I stared at Adrian.
His face had changed.
The confidence I knew was gone.
He looked afraid.
Not for himself.
For me.
"What does the message mean?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
"Adrian."
He looked away.
My chest tightened.
"You knew."
"I knew something was wrong."
"That's not what I asked."
He took a slow breath.
"Your father wasn't the only person watching me."
I frowned.
"Who else?"
"The Blackwoods."
My heart sank.
"Your family?"
"My biological family."
I stared at him.
"Why would they want you dead?"
He hesitated.
"Because I discovered something."
"What?"
He looked at my father.
Then at my uncle.
"They weren't fighting over money."
My father closed his eyes.
Adrian continued.
"The fortune was only part of it."
I felt confused.
"Then what were they fighting over?"
Adrian looked directly at me.
"You."
My heart stopped.
"Me?"
He nodded.
"Before we met, I found documents showing that your identity had been hidden."
My mother began crying.
Adrian continued.
"Your biological father is Richard Blackwood. That means you're connected to the Blackwood family by blood."
I nodded slowly.
"I know."
"But there's more."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded document.
"I found this before I disappeared."
I took it.
The paper was old.
At the top was a name.
THE BLACKWOOD-MORGAN TRUST AGREEMENT.
I read the first few lines.
Then my eyes stopped.
There was a clause stating that if I married outside the three families, control of the trust would be transferred to another beneficiary.
I looked at Adrian.
"Who is the beneficiary?"
He didn't answer.
I looked at the bottom of the page.
My blood ran cold.
The beneficiary was Adrian Blackwood.
I stared at him.
"That's why they wanted you dead."
He nodded.
"If I died, the trust would pass to the next person."
"Who?"
He looked at Daniel.
"Daniel Morgan."
Daniel's face changed.
"No."
Adrian nodded.
"That's why our marriage was arranged."
I looked at Daniel.
"You knew?"
"I knew about the agreement."
"But not everything."
He looked devastated.
"I never knew Adrian would be targeted."
My father finally spoke.
"I did."
I turned toward him.
"You knew they wanted Adrian dead?"
He nodded.
"Then why didn't you warn him?"
"Because I thought keeping you away from him would protect both of you."
I laughed bitterly.
"And instead you forced me to marry someone else."
"I was trying to keep you alive."
I shook my head.
"You destroyed my life."
My father lowered his eyes.
Then Adrian took my hand.
"There is something else."
I looked at him.
"What?"
"The person sending the messages isn't Victor."
My stomach tightened.
"Then who?"
Adrian looked toward the door.
"Someone who has access to everything."
"Who?"
He whispered:
"Your mother."
I froze.
My mother looked at him in horror.
"No."
Adrian stepped back.
"I found proof."
My mother began shaking her head.
"Adrian, please."
I stared at her.
"Mom?"
She covered her face.
"I never wanted this."
My heart shattered.
"What did you do?"
She looked at me through her tears.
"I was trying to protect you."
"By threatening us?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"Those messages weren't from me."
Adrian's expression changed.
"Then who sent them?"
My mother slowly looked toward the hallway.
And whispered:
"Your father's brother."
Everyone froze.
My uncle was gone.
Again.
And this time, he had taken the original agreement with him.