Love In Disguise: Rebirth of the Heiress
Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Chapter 79

The car hummed steadily as we drove through the city streets, but my thoughts were anything but calm.

It was like a raging hurricane.

I glanced at Jason, who was staring out the window, lost in thought as he drove. It wasn’t often I saw him this pensive.

"So," I started, breaking the silence, "what do you think about the whole mark thing?"

Jason sighed, not bothering to look at me. "It wasn’t exactly on my list of priorities, if that’s what you’re asking."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what is on your list of priorities, then?"

He leaned back, his arms folded. "Outsmart my enemies. Get my company back on track. Stray as far away from the Lincoln name as humanly possible. Ping-pong with Joselle and her little schemes. You know, just the basics."

I snorted. "Ping-pong with Joselle? That’s a weird way to put it."

"She likes to play games," Jason said dryly, finally glancing at me. "I’m just making sure she doesn’t win."

I couldn’t help but laugh. "You’re something else, Jason."

His lips twitched, but the lightness in his expression faded as I brought up another point. "Lucian said something about your mom... about her selling her soul for you."

Jason’s jaw tightened, and his gaze snapped back to the window. "Let’s not go there, Kiara. Not now. Not yet."

"Fair enough," I said softly, sensing that this wasn’t a battle worth pushing.

The car settled into silence again, and I leaned back in my seat. That was until my phone pinged, drawing my attention.

Jason cocked an eyebrow, his tone mock-serious. "Ah, her majesty has received a summons."

"Shut up," I muttered, unlocking the screen. My stomach twisted as I read the notification.

Result in Lola Wright’s death.

"Shit," I whispered under my breath.

Jason tilted his head, catching the slight shift in my tone. "What’s that?"

"Nothing," I lied, but his eyes narrowed.

"Uh-huh," he said, clearly not buying it. "You’re terrible at this, by the way."

Ignoring him, I clicked the message open.

Lola Wright’s death confirmed. Cause of death: Asphyxiation. More details pending investigation.

My grip on the phone tightened, and Jason’s mocking smile faded when he noticed the shift in my expression.

"What is it, Kiara?" he asked, his tone more serious now.

I hesitated, debating whether to share this with him. But something about the way he was watching me—steady, unflinching—made me relent.

"Someone sent me a message about Lola’s death. From... a source I’ve been using."

Jason’s eyes darkened. "And this source? What are they saying?"

"Details," I murmured. "They’re digging into what really happened."

"Let me guess," he said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Some mysterious dark web guy."

"Something like that," I muttered, scrolling through the rest of the message.

Jason smirked. "You really like keeping things complicated, don’t you?"

"It’s not like I have a choice," I shot back. "Besides, they’re reliable."

"Sure, because anonymous strangers on the internet are the epitome of trustworthiness."

I rolled my eyes. "Says the guy who trusted his fiancée and best friends."

Jason winced but recovered quickly, his smirk returning. "That was different. We fell in the same trap."

I ignored him, focusing back on the message. The details were sparse, but it was enough to stoke the fire in my gut. Someone had ensured Lola’s death wasn’t a simple accident.

Jason’s voice cut through my thoughts. "So, what’s the next move, detective?"

I glanced at him, his grey eyes gleaming with amusement. "Lucian first. Then... I figure out who’s pulling the strings in all this."

He nodded, a rare moment of agreement between us.

"You’re taking this better than I expected," I said, eyeing him curiously.

"Kiara," Jason said, smirking, "if I reacted to everything with shock, I’d be dead by now. Besides..." He tilted his head, his expression darkening slightly. "I’ve got my own ghosts to deal with."

Before I could press him further, the car pulled up to our destination. Lucian’s shadow loomed in my mind, and I knew this meeting would only lead to more questions than answers.

I sighed, staring out of the car window, my thoughts heavy with guilt. "I feel bad for Lola," I admitted softly. "This whole... crazy thing. She didn’t deserve any of it."

Jason glanced at me from the corner of his eye but said nothing at first.

"I wonder how work would be today. Not like that’ll fix anything. It’s just... sad."

He leaned back in his seat, his expression unreadable. "She made her choices, Kiara. That doesn’t mean what happened to her was right, but..."

"But what?" I snapped, glaring at him.

"She was in deep," Jason finished, his tone measured. "Sometimes people think they can claw their way out of the messes they’re in, only to get dragged down further."

I folded my arms, hating that his words made sense. "Do you know what happened to her son?"

Jason sighed, his jaw tightening. "The company sends money every month. For now, the kid’s in foster care."

I sighed, "What’s his name?"

"Justin Wright. Cute little boy."

"You met with him."

"Yes. This morning. He is just...a child. He doesn’t even understand what’s going on. Playing with his airplane."

I clenched my fists, biting my lips, as I blinked back the tears, anger bubbling in my chest. "If Jessica is behind this..." My voice trailed off, the unspoken threat hanging in the air.

Jason gave me a sharp look but didn’t respond.

The silence in the car grew heavy, both of us lost in our thoughts.

***

The car pulled up to our destination. The gate ahead was shrouded in thick, unnatural fog, its black iron bars barely visible beneath the oppressive mist. It reminded me of a horror movie, the kind where the stupid protagonist walks right into their doom.

I stared at the gate and muttered, "Is this where Lucian lives?"

Jason chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "Welcome to the abyss. Or as I like to call it, his creepy lair."

"Why does it look like something out of The Addams Family?"

"Because Lucian probably designed it himself. It’s fitting, though, don’t you think? Dark and dramatic, just like him."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips.

Jason tapped the side of the car door, his gaze shifting to me. "You know, you could turn around right now. No one would blame you."

"Not happening," I said firmly, though I felt the knot in my stomach tighten.

He studied me for a moment before nodding. "You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that."

"It’s just a dark looking haunted house. What more could go wrong."

He chuckled. "Everything."

He pressed a button and the gates creaked open, the sound low and menacing. The fog didn’t dissipate; if anything, it seemed to thicken, swallowing the car as we drove through.

"By the way," Jason said casually, "Lucian’s not exactly a ’small talk’ kind of guy. If he starts speaking in riddles, don’t say I didn’t warn you. He seems like some dark Lord in here."

I gave him a side-eye. "You’ve been here before?"

"Once," Jason admitted, his tone flat. "Didn’t like it then, don’t like it now."

"That bad?"

Jason smirked. "Let’s just say Lucian has a flair for making people feel... insignificant."

"Great," I muttered. "Looking forward to it."

Jason’s expression softened slightly. "Kiara," he began, his voice quieter than before, "don’t get too caught up in this. Revenge—it can consume you. Trust me, I’ve been there."

I blinked, caught off guard by his tone. "What are you saying? That I should just walk away? Forget everything Jessica and Gabriel did to me?"

"No," Jason said firmly. "I’m saying don’t let it destroy you in the process. You can’t fight fire by burning yourself alive."

His words hit harder than I expected, and for a moment, I couldn’t find a response.

The car came to a slow stop in front of a massive, gothic-style mansion. The fog seemed to swirl around the dark stone walls as if the house were alive, breathing in the gloom.

I stepped out, the air heavy and cold. "Well," I said, trying to lighten the mood, "this is... cozy."

Jason smirked as he joined me. "Lucian has a way of making people feel right at home. If home was hell."

"Fantastic," I muttered, clutching my brown jacket tighter around me.

It was just noon. But felt like midnight here.

The door to the mansion creaked open before we could knock. A dark figure stood in the doorway, his silhouette framed by the eerie light inside.

"Welcome," Lucian’s smooth, deep voice echoed. "I’ve been expecting you."