Chapter 9 - The Orchestrated Illusion
I stumbled backward, entirely repulsed by the men standing in front of me. I felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.
Alejandro reached out, a desperate attempt to touch my arm, but I violently yanked it away. "Do not touch me," I hissed. "Do not dare tell me that this family protected me. Not after what I have endured in this house."
He immediately dropped his hand, accepting the punishment. "You have every right to be angry."
"Angry?" I laughed wildly. "I am not angry. I am disgusted! You bought my life!"
Mr. Lu closed his eyes. "We searched for you for years, Clara. The syndicate that orchestrated the kidnapping was still highly active. They knew who your mother was. If they found you—the daughter of the woman who ruined their operation—they would have killed you to send a message. We had to change your name, your schools, your entire paper trail. When we finally secured the city and found you, you were already an adult."
"So you decided to buy me a life without ever giving me the decency of an explanation," I said, the horrific pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place.
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"We decided the safest place for you was as close to the family as physically possible," Alejandro said quietly. "It started with a job placement at our subsidiary. Then an introduction. Then..."
"Then a marriage," I finished for him, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.
