acting differently lately. Less nervous around me, more... protective. Like she'd made some kind of decision about which side she was on.

"Anna," I called when I spotted her in the hallway. "Could you help me with something in my room?"

She followed me upstairs, and I closed the door firmly behind us before turning to face her.

"Anna, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me."

She straightened slightly, her expression becoming cautious. "What is it, Miss?"

"Last night. Eloise went out, didn't she? And it wasn't just to visit Mrs. Patterson."

Anna's eyes darted toward the door, then back to me. "Miss, I don't think I should..."

"Anna, please." I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "I think I'm in danger. Real danger. And I think you know more about what's happening in this house than you've been letting on."

For a long moment, we stared at each other. I could see the internal battle playing out across her face - loyalty to her employer versus whatever protective instincts she'd developed toward me.

Finally, her shoulders sagged slightly.

"Yes," she whispered. "Lady Eloise left around eleven o'clock last night. She took the private carriage and told the driver to wait for her at the old church on Maple Street."

The old church. That wasn't anywhere near Mrs. Patterson's house.

"How do you know all this?"

"Because I followed her," Anna admitted, looking ashamed. "I've been... worried about what she might be planning. The driver mentioned the destination to one of the stable boys, and I overheard."

"What did you see?"

"She met with someone. A man. I couldn't get close enough to hear what they were saying, but..." Anna hesitated.

"But what?"

"Miss, the way they talked, the way he looked at her... they knew each other. Well. From before."

Vincent. The name popped into my head immediately. Nia had mentioned that name when she told me about Zaid's real parentage. Vincent, the man Eloise used to cry about late at night. Vincent, who might be Zaid's biological father.

"Anna, this is very important. Did you see what this man looked like?"

"Tall, dark hair with some gray, maybe in his forties. He looked... angry at first, then upset, then..." She shook her head. "By the time Lady Eloise left, he looked like a man who'd just agreed to do something he really didn't want to do."

Perfect. She found him. She found Vincent and somehow convinced him to help her.

I walked to my desk and pulled out a piece of paper, scribbling a quick note.

"Anna, I need you to take this to the postal service immediately. Don't let anyone else see it, and don't tell anyone where you're going."

The message was brief but urgent: Stranger watching house. Eloise met with someone last night. Need immediate investigation of Vincent - connection to Zaid's parentage. Danger level escalating.

Anna took the note and tucked it into her apron. "Miss, what's really happening here?"

"I wish I could tell you everything, but the less you know right now, the safer you'll be." I met her eyes directly. "But Anna, if anything happens to me - anything at all - make sure Alexander Howard knows about Vincent and the meeting last night. Promise me."

"I promise," she said solemnly.

After Anna left to deliver my message, I sat on my bed and tried to think through all the implications. Eloise had found Vincent, convinced him to help her with something, and now there was a professional watcher keeping tabs on the house. The charity gala was tomorrow night, with hundreds of guests and plenty of opportunities for 'accidents' to happen.

She's not just planning to expose me anymore. She's planning to eliminate me entirely.

The realization should have terrified me more than it did. Instead, I felt a strange sense of clarity settling over me. The games were over. The subtle manipulations and careful plotting had escalated to something much more direct and dangerous.

Good. I'm tired of playing defense.

I walked to my wardrobe and pulled out the dress I'd planned to wear tomorrow night - a deep green silk that would photograph beautifully and make me look like the perfect picture of noble elegance. But looking at it now, all I could think about was how it might also be the last thing I ever wore.

Unless I turn the tables on her first.

I had information now. I knew about Vincent, knew about his connection to Zaid, knew that Eloise had secrets that could destroy her just as completely as mine could destroy me. The question was how to use that knowledge without getting myself killed in the process.

The bloodline stone. The memory hit me suddenly. During that whole nightmare with Victoria's accusations, we'd discovered that someone had tampered with the bloodline stone used for family testing. Everyone assumed it was Nia, but what if it wasn't? What if Eloise had been the one to coat it with silver powder, not to frame me, but to prevent anyone from discovering that Zaid wasn't actually Juan's son?

If Zaid took a real bloodline test with Juan, one that wasn't sabotaged, it would prove they weren't related. And if Vincent really was the biological father...

I need to get them both to test their blood. Vincent and Zaid. Tomorrow night, in front of everyone.

It was risky as hell, but it might be my only chance to expose Eloise's lies before she could eliminate me. And with Vincent there as her hired muscle, I'd have the perfect opportunity to reveal the truth about Zaid's parentage.

Turn her own weapon against her.

I spent the rest of the afternoon planning, thinking through every possible angle and complication. By dinner time, I felt like I had the skeleton of a strategy that might actually work.

At dinner, I made sure to seem excited about tomorrow's event.

"I can't wait for the charity gala," I told Juan enthusiastically. "It feels like such an honor to represent our family at such an important occasion."

"You'll do wonderfully," Juan replied, looking genuinely proud. "The preparation you've put into this event shows your commitment to our family's reputation."

Eloise smiled at me from across the table, and I smiled right back. But underneath our pleasant facades, I could feel the tension crackling like electricity before a storm.

"I do hope everything goes smoothly," she said, her voice syrupy sweet. "These large events can be so unpredictable. You never know what might happen."

"Oh, I'm sure it will be perfect," I replied, matching her tone exactly. "After all, with so many witnesses around, everyone will be on their best behavior."

For just a second, Eloise's smile faltered. She'd caught the subtext - I knew something was planned, and I wasn't going down without a fight.