Mara
“So where is it?” Darian asked, calm but cutting. “The money. I need it for business.”
He knew. I could see it in his eyes. Lucian must have told him—but now he was cornering her, waiting for her to lie.
“It’s my money,” Martha said, her voice shaking. “Ask your father—or your brother.”
“No, Mother,” he said, stepping closer. “Lucian has his mother’s legacy. The least you could do is help set me up. Unless… you’ve spent it all.”
She looked down. Guilty silence.
“Then I need to know what you spent it on. You don’t have any responsibilities. Everything is covered. Even now that Lucian handles the accounts, he still makes sure your allowance is intact, the staff are paid, your wardrobe updated—alongside Mara’s, might I add.”
He paused, voice tightening. “So what did you use all th
