The name appeared in the final letter.
Patrick Murphy.
Caleb’s father.
The room spun.
“No…” Isabella whispered.
Her father hadn’t just ruined a man.
He had murdered a life.
And forced a son into slavery.
Her hands shook violently.
Behind her, a floorboard creaked.
Isabella spun around.
Mia stood in the doorway.
Watching.
For several seconds, neither woman spoke.
Then Mia slowly closed the door behind her.
“So,” she said quietly.
“You finally found it.”
Isabella stared at her.
“You knew.”
Mia’s expression hardened.
“I suspected.”
“You suspected?” Isabella snapped. “My father destroyed Caleb’s family!”
Mia’s eyes flashed.
“And mine.”
The words hit like thunder.
Isabella froze.
“What?”
Mia stepped forward slowly.
“My father was Patrick Murphy’s friend,” she said. “The one who helped him gather evidence against your father’s smuggling operation.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“When the scandal exploded, your father blamed both of them.”
Isabella felt the air leave her lungs.
“My father had my family ruined,” Mia continued. “My father lost everything defending the truth. He died a year later from shame and debt.”
Silence filled the study.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
“And you…” Isabella whispered. “You came here to take revenge.”
Mia looked away.
“Yes.”
Isabella remembered the pocket watch incident.
“You framed Caleb.”
Mia nodded slowly.
“I thought his father betrayed mine.”
Her voice cracked.
“I didn’t know the truth.”
Before Isabella could respond—
The study door slammed open.
Arthur Howard stood in the doorway.
And his expression was pure fury.
“What,” he said coldly.
“Are you doing in my study?”
Isabella’s heart nearly stopped.
“Mia told me everything,” she said, forcing the words out. “About Patrick Murphy.”
Arthur’s face darkened.
For a moment, the mask of the nobleman slipped.
Revealing something ugly underneath.
“You shouldn’t have looked,” he said quietly.
Mia stepped forward.
“You destroyed innocent people.”
Arthur’s gaze snapped to her.
“And who are you to judge me?”
“I’m the daughter of the man you ruined,” Mia said.
Arthur’s eyes turned icy.
“Well,” he said softly.
“That’s unfortunate.”
Then his hand moved toward the pistol on his desk.
Isabella gasped.
“Father—!”
Arthur pointed the gun directly at Mia.
“You’ve heard too much.”
The room froze.
Isabella’s mind screamed.
He wouldn’t.
He couldn’t.
But the look in his eyes told her the truth.
He absolutely would.
The gun cocked.
Mia closed her eyes.
And then—
A hand slammed the door open.
“Drop it.”
Caleb Murphy stood in the doorway.
His expression was lethal.
Arthur’s eyes widened.
“You.”
Caleb stepped inside slowly.
“How fitting,” Arthur said bitterly. “The son of Patrick Murphy.”
Isabella’s heart pounded.
“You knew?” she whispered to Caleb.
Caleb’s voice was quiet.
“I had suspicions.”
Arthur laughed coldly.
“Yes, boy. I ruined your father.”
The words fell like a hammer.
“Your father thought exposing me would change the world.”
Arthur stepped closer.
“So I destroyed him.”
Caleb’s hands clenched.
Pain burned in his eyes.
But his voice remained steady.
“And now?”
Arthur smiled.
“Now I finish the job.”
The pistol lifted again.
But this time—
Caleb moved.
In a blur, he lunged forward and knocked the gun aside.
The shot fired into the ceiling.
Isabella screamed.
The weapon clattered to the floor.
Arthur staggered back.
Caleb grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the desk.
“You took everything from my father,” Caleb growled.
Arthur met his gaze without fear.
“Yes.”
The admission was calm.
Cruel.
Mocking.
“If you want revenge,” Arthur said, voice dripping with arrogance, “come take it.”
The room fell silent.
Caleb’s chest rose and fell.
Rage.
Grief.
Years of suffering.
All boiling inside him.
Isabella watched, terrified of what he might do.
Then slowly…
Caleb released him.
Arthur straightened his coat.
Smiling faintly.
“See?” he said to Isabella. “Even the son of a ruined man lacks the courage to strike.”
Caleb’s voice turned deadly calm.
“No,” he said.
“I’m just patient.”
Arthur’s smile faded slightly.
Because in Caleb’s eyes…
Was the promise of war.
And this time—
The powerful man of the manor wasn’t the one in control anymore.