“Your father mentioned those files to me… just about a month ago, Mary said as she gestured for Emery to follow her into the car, leaving james behind in the hall.

    Emery understood right away, whatever Mary wanted to say wasn’t something James could hear. And it made sense. The supernatural world wasplicated, and involving James would only make things worse for him or the whole Be family.

    “I saw theb reports, Emery said once they were seated.

    Mary studied her granddaughter’s face carefully, as if weighing how much she had already figured out. After a brief pause, she asked, “Then you know, don’t you… about Gene YL?”

    Emery gave a slow nod. Mary wasn’t foolish. If Emery hadn’t brought it up yet, she must have already pieced things together. It was the only reason Mary would jump straight to the question. Moreover, there is no point in pretending that she doesn’t know anything.

    “If you are going to ask me if the Bes have that gene, then my answer would be no. Believe me, I tested both your father and James.”

    Emery swallowed. So, it was indeed her mother.

    “So…. you’re different. So what?” Mary suddenly said as she turned and held Emery’s hand. “You are my granddaughter. Don’t you ever think that you are not one of the Bes. You are your father’s daughter. You are a Be and that is not something that a simple gene could change. Do you understand me?”

    Emery blinked. She could see something flicker in her grandmother’s eyes. Emotion. It startled her because Mary rarely let anything show. She had always beenposed, her words measured, her presence sharp andmanding. But now, for the first time, Emery caught a trace of something softer.

    Mary squeezed her hand gently. “I didn’t give you those shares to make up for anything,” she said. “That arrangement was made long before I learned about the gene. It was something your grandfather wanted as well. We both agreed on it.”

    Emery froze for a moment. The shares had always felt like a symbol, an obligation, maybe even pity. To hear that they were part of a n her grandfather supported made her chest tighten with surprise. For years she had wondered what she truly meant to this family.

    Warmth spread slowly through her chest. For once, she didn’t feel like she was on the outside looking in. She felt seen. She felt included.

    Her lips curved into a small smile. “I know, Grandma. Don’t worry about it.”

    Mary gave her a long look, the corners of her own mouth softening as if Emery’s words eased a weight she had carried.

    “However… Adam, that boy told me something else.”

    “About my mother?” Emery immediately got interested.

    “No. Apparently, she knew nothing about her. Aside from the fact that she was… extremely pretty” Mary sighed. “Believe me, I tried checking for years. I couldn’t find anything about her past. When Adam showed me the tests, I immediately asked my people to do another search. I was hoping that with the technology these days, I could at least find something about her.” She met Emery’s eyes. “I was wrong.”

    Emery nodded. It was exactly just like what Logan told her. Her mother…. almost felt like she never existed before she met Emery’s father.

    “Your father told me that the reason he seemed distant wasn’t because he wanted to,” Mary said. “He and Deana had been longing for a daughter for years. Even Deana adored you. However…” She stopped, her expression tightening as though she had to force the next words out. “However, one night, something happened in his study.”

    Emery frowned. “What do you mean?”

    “It was storming that night,” Mary continued. “The power went out, and the whole estate was thrown into darkness. Back then, the generator system wasn’t automatic, the controls were in his study. So, he rushed there to turn it on.”

    Emery leaned forward, her pulse quickening.

    “But when he pushed the door open,” Mary said, her voice low. “There was someone already inside. A man. At least, he looked like one at first nce. Your father swore the air grew colder the second he saw him. And his eyes…” Mary’s fingers trembled slightly as she raised them to her face. “They weren’t human. They were golden, and in the pitch–ck room, they didn’t just reflect light, they glowed. He said no candle, nomp, nothing in that study could have made them shine like that.”

    Emery’s mouth went dry.

    “Your father told me he never forgot the way those eyes followed him, even as the thunder shook the walls,” Mary whispered.

    A man with golden eyes? Was it a werewolf? Emery tried to recall the information that they told her about the supernaturals. Sadly, they didn’t mention anyone having golden eyes.

    “The man said something that your father will never forget,” Mary continued.

    Emery gripped her knees, her heart thudding. “What was it?”

    Mary’s lips pressed together before she spoke. “He said… Mark my words, when the childes of age, only by bearing a child with a human will the Be Family endure. If not, everything you’ve built will be reduced to ruin.”

    The words hit Emery like a blow. Her stomach twisted, her breath caught, and for a moment she couldn’t even form a response. “What… what does that mean?” A child with a human? What the hell does that mean?

    “I don’t know,” Mary admitted, shaking her head. “Your father didn’t know either. At first, Adam didn’t believe it. He thought it was some kind of cruel trick. But before the man left, he said something else. He told your father that on your first birthday, something would happen, something catastrophic. He said it wouldn’t matter how closely Adam watched, he would never be able to stop it or trace how it happened. It would prove the truth of his words.”

    ???(5? )

    Sevouche

    Emery’s throat felt dry. “And… did it?”

    Mary nodded grimly. “Your father did everything he could. He tightened security, he monitored every project, every asset. He didn’t sleep for days. But the night before your first birthday, one of the Be shipping vessels was destroyed in the middle of the Antic. It was carrying hundreds of millions in goods. The loss was in the hundreds of millions, an enormous sum at that time. And even now, no one has been able to exin what caused it. There were no traces or survivors. It just vanished.”

    Emery’s eyes widened, chills spreading through her arms.

    “From that moment,” Mary continued. “Your father realized the warning wasn’t an empty threat. He never saw the man again, but he never forgot those words. That’s why he became so distant, Emery. Not because he didn’t love you, but because he was terrified. He has been secretly testing you, studying you, trying to understand what connection you might have to all of this. But no matter what he did, he couldn’t find anything.”

    AD

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