Page 84 of Silent Oaths
“Okay.FromwhatIwas able to find, you were left at the orphanage, yet you were supposedly dead.Whywould they want you tostaydead when you weren’t really?”
Mymind races, searching for an answerIstill can’t find.Ishake my head slightly, my jaw tight. “That’swhatIwant to know too, butIcan’t figure it out.”
Isabeldoesn’t look up from the papers as she continues, her voice taking on a darker tone. “Inone of the filesIhad, it mentions theAddingtonsas having a close connection to theSotelofamily, which was their link to theWhitmores.Butonce theAddingtonsandWhitmoresjoined forces, theSotelosseemed to disappear.”
Shepauses, glancing up at me before continuing, her voice a little more strained. “FromwhatIwas able to figure out, it seems like most of theSotelofamily—or what was left of it—was women…”
Julian’sface shifts as he processes the information. “Oh, shit.Doyou think they sacrificed them in the rituals to gain more power, which is why they simply vanished?”
Thethought hangs in the air like a suffocating cloud, the pieces of this twisted puzzle falling into place.
Iglance atIsabel, her face pale but determined as she looks back at me. “Ifthat’s true,”Isay quietly, “then theSotelosweren’t just erased from history—they weresacrificedto start maintain the legacy.”
Isabelturns toJulian. “Julian, give me the book with all the ancestry ofEbonridge.”
Hemoves toward the bookshelf, pulling out the thick, leather-bound book and handing it toIsabel.Sheflips it open and quickly skims the pages.Hereyes move faster with each turn until she stops abruptly, her fingers freezing.
“Whatthe fuck?” she mutters under her breath.
Ilook over her shoulder, my stomach sinking. “What’swrong?”
Isabel’sface goes pale, her finger pointing to the page she just turned. “The‘S’ last name page ismissing.”
Istep closer, leaning over her shoulder to get a better look.Theabsence of the page is jarring—there’s a clean gap where the page should be, as if someone deliberately ripped it out.
Julian’sbrow furrows, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Whatthe hell does that mean?”
Isabel’seyes are hard now. “Itmeans someone is trying to hide something.”
Julian’seyes suddenly widen, his hand pausing mid-air, as if something has just clicked into place. “Wait,” he mutters, as though he just remembered something important.Helooks over atIsabeland then back at the bookshelf. “Maybethe missing pages are inFather’sboxes.”
Hemoves quickly, heading to the office.Wefollow him.
Whenwe step inside,Irun my fingers along the boxes we brought over fromLionel’soffice atVanguard, scanning each one.Finally,Istop at one at the back.
“Checkthis one,”Isay.
Isabelflips open the box, the musty scent of old paper filling the air.Herfingers shake slightly as she flips through the papers, her eyes scanning the names.TheSotelofamily tree stretches across the yellowed parchment.Shemutters to herself as she traces the lineage, the words falling quietly from her lips.
Hereyes widen as she stares at one particular name.
“Isn’tthis your adoptive mother?”Hervoice is tight with disbelief as she looks up at me andJulian.
Myheart lurches in my chest asIlook at the photo and name she’s pointing to—CelesteSotelo.
Iswallow hard, trying to steady myself, but it’s like everythingIthoughtIknew is unraveling before my eyes.Ilook at the page again, my eyes scanning the name, trying to piece together something that doesn’t make sense.
Julian’svoice cuts through the tension in the room. “It’stime we payMothera visit.”
30
THEODORE
Icradle the glass of whiskey in my hand, the amber liquid catching the light asIswirl it slowly.Theburn from the first sip lingers on my tongue, a welcome heat settling in my chest.
Ipick up my phone, staring at the screen for a moment.Thecontact is waiting for me to hit dial.Ipress the call button, waiting as the phone rings in my ear.
Myfinger drifts to the edge of the glass, tapping it absently asIwait.Ithas been a long road to get here, and now, it’s all in motion—product hitting the shelves, business moving at a paceIhadn’t expected.Ebonridge’sborders are just the beginning—we’re already pushing beyond.
