I Returned as the True Heir

Ch-8 what are you hiding from me?

Ryan read the message again.

Ask yourself why the people around you suddenly know exactly when to believe you.

He didn’t move.

Neither did his family.

That was the problem.

If the message meant nothing, someone should have laughed.

Asked what kind of nonsense the sender was talking about.

Dismissed it.

Instead, Catherine had gone pale.

Richard looked like someone had placed a gun on his desk.

Victoria, Sophia, and Emma were suddenly avoiding Ryan’s eyes.

Ryan slowly lowered his phone.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

“What does that mean?”

Nobody answered immediately.

Ryan looked at Richard.

“Dad?”

Richard’s expression changed slightly at the word.

Ryan didn’t care this time.

“What are they talking about?”

“We don’t know.”

Ryan stared at him.

Lie.

Richard heard it.

His jaw tightened.

Ryan noticed.

And not a very good one.

Sophia looked down.

Ryan’s gaze snapped toward her.

“You know something?”

“No.”

“That was fast.”

“What?”

“You answered before I finished looking at you.”

Sophia’s lips parted.

Emma took one tiny step backward.

Ryan saw it.

“And you.”

Emma froze.

“Me?”

“Why are you moving?”

“I wasn’t.”

“You literally moved.”

“I was adjusting my position.”

Ryan stared.

She is absolutely terrible under pressure.

Emma’s cheeks puffed.

Victoria stepped between them.

“Ryan, someone just shot at you. You’re stressed.”

He looked at her.

“So?”

“So maybe don’t interrogate everyone five minutes later.”

Deflection.

Victoria’s expression remained calm.

Barely.

Ryan folded his arms.

The anonymous sender had been right about one thing.

His family had behaved strangely since he arrived.

The suitcase.

Richard had suddenly asked Ethan to open it after Ryan thought it was empty.

The necklace.

Richard had ordered security checks almost before Ryan had properly explained his suspicion.

Victoria’s accident.

Ryan remembered thinking about the brakes.

Richard immediately ordered the car secured.

At the time, none of those things had seemed important individually.

Together?

Ryan’s eyes narrowed.

Wait.

Five hearts seemed to stop at once.

Ryan looked at Catherine.

When he’d thought Victoria might die, everyone had reacted.

When he’d remembered the necklace…

They had reacted.

When he’d thought—

No.

That was impossible.

Ryan almost laughed at himself.

What am I thinking? Telepathy?

Emma’s eyes widened.

Victoria immediately grabbed her hand.

Ryan caught the movement.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Ryan looked suspiciously between them.

No. That’s ridiculous.

The five Harringtons silently agreed.

Very ridiculous.

Completely impossible.

Please keep thinking that.

Ryan rubbed his forehead.

Someone had shot at him less than an hour ago.

Maybe Victoria was right.

He was tired.

Paranoid.

And the anonymous sender clearly wanted him to distrust his family.

That itself was reason enough not to do exactly what the sender wanted.

Ryan put his phone away.

“Fine.”

Catherine blinked.

“Fine?”

“I’ll leave it for now.”

The entire room relaxed.

Ryan noticed.

His eyes narrowed again.

“Why did everyone just relax?”

Nobody moved.

Then a voice came from the doorway.

“That’s a good question.”

Everyone turned.

Ethan stood there.

His face was calm.

Too calm.

“How long have you been standing there?” Richard asked.

“Long enough.”

Ethan entered.

His gaze traveled around the room.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Victoria said.

Ethan laughed softly.

“Again.”

Victoria frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“It means every time I walk into a room lately, everyone suddenly says nothing is happening.”

Ryan looked between them.

Family drama incoming.

Sophia’s lips twitched despite herself.

Ethan saw it.

His gaze sharpened.

“There. That.”

Sophia immediately stopped.

“What?”

“You keep doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Reacting to things that haven’t been said.”

The room became silent.

Ryan’s eyes slowly moved toward Sophia.

Ethan continued.

“At breakfast, Dad suddenly knew something was wrong with Victoria’s brakes.”

Richard’s expression hardened.

“I explained that.”

“No, you didn’t.”

Ethan looked at Catherine.

“Yesterday, everyone suddenly became obsessed with checking my suitcase.”

Then Emma.

“You laugh at random moments.”

Emma looked offended.

“I laugh normally.”

“No, you don’t.”

Ryan almost smiled.

He’s got you there.

Emma glared at Ryan.

Ryan’s smile disappeared.

Why was she glaring at him?

Ethan noticed that too.

His eyes narrowed.

“See?”

Ryan looked at Emma.

“What did I do?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re all obsessed with that word.”

Ethan turned toward Ryan.

“You don’t notice it?”

“Notice what?”

“The way they behave around you.”

Ryan didn’t answer.

Ethan stepped closer.

“Since you came home, it’s like everyone knows something I don’t.”

That sentence landed differently.

For the first time, Ryan saw something beneath Ethan’s polished exterior that wasn’t manipulation.

Fear.

Real fear.

Ethan had spent years belonging here.

Now Ryan had returned.

And suddenly there was a secret between the biological family members that Ethan couldn’t access.

Ryan understood why that would terrify him.

He thinks they’re replacing him.

Catherine closed her eyes briefly.

Ethan didn’t hear the thought.

He only saw Catherine looking emotional while staring at Ryan.

That made everything worse.

Ethan laughed bitterly.

“There it is again.”

Catherine frowned.

“What?”

“That look.”

“Ethan—”

“No. It’s fine.”

Ryan sighed.

Please don’t bring another empty suitcase.

Sophia choked.

Emma turned away.

Even Victoria’s lips moved.

Ethan went completely still.

Ryan looked at them.

Then at Ethan.

Ethan’s face changed.

“What was funny?”

Nobody answered.

Ethan stared at Ryan.

“You didn’t say anything.”

Ryan frowned.

“No.”

“But they reacted.”

Ryan’s body went still.

The room seemed to shrink.

Ethan had noticed.

And now Ryan had noticed Ethan noticing.

Catherine spoke quickly.

“Sophia remembered something from yesterday.”

Sophia looked at her mother.

“Yes.”

Ethan turned.

“What?”

Sophia’s mind visibly went blank.

Ryan watched her.

Come on. At least invent something believable.

Sophia almost glared at him.

Then she said, “The suitcase.”

Ethan’s face darkened.

Bad choice.

Very bad choice.

Sophia realized it immediately.

“I mean—not the suitcase itself. Something Emma said afterward.”

Emma looked horrified.

“What did I say?”

Sophia stared at her.

Ryan rubbed his face.

They’re getting worse.

Ethan’s gaze moved between all of them.

“Enough.”

He turned and walked out.

Catherine followed.

“Ethan!”

He didn’t stop.

Richard started after them.

Ryan caught his arm.

Richard looked at him.

“Give him a minute.”

“He thinks—”

“I know what he thinks.”

Ryan glanced toward the door.

“He’s not completely wrong.”

Richard went quiet.

Ryan released his arm.

“You are hiding something.”

Five expressions changed again.

Ryan sighed.

“But whatever it is, the person sending those messages wants me focused on it.”

He took out his phone.

“So I’m not giving them what they want.”

Richard studied him.

“You trust us?”

Ryan considered the question.

“No.”

Catherine had returned just in time to hear that.

Pain crossed her face.

Ryan saw it.

He added, “But I don’t trust them either.”

That was the truth.

For now, it was enough.

⸻

Two hours later, Ryan was moved to another bedroom while security inspected his room and windows.

He hated it.

He hated guards outside the door.

He hated not knowing who had shot at him.

Most of all, he hated being forced to sit still.

A knock came.

Ryan expected Catherine.

Instead, Ethan entered.

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

“Planning another dramatic departure?”

Ethan closed the door.

“No.”

“Good. We’re running low on empty suitcases.”

Ethan’s expression tightened.

Ryan almost regretted it.

Almost.

Ethan sat opposite him.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Ethan asked, “Do you want my place?”

Ryan blinked.

“What?”

“In this family.”

Ryan stared.

“That’s a stupid question.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

Ethan leaned forward.

“You’ve been here less than two days.”

“And?”

“Dad watches you constantly. Mom barely leaves you alone. Victoria canceled work because you asked. Sophia and Emma follow you around.”

Ryan frowned.

“That sounds like their problem.”

Ethan laughed without humor.

“You really don’t care?”

“About what?”

“The inheritance.”

“No.”

“My position.”

“No.”

“The company.”

“Not particularly.”

Ethan studied him.

“You expect me to believe that?”

Ryan leaned back.

“I don’t care what you believe.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened.

Ryan looked at him for a long moment.

Then his expression became serious.

“I didn’t come here to take your family.”

Ethan’s eyes changed.

“But they are my family.”

“I know.”

“And yours.”

Ryan’s smile faded.

“Biologically.”

Ethan frowned.

Ryan looked toward the window.

Family isn’t created by a DNA test.

Outside the room, Catherine had just approached with a tray.

She stopped.

They’ve known me for two days.

Her eyes filled.

They’ve known him for years.

Catherine lowered her head.

If they throw him away just because I came back, then maybe they aren’t people I want as family anyway.

Catherine’s hand trembled.

Inside, Ethan couldn’t hear any of it.

He only saw Ryan’s cold face.

“You say that now,” Ethan said. “But eventually you’ll want what belongs to you.”

Ryan looked back at him.

“Then worry about it eventually.”

Ethan stood.

Before leaving, he paused.

“Whatever they’re hiding from me…”

His eyes hardened.

“I’ll find out.”

The door closed.

Ryan stared after him.

That sounded ominous.

Outside, Catherine quickly stepped into an adjoining hallway before Ethan could see her.

Ryan’s phone buzzed.

His expression changed immediately.

Another message.

But this time there were no words.

Only a location.

And a photograph.

Ryan opened it.

A woman stood outside an old building.

Dark hair.

Older now.

But unmistakable.

The same woman from the photograph.

His nanny.

Ryan shot to his feet.

Another message appeared.

She is alive.

His heart hammered.

Then the final message came.

Come alone if you want to know why she took you.

Ryan stared at the address.

He knew it was a trap.

Every instinct told him it was a trap.

Then something else appeared on the screen.

A live photograph.

The nanny tied to a chair.

Ryan’s face went cold.

Damn it.

Outside the room, Catherine heard him.

And before Ryan had even decided what to do, she was already running toward Richard’s study.