Ava stared at the folder.
Then at Damien.
Then back to the folder.
Her name was written there.
Not by accident.
Not randomly.
Like someone had been waiting for this exact moment.
"This is impossible."
Her voice was quiet.
Damien didn't answer.
Because for the first time in his life...
He was speechless.
The man who always had a plan.
The man who always knew what to do next.
Was standing in a hidden room inside his family's estate...
Holding proof that his father had known about Ava.
Before they ever met.
"Damien."
He looked up.
"What is my name doing there?"
A question.
Simple.
But it carried fear.
And he hated seeing that.
Because Ava had spent her entire life believing she understood where she came from.
Now one document has changed everything.
"I don't know."
She looked at him.
"Your father created this."
His jaw tightened.
"I know."
"So maybe you do know."
The accusation hurt more than he expected.
Not because it was unfair.
Because he understood why she said it.
Everyone who got close to him eventually assumed the worst.
Ava wasn't different.
At least...
Not yet.
"I swear to you, Ava."
His voice was low.
"I have never seen this before."
For a moment, she searched his eyes.
Looking for a lie.
Looking for hesitation.
Anything.
But Damien Laurent was many things.
A liar wasn't one of them.
Not this time.
They continued searching through the room.
Old files.
Company records.
Private documents.
Everything hidden from the world.
Then Ava found something.
A small envelope.
No name.
No address.
Just a date.
Twenty-five years ago.
She opened it.
Inside was a single page.
Her hands tightened as she read.
"What does it say?"
Damien noticed her expression.
She didn't answer immediately.
Then she handed him the paper.
Damien read it.
And his face changed.
The letter was from his father.
But it wasn't written to him.
It was written to Ava's father.
"The agreement must continue. The children cannot know the truth until the right time."
Damien looked up.
"What agreement?"
Ava shook her head.
"I don't know."
Then they saw the final line.
The line that made everything worse.
"If Damien and Ava ever discover this, protect them from each other."
Silence.
Ava slowly looked at him.
"Protect us from each other?"
Damien stared at the words.
His mind raced.
Why would their fathers need to protect them from each other?
They weren't enemies.
They barely knew each other.
Unless...
Someone had planned this.
A loud noise came from downstairs.
They both froze.
Someone was inside the house.
Damien immediately closed the folder.
"Someone followed us."
Ava whispered:
"Who?"
His expression darkened.
"I don't know."
The footsteps got closer.
Slow.
Calm.
Not someone searching.
Someone who knew exactly where they were going.
Damien moved in front of Ava.
But this time...
She noticed something.
His hand was shaking.
Only slightly.
But it was there.
"You’re scared."
His eyes stayed on the door.
"No."
"Damien."
A pause.
Then quietly:
"I haven't been back here since the night my mother died."
Ava froze.
"What?"
He swallowed.
"I was fourteen."
The footsteps stopped outside the room.
Damien continued.
"My mother told me to run."
Ava looked at him.
"Run from what?"
His eyes met hers.
And for the first time...
She saw the little boy behind the billionaire.
"I don't know."
The door handle moved.
Ava held her breath.
Then the door opened.
And the person standing there...
Was not a stranger.
Not an enemy.
Not a stranger from the outside.
It was someone Damien thought he would never see again.
Someone who knew every secret in that house.
Someone who had disappeared with the truth.
Julian Laurent.
Damien's brother.
Alive.
Standing in front of them.
And the first thing Julian said was:
"Damien..."
His eyes moved to Ava.
Then back to his brother.
"You have no idea what you've uncovered."