C7 An Anonymous Message

Lia didn’t sleep that night.

The news about the Kingsley DNA scandal had seeped into every corner of her mind, creeping like frost across a windowpane. Every detail she’d ignored about her past suddenly demanded attention. She felt exposed, like the world had suddenly turned its spotlight on a stray that had always hidden in the shadows.

Her phone buzzed again. Unknown number.

“You need to know the truth. Meet me.”

Her fingers hesitated. She had no reason to trust anyone. Strangers had caused more harm than good her whole life. And yet… something in the message felt deliberate. Precise. Like someone had been watching over her without her noticing.

“Who are you?” she typed back.

The reply came instantly:

“Someone who knows what you’ve lost… and what they stole from you.”

Lia swallowed. Her heart pounded against her ribs, threatening to burst free.

“Why now?” she sent. “Why reach out?”

A pause. Then:

“Because time is running out. And because they are watching you.”

Her stomach tightened.

Watching her? By whom?

Her gaze wandered to the cracked ceiling above her. She had survived foster homes, humiliation, cold streets. She had endured invisibility her entire life. And now… someone claimed the missing Kingsley heiress was in the city. Someone said they were watching.

She had no allies. No one to confide in.

Yet she felt the first spark of… something unfamiliar. Not hope. Not trust. But curiosity.

The next message appeared:

“Meet me at the café near 5th and Elm. Midnight. Come alone.”

Alone.

The word hit her harder than she expected.

Alone meant no one could protect her. No one could stop whatever was coming.

She thought of Sebastian Blackwood, the man who had interfered in her life only days ago. He didn’t know her identity—or the storm about to descend.

She clenched her fists.

Alone had been her entire life.

And she had survived.

She would survive this too.

But this time… survival might mean stepping into the unknown.