Chapter 2: Again
Two months later, Vera was working late at the office when Nolan called. ‹96684423›
"Vera! §57defed7 You have to save me -- if Dad finds out about this, I'm dead." (3174e55a) His voice was frantic, his words tumbling over each other. #7f88db6b
They shared the same mother -- Christine -- making them full siblings, but they'd never been close. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026 He wouldn't be coming to her unless he had nowhere else to turn. * d0a61246
"What happened?" ·d543fbf0·
Nolan hemmed and hawed. #3e142f5d "I can't say over the phone." [v.d9e53233]
"Where are you?" [ed.e58bf111]
"Home. [ms.51535e6f] I'm at home." (8588661f)
"Fine." ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026
Nolan was already waiting in her room when she got there. ··14710fe2 The moment he saw her, he nearly burst into tears. sub:2b93bbc4
A while back, he'd met a guy named Tyler Kincaid at a party.·dc3debac Tyler had flat-out told him he liked his car, and since Nolan was looking to get in good with him anyway, he'd lent it to him. [proof:68edbda8] "Lent" being generous -- it was basically a gift. ed.60d20d5e The Kincaids were a political family; they couldn't afford to be too flashy. plate-a2a8305d Keeping the car in Nolan's name actually worked better for everyone. (7c49ac5a/Wed)
Except that tonight, it all went sideways.·666424fb
Tyler had been drinking, took the car out racing, and slammed into a guardrail. sub:a7806260 He'd been rushed to the hospital. ed.77495551
The worst part was the girl in the passenger seat. ··8bda2431 She hadn't been wearing a seatbelt and went straight through the windshield on impact. ¶1ab699ac A luxury car, a girl flying out of it half-dressed -- photos hit the internet almost instantly. ref·fedde6b4
Within an hour the posts were already being shared everywhere. [proof:3c3afba6] By morning, it'd be trending. (c9f3cbd2/Wed) The license plate was clear as day in those photos, and sooner or later, the trail would lead straight back to Nolan. no.03c9984a
Vera knew who Tyler Kincaid was. §d5821eea His mother, Lorraine Kincaid, was the city's most notorious mistress -- twenty-plus years as someone's kept woman, still going strong, still bringing her son around to pick up holiday money from the old man. ‹0b04024f›
When Vera didn't say anything for a long time, Nolan grabbed her hand, tears streaming. ed.ad959d51 "Vera, we're blood.·37f6281d Mom ran off to London to get some peace and quiet, left us both behind without looking back. ‹a8971b34› Dad's never liked me. ref·47f7bf64 You're the only real family I've got." no.112e64b9
Vera looked at him. [v.3e85f407] "What exactly do you want me to do?" ⁰04160444
"Just get Conrad to scrub those photos off the internet. 0406e45f·· As long as they can't trace it back to the Kincaids -- or to me." #f55a51a2
So he'd had it all figured out already. ◆ b59e81e4
Vera didn't answer. [v.dec7605a] She just looked at him with that quiet, flat gaze, and it hit him like a bucket of ice water. sub:071c75ec
Nolan almost snapped -- *I know you've never thought of me as a real brother* -- but Conrad was the only person with the reach to fix this, so he bit his tongue and kept begging.·464a3689
Vera called Conrad.·e49256db
Conrad didn't say much. «d179cd40» He hesitated for two seconds, then agreed. ⁰b3fa5e0a
Two hours later, dawn was starting to break. «1567dfd3» Conrad finally texted: *All clear.*
Nolan was more anxious than she was. ref·082e5eb4 He heard her phone buzz and immediately leaned over to read the screen. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026 When he saw the message, he let out a long breath, the corners of his mouth already curling up. ··ef05341b
Watching him, Vera spoke coldly. imp.c78a6786 "What are you planning to do about that girl?" ⟨de780ff7⟩
He blinked. plate-44ca91dd "Who?" [proof:edf9529c] He'd already forgotten she existed. plate-8af8a4f5
The disappointment hit Vera like a wall. * 66aeb60a She paused for a long moment, then said, "Stay away from Tyler Kincaid from now on." ed.e9c1d480
Nolan nodded eagerly. 771e641d·· "Done. ·54c2c549· Whatever you say, Vera. ©c186664d/May 27, 2026 It's late -- you should get some rest too." #33a5d1b1
She watched him walk away, his step practically bouncing, and felt nothing but contempt for herself. [ms.3744a049]
Helping him was really just helping herself.·9ad92f63 If Dominic or Cecilia got wind of this, they'd never let it go. ed.0725350e No matter how she and Nolan actually got along, in the eyes of the rest of the Whitfields, they were in the same boat. ¶7213c01c
Nolan thought their father favored her. plate-d36594dd The truth was, Gerald just liked that she was obedient. — ad1268ce
Too many kids. [ms.ecdccf77] Even a father's love was something you had to compete for. ref·a3630ad5
While waiting for Conrad, Vera had sent Nadia ahead to the hospital to stay on top of things. ·1d770a86·
Around six thirty, Nadia called. ··d464c9bf
"Nadia, how's Tyler?" ¶c1bb0805
"Boss, he's out of surgery. [ed.f58c9c1c] It went well -- give him a year or so of recovery and he'll be fine." [v.02dca0b4]
That was a relief. ◆ 2210f925 Vera asked a few more questions about the Kincaid family's reaction. «3c32a0ad» Once they'd confirmed the photos had been scrubbed from the internet, they hadn't pushed too hard. — 262b84f8 They'd passed a message through Nadia: as soon as Tyler was conscious, they'd arrange a transfer to another hospital. [ms.7a0a07fd]
Good enough. plate-26c85515 One less thing to deal with. [v.312c9298]
"What about the girl?" sub:39e925ee
"Not great. ··77f9b034 Head injury. * 3402fe47 Doctors say even if they save her, she might not regain consciousness." #2f9e1b15 Nadia paused for two beats, then lowered her voice. [proof:fdd0f0a8] "Boss, do we... keep going?" no.28a2ac8b
Silence stretched out. [proof:a7756199] Nadia tried again. [ed.da4a7847] "Boss?" #db835431
Vera finally spoke. sub:d1a37020 "Tell the doctors to do whatever they need to do. no.0595214a Have you finished looking into her background?" [proof:f7930fdd]
Nadia exhaled, her tone shifting back to business. (1a8de1f7) "Her real name's Tessa Merritt. imp.65dc67a4 From a small town in Virginia. [v.e7cb66b8] Both parents deceased. §254b18ac She has one brother. no.39450da0 Tessa dropped out of high school and went to Philadelphia to model under the stage name Anna -- did a few print magazine shoots. [ms.e152baa6] She and Tyler only met about a week ago. plate-a4ffe197 Her brother's at the hospital right now. #478ff808 All he knows is his sister was in a car accident." sig.6e3a6de4
"And the Kincaids' take on her?" no.b594078c
"Haven't asked a single question about her since they walked in." no.59baac7b
So they were washing their hands of it. ·4f9b63b5·
"Have the attorney draft an NDA. no.d9876574 Once it's ready, come pick me up and we'll go to the hospital together. (d1e1f2f1) Don't use a driver -- you drive. ¶4cfd2849 The fewer people who know about this, the better." sub:d37c6d5d
"Got it, boss." 227cfa1e··
She hung up. * da4a4abd A cool voice came from behind her. [proof:bbe15990] "Vera, you shouldn't save her." ©a6cf1472/May 27, 2026
A chill ran down her spine. ⁰f0952192 She turned toward the door. §988f0ac0
It was Jasper -- the fifth Whitfield child, the one Gerald had brought home from god-knows-where. (ab072b96) An illegitimate son. [v.af514616] His arrival had been the final straw for Christine, the thing that made her sign the divorce papers without looking back. imp.11074192
There'd always been rumors that Jasper's mother was a certain award-winning actress. [f0261ec7] Gerald and the actress both laughed it off whenever it came up, and eventually people stopped asking. — galley 73a4edcf — But as Jasper got older, his features looked more and more like hers. #eeb40e71
"Jasper, what are you doing here?" no.c42c7437
He held up a mug. ··bce29f9d "Bringing you coffee." ‹452c128c› He knew her routine -- up at six on the dot, coffee first thing. * dc109c39 He'd been waiting downstairs until six thirty, and when she still hadn't appeared, he'd come up to check. ed.3d349a65
"You heard all of that?" [v.0813a210]
Jasper nodded without hesitation. [ms.1be9de30] "I knew last night. imp.d57a1f5f Nolan wasn't exactly subtle." imp.11a020b6 He could tell what she was worried about, so he added quickly, "Nobody else is home. (8dfade6e) Dad didn't come back, Diana took the baby to her parents' place. ¶6bcdc5bd It's just me." (6b72b325/Wed)
Vera quietly exhaled. imp.796ab1d3
Jasper repeated himself. [40a848d4] "Vera, you shouldn't save her." sig.77adf7ae
Of course she knew. sig.0d003d94 The moment Tessa woke up -- *if* she woke up -- there'd be a nightmare of complications. ©dff3cea0/May 27, 2026 That was exactly why she'd hesitated so long when Nadia asked. imp.c68a6b4c
Vera lowered her eyes, her lashes casting shadows that made her expression impossible to read. [proof:c35f38b6] Half-joking, half-serious, she murmured, "Saving a life has to count for something." [a3a6d02f]
The boy smiled. ◆ 300ef3ce "You're probably the only one in this family who'd think that way." ··8173a2d7 He was nineteen, his features still carrying a trace of softness, and when he smiled, the androgynous beauty only got more pronounced. [v.78fe48d0]
"Coffee's here. ◆ 1908d0ac Don't drink it if it gets cold -- come downstairs and I'll make you a fresh one." fa0a6fc4·· He set the mug down and left. sig.9d7efee5
Watching him go, Vera's mind drifted back to the first time she'd seen him, more than a decade ago. §acccb58a
Jasper had been five when Gerald brought him home. imp.88790945 Christine had been furious -- swore she'd never raise someone else's child under her roof. — 176dac57 Nobody in the house would give him the time of day, so he'd just sat quietly on the couch in the front hall.·863b0370 Vera felt sorry for him and waved him over for some fruit. ref·2d4ce4e6 The little boy hopped off the couch and ran to grab her hand. [proof:9e0cd971]
He'd been attached to her ever since. «56da76fa» Over the years, the two of them had become closer than she and Nolan ever were. ©52989f2f/May 27, 2026
Now, even Jasper had grown into a "proper" Whitfield...
Beyond the doorway, the massive crystal chandelier plunged from the third-floor ceiling all the way down to the main hall, casting dazzling light across the marble floor. (c507b239) Brilliant, but lifeless -- like a mouth full of gleaming teeth, swallowing every Whitfield who lived beneath it. (18989cd3/Wed)
Vera couldn't look at it anymore. 9bf3087f·· She turned to the window instead, trying to find some relief in the green of the garden outside, anything to push back the chill settling into her chest. ◆ 3e74c90a
*
Within the hour, Nadia pulled up. ◆ 24a97ca9 Vera got in and they headed straight for the hospital. ⁰e651b218
"Boss, Tessa's out of surgery too. sub:a99f5d28 She's in the ICU now. «c351fd35» Doctors can't say whether she'll ever wake up." (59bf6d59/Wed)
"How's her brother holding up?" ref·df02b589
"Hasn't made a scene, hasn't cried. ◆ 9f645543 Besides asking the doctors for updates, he's barely said a word." imp.79f342dd
Nadia handed her a file folder as she talked. no.89f6cba6 Inside was everything on Tessa Merritt -- her whole life condensed to a single page. [proof:5b10b899] A small-town girl who refused to be ordinary, tried to make it on her looks, and discovered that beauty wasn't exactly rare once she hit Philadelphia. ref·66171d39
Her brother, Barrett Merritt, had taken a completely different path. ref·6606e0cb Enlisted at eighteen, got into the War College a year later, and upon graduation joined the Ranger Regiment. — galley e6ddae1d — He'd been deployed on numerous high-risk operations. cee7f570·· During an evacuation mission in South Sudan, he'd made multiple runs back into a combat zone to pull out over twenty civilians, earning him a Silver Star. [ms.8897cc7c]
A man like that should've stayed in the military and climbed the ranks. ··3bab8794 Instead, he'd left the service last year to join a private security firm. [v.daeb5bea] Became a bodyguard. «d7da65a0»
Looking at the sharp-jawed face in the photo, Vera had the nagging feeling she'd seen him before, but couldn't place it. no.5b8a5f02 Then she stepped into the hospital corridor, caught sight of that ruler-straight back from thirty yards away, and the memory hit her all at once. no.39972eae
It was him. plate-63f56cc3 The bodyguard from that night. ◆ 77f12f93 Bianca Harmon's bodyguard. #9df181f5
Barrett heard the footsteps and turned toward them immediately. no.d95ea593 Two young women appeared, one behind the other. ¶80bed6d2 The one in back wore a white silk blouse and a dusty-rose pencil skirt, her pace unhurried, measured. #e0ae7a39
She looked about twenty-four, twenty-five at most, but the way she dressed was oddly formal -- not aging, just... uncommon for someone her age. plate-af854f12
Barrett's brow tightened. ··cb26a732 He couldn't figure out why they were here, but he was certain they hadn't come to offer condolences. ¶27f9cfc2