Elena's POV
I stared at the picture again.
Zoomed in.
Focused.
No doubt.
It was Derick.
My so-called stepbrother.
His face turned slightly away, but I'd know that profile anywhere. The way he stood—too smug, too sure of himself. He always thought he was ten steps ahead. Always believed no one could touch him.
But this?
This was careless.
Or maybe it was intentional.
Maybe he wanted to be seen.
I dropped my phone on the desk, stood up, and paced to the window. My reflection stared back at me—tired eyes, clenched jaw.
How long?
How long had she been meeting him?
How long had he been close—again?
And how much had I missed?
A laugh escaped me. Dry. Bitter.
Of course it was him.
His mother was probably the mastermind here.
It was always going to be Derick.
But now I had something.
A picture.
A connection.
Proof.
And this time—I wasn't going to wait for him to make the next move.
Because maybe Clarissa wasn't truly gone.
Maybe she never left the game at all.
