Chapter 326 Midnight Intrusion
Chapter 326 Midnight Intrusion
“Of course,” she began, but her words faltered when she saw the color drain from his face. “What happened to you? You’re white as paper.”
His skin carried the gray tint of wax–almost no blood left in it.
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“Nothing,” he said. “Just a nightmare. Now, perhaps you’ll tell me why you’re here at an hour like this?”
Quinn pursed her lips, drew a thick stack of photographs from her coat, and laid them before him.
“These are pictures of my brother.”
Confusion tightened his features. “Pictures of your brother? Why hand them to me?”
“Just look. You’ll understand.”
Leander accepted the stack; the first image alone drained the color from him.
He flipped through them until none remained unseen.
“The man you said resembles me–he is your brother?”
“Yes.” Quinn nodded. “In fact, I’m starting to wonder whether you and my brother are actually the same person. Mr. Fane, have you ever lost your memories?”
Earlier, the banquet hall had been crowded–too many prying ears for questions like these.
She had not hesitated to slip through the hotel corridor after midnight, override the electronic lock, and ghost into his suite, fingers dancing across her tablet until the entire security grid went dark.
Leander listened without blinking. “And if I tell you I never did?” he asked, voice mild yet edged with steel.
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The man in the photograph did resemble himi–same sharp jaw, same cool eyes–but the captured youth had been sealed in an earlier time, untouched by the storms that now lined Leander’s face.
Quinn’s heart skipped, then crashed, a stone hitting water.
I thought he had lost his memories. Could the world truly hold two faces carved from the same mold?
“And you, Ms. Bridger, are Azanian,” Leander continued, calm as drifting snow. “I, however, was born in Celosia. I fear I am not your brother.”
“I understand, but may I see your shoulder? My brother earned a scar there saving my life. One glance is all I ask,” Quinn said, hope wedged between every syllable.
“Scar?” Leander echoed, eyebrows lifting before he could stop them.
“Yes, a scar.” Quinn pulled a single photograph from the stack. The image showed Rowan, his left shoulder marred by a ragged slash that the camera captured in merciless detail.
“I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. There is no such mark on me,” Leander said quietly.
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Chapter 326 Midnight Intrusion
The words dragged Quinn deeper into the undertow of doubt, yet she knew the swell would not recede until her own eyes delivered the verdict.
“Just a glance–nothing more. If my request offends you, Mr. Fane, I will compensate you however you deem fit,” she offered.
“Compensate?” He arched one brow. “What if I demand you kneel before Serena and apologize? After all, you ruined my sister’s day.”
The suggestion struck Quinn like cold rain. If this man were truly Rowan, he would never ask such a thing.
Yet the ember of possibility refused to die, hissing stubbornly beneath her ribs.
“Very well. Let me see your shoulder, and I will apologize exactly as you wish,” Quinn agreed, drawing a deep breath that tasted of surrender and resolve in equal measure.
“Why push it this far? Like I said, I haven’t lost my memory, and I don’t bear the scar in that picture. Knowing all that, you still want to inspect my shoulder?” Leander narrowed his eyes.
“Yes, I need to see it for myself. If I must get on my knees, knock my head to the floor, or beg–none of it matters. Nothing is too much when my brother is at stake.”
Even if Leander demanded something mortifying or cruel, she would grit her teeth and do it.
Simply because the matter involved Rowan, she needed absolute certainty.
If she were going to abandon hope, she wanted to do it all the way–no room left for doubt.
“Is your brother really that important to you?”
“Yes. To me, he is the single most important person in this world. For Rowan, I would lay down my life without hesitation.”
Leander froze.
He had never expected such an answer.
A sister willing to die for her brother–the heaviness in his chest pressed harder, stealing a fraction of his breath.
“It seems the bond between you and Rowan is extraordinary,” Leander said, envy flickering behind his eyes as his fingers moved to the first button of his pajama top.
“One button, then another–each soft click sounded louder than the last until every fastening lay undone. The light fabric slid down his arms,
His left shoulder was now laid bare before her, unshielded and undeniable.”
The moment her gaze landed on his exposed skin, Quinn forgot how to breathe. Her eyes locked onto his left shoulder, pupils dilating with shock.
A sudden mist blurred her vision. Her lips trembled, and the words escaped in a quivering whisper, “How How can this be?”
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Chapte
