The Girl He Sold Returned As The King’s Mate Chapter 16
He claimed he had kept my place for me all these years, that he had never truly forgotten me.
Maeve looked moved.
I had her turn the page.
Within two years of my disappearance, Isla’s status had been changed to Daniel’s sole recognized daughter. She was granted primary inheritance rights and had taken legal possession of my mother’s properties and investments.
My name hadn’t been erased, but everything tied to it had been carved up and given away long ago.
Daniel hadn’t believed I was still alive.
He had only been unwilling to be the one to sign my death certificate.
That hesitation hadn’t prompted him to search for me for a single extra day.
I refused to see him.
The joint investigation lasted nine days.
Adrian changed his story several times.
First, he insisted he hadn’t understood the transfer documents.
But the Starlight Carnival’s accountant produced the standard contract from that era.
*May not leave voluntarily. May be transferred across regions. Original guardian permanently relinquishes all contact.*
There was no ambiguity.
Adrian’s fingerprint was right next to the clause about relinquishing contact.
The investigators asked him why he chose the river festival.
He was silent for a long time before finally admitting he had scouted the dock three times beforehand.
During the festival, with so many people around, an accidental fall into the river was the most believable story.
He had even checked the Starlight Carnival’s tour schedule, knowing the truck would be out of the territory long before Riverbend patrols even began their search.
From the wolfsbane sedative to the change of clothes to the planted shoe, every step was planned.
This wasn’t the mistake of a child.
Next, he claimed he had tried to find me later.
Investigators searched missing persons databases, private detective payment records, and transportation inquiries across every Pack. Not a single one came from Adrian.
His annual memorial at the dock was just a performance, forcing the Hawthorne family to witness his supposed grief again and again.
He had never once looked for me in a place where he might have actually found me.
Peter’s leg injury was reexamined by an independent Healer.
The old bone displacement was a perfect match for the mining camp’s medical form.
A former manager from the Cole household admitted that the order to fire Peter and send him to the northern mines had come directly from Adrian.
One piece of evidence after another fell into place.
And the carefully constructed image of the honest, self-made man was stripped away, layer by layer.Â