Chapter 205 Who Are My Real Parents?

    Sloane had already ruled out her adoptive parents. Years ago, she’d taken a DNA test with them–there was no biological connection.

    But now, something else struck her as off. She’d been staying at the Rivers estate… And no one from the family had shown up in Stonebridge to check on Samantha. If Samantha really were their biological daughter, how could they possibly stay away?

    Five years ago, she’d been so eager to earn her ce in the Rivers family that she missed all the things that didn’t add up.

    Now that she was piecing everything together, the doubts kept piling up.

    “Wait–where’s Samantha?” Sloane asked.

    Lena’s expression shifted. A flicker of difort crossed her face before she answered.

    “While you were in the hospital, Samantha used your room key to get into Mason’s suite. They spent the entire night together at the hotel. The next morning, Mason’s people took her to his private vi.” She hesitated, weighing whether to say more— but in the end, Sloane deserved the truth. “After they left the hotel, our people went in to check the room. The ce was… a mess. Pretty disturbing, actually. They found some blood–stained whips and other… things.”

    Lena hadn’t wanted to share the details. Sloane was still young, and this wasn’t something she should have to hear. But shielding her from the truth could cloud her judgment, and Lena knew she needed the full picture to make decisions.

    Sloane said nothing at first. She didn’t need every detail to understand what probably went down that night.

    Samantha must have thought Mason was on track to be CEO of the Hawthorne Group. She’d seen a shot at bing Mrs. Hawthorne—a ticket to power, prestige, and status.

    What she didn’t know was that Mason had already been ruined by Sloane–and

    now, something in him had snapped.

    But none of that mattered right now.

    If Sloane was ever going to find out the truth about where she came from, she had to start with the Marshalls.

    She leaned in and gave Lena a quiet set of instructions. Lena nodded quickly. “Got it. I’ll get on it right away.”

    In a dim warehouse on the edge of town, a lone flickering bulb hung from the ceiling, casting distorted shadows across the concrete floor.

    Helen sat tied to a broken wooden chair. Her wrists and ankles were tightly bound, and a strip of duct tape sealed her mouth. Her eyes were wild with fear and fury as she writhed against the ropes, struggling to break free–but it was useless.

    Suddenly, the heavy door creaked open. A cold gust of wind swept in as Sloane stepped through the doorway. She wore a ck coat, her posture steady, her expression sharp and unreadable, eyes cold as ice.

    Helen’s gazended on her, wide with disbelief that quickly turned to rage. She kicked at the floor and growled beneath the tape, clearly shouting curses.

    Sloane didn’t flinch. She stopped in front of her, looking down without a hint of warmth. “Madam Helen. It’s been a while.”

    She peeled the tape off Helen’s mouth in one quick motion.

    “You ungrateful little brat!” Helen snapped. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You kidnapped me! Are you out of your mind? The Rivers family will never let you get away with this!”

    Sloane gave a coldugh. “I’m just returning the favor.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “And let’s be honest–do you really think the Rivers family still has any pull over me?”

    Helen’s expression faltered, panic shing in her eyes before she forced herself to hold her ground. “What do you want?”

    Sloane stared her down, her voice cutting like a de. “I want to know who parents are.”

    my

    real

    The color drained from Helen’s face. For a second, it looked like she might pass out. But she tried to hold her ground. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You already know the story–you were switched at birth by a nanny. You’re the Rivers family’s real daughter.”

    Sloane’s gaze sharpened, her tone turning icy. “Madam Helen, I suggest you start telling the truth. Because I have no problem using more… persuasive methods.”

    She took out a transparent jar, revealing several ck insects squirming inside, each one more unsettling than thest.