Novels by BellaDonna

Chapter 98 - Natasha finds out."His name is Mr. Edwin Shaw, but I don't know whether he still works for Mr. Blac Monroe." Miriam replied.Marcus wrote the name down.It was a lead, but not yet proof that Edwin had anything to do with the threatening message.Alessia looked at Miriam. "Did Natasha speak to you recently?"Miriam's mouth tightened."Yes. She came to see me at a café a few days ago."Alessia felt Draven's attention sharpen beside her."What did she want?" she asked."Information about you. She wanted to know whether you had ever spoken about the things that happened in that house, whether you still remembered certain incidents, and whether there was anything from your childhood that frightened you."Alessia went still."What did you tell her?""Nothing she could use against you." Miriam's voice grew firmer. "She offered me money. I refused it. Then she tried to make it sound as though she was concerned about you, but I knew better.""Did she mention the photograph?" Drav

CHAPTER 97 - Contacting Miriam Cole.Alessia had not slept well.By eight that morning, she was dressed and waiting in the palace's private study when Draven entered with Marcus. Draven glanced at her, then at the documents on the desk."You've been awake for a while.""I have something to do."He pulled out the chair beside her. "Tell me.""We need to speak with Miriam Cole."Marcus opened his notebook. "I've confirmed that she still lives in the western district. She's been working as a private housekeeper for a family there, and according to our preliminary checks, she hasn't left Crestfall in years.""Has anyone approached her?" Alessia asked."No," Marcus replied. "Not from our side."Alessia hesitated before looking at Draven. "Natasha approached her first."Draven's expression hardened slightly. "You're certain?""Not completely. But Miriam knows my stepfamily better than most people who worked in that house. If Natasha wanted information about my past, Miriam would be one of

Chapter 96: First Clue IIMarcus glanced between them. “Miriam Cole?”Alessia nodded. “She was the former housekeeper and she there for years. She saw things that happened in that house, and she knew which people came and went. If someone has used details from my past to frighten me, Miriam may recognize the information or know who else remembers it.”Draven considered the suggestion.“Do you know where she is?”“No, but I may be able to find out.”“We'll have our team locate her.”Alessia shook her head. “I don't want armed men arriving at her home and frightening her before we even speak. If she's still the same person I remember, she'll be suspicious of anyone connected to the Monroe family.”“Then we'll arrange a discreet approach,” Draven replied. “You won't go alone, but we won't send a team to intimidate her either.”“Thank you.”He touched her cheek gently. “You don't have to thank me for listening to you.”Alessia smiled faintly.Finally, they had a direction to follow.Acros

Chapter 95: First Clue.Alessia read the message again the following morning, but this time, she refused to let the memories control her.The letter lay on the desk in Draven's private office. Beside it sat the photograph of the old Monroe residence, its narrow side entrance bringing back memories Alessia would have preferred to leave buried. She had barely slept the previous night, but the fear that had initially overwhelmed her had given way to something else.Anger.Someone had reached into the most painful part of her past and used it to remind her that she was still vulnerable. Whoever had sent the letter expected her to become frightened, to withdraw into herself, or perhaps to beg Draven to keep her away from the world.Alessia had spent too many years living that way.She would not return to it now.Draven stood near the desk, speaking to Marcus about the initial security findings. When he finished, Marcus placed a thin folder beside the evidence sleeve and stepped back.“The

Chapter 94: The Message.Draven returned to the suite twenty minutes later.He found Alessia sitting in the same chair beside the window, but something about her posture made him pause before speaking. Her shoulders were stiff, and her hands were folded tightly in her lap. She looked up when he entered, attempting a smile that disappeared almost immediately.“What happened?” he asked.“Nothing.”Draven closed the door behind him.“Alessia.”She looked away.He crossed the room and crouched beside her chair, taking one of her hands in his. Her fingers were cold, and he could feel the tension in them.“You don't have to pretend with me,” he said quietly. “Tell me what happened.”For a moment, Alessia struggled to find the words. She did not want to frighten him unnecessarily, especially when he already had the escaped Crosses to worry about. Yet hiding the message would be worse, and she knew he would want to understand why someone had sent it.She reached for the letter and handed it t

Chapter 92: The MessageNatasha Monroe stared at the message on her phone, reading it for the third time before deleting it from the screen. It was a confirmation from Gideon that he had found no evidence of Miriam contacting Alessia recently, but that did not mean the woman had nothing useful to offer. Their meeting at the café had ended badly, and Natasha had spent most of the previous evening wondering how to get around Miriam's refusal to cooperate without exposing her intentions.She had expected the woman to be difficult, but she had not expected her to be so protective of Alessia. Miriam's loyalty was a problem, yet it had also revealed something Natasha could use. She smiled faintly.That kind of loyalty could be turned into a weapon, but she would not waste time trying to convince Miriam to help her. The woman had made her position clear, and another meeting would only make her suspicious. Natasha needed to move forward with what she already knew, and she knew enough abou