Chapter 211 The Circle Roman I saw Savannah’s expression shift the moment Paula opened her mouth and let that confession fall like a stone in a quiet lake. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t shock. It wasn’t even disgust. She looked… proud. Happy, even. There was the faintest curl of satisfaction on her lips—small, almost invisible, but still there. And I didn’t want to question her over it. Hell, if anything, I was intrigued. Because Savannah probably only smiles like that when justice is served in a court of law… or when karma finally remembers someone’s address. But it still confused me. Why did she look satisfied hearing that her sister’s child had suffered the same fate as hers did… but didn’t look half as relieved when I killed her rapist? Strange. But I’d take this version of her—cold, sharp, grounded—over the spiraling version any day. Chloe scoffed loudly, snapping my focus to her. “Oh, please,” she said with a dramatic eye-roll. “Don’t make it sound like something important. It’s not like I even wanted that stupid child anyway. That was your brother’s fault.” I stared at her. Of course she'd say something like that. Paula ignored her entirely and continued, “He knew Chloe messed around with girls in college and during her time in LA. He said that’s how he knew I’d be perfect for the job.” Savannah leaned forward slightly. “You mentioned earlier that Jace saved your life,” she said. “What do you mean? And how did you know my fiancé’s last name? I never mentioned it, Paula.” Paula’s eyes slid to me with unsettling ease. “I knew who you were the moment I saw you.” “How?” I asked, my voice low. “You’re General Blackwood’s son, aren’t you?” I froze. Of course. My father’s shadow always found a way into my life. He never failed to embarrass me, curse me and haunt me like a stain I couldn’t wash off. What the hell had he done now? How did he get entangled with Paula of all people? Was my father responsible for—yet again—another disaster?“Did you work for my father?” I asked. My chest tightened, already bracing for the worst. She shook her head. “No. But your father and his friends ruined my life.” “What?” Savannah whispered, horrified. And his friends. Those three words sank deep in my stomach like a stone. Nothing good ever followed “my father and his friends.” “How do you know my father?” I forced out. I needed the truth, even if it carved into my bones. Paula held my gaze without blinking. “Your father murdered my father. And his friends covered the crime and kept it out of the news.” Savannah gasped behind me, her hand flying over her mouth. I stepped back in surprise. “What?” I said, though it wasn’t disbelief—it was dread. “Why? How? And how am I supposed to trust what you’re saying?” Paula scoffed. “Your father had my father taken out because he refused to be bribed. My father was a good officer. A clean one. General Blackwood, however…” Her lip curled. “…was running gun smuggling operations and human trafficking, years before he even ran for presidency.” My stomach twisted violently. “What?” “Oh, yes. Your daddy sells little girls and innocent women,” Paula said coldly. “Don’t act like you know nothing.” “He doesn’t know,” Savannah said quickly. “Don't you dare pin this on him.” “I don’t,” I snapped. “How the hell would I know what my father does for fun? I haven’t seen the man in years.” For a few moments, it was dead silent. Then Chloe broke it. “What the crazy fuck are all of you talking about?” she demanded. “If we’re going to discuss trafficking like it’s the juicy gossip of the day, I’d love to be excluded. This is far too grotesque for my taste.” Nobody even turned toward her. Paula leaned back in her chair, binds adjusting. “You didn’t know?” she asked me mockingly. “Where did you think the money came from? The wealth you grew up in? The luxury you enjoyed your whole life? Where did you think it all came from?” Her words sliced into me.I'd never known struggle. Never known scarcity. Everything in my childhood had been excessive, expensive, accessible, perfect. Our father provided everything we needed growing up. And that's because my father was a high-ranking official—decorated, respected, powerful. The kind of man who walked into a room and people stood straighter. I had never questioned where the money came from. Why would I? Children don’t interrogate comfort. And also because it took me decades to find out just what type of man he was. To find out the monster my father was. Paula studied my expression and smirked. “Don’t believe me? Ask your father what he does in his spare time with his friends. Ask him about the ‘Serena’ case. And the others before her.” “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said. “And why would I trust the words of an ex-convict tied to a chair? You’re not exactly a reliable narrator, Paula.” She laughed—a harsh, bitter sound. “Oh, how interesting. It’s disappointing to see you defend the devil you call a father. Like father, like son.” She flicked her gaze to Savannah. “Too bad Jace’s daughter fell for the General’s son. What a cruel joke the universe is playing here.”“Stop speaking in circles,” I growled. “Spit. It. Out.” “You really don’t get it, do you?” She tilted her head. “Jace hates your father. Every single thing he has done for years was to bring Reginald Blackwood down.” My pulse hammered. She wasn’t lying. I could feel it. There was this strong conviction in the way she spoke about all these. “Yes, I’m an ex-convict. But I had a good reason for doing the things I did.” she continued. “I’m not like your father. Your father hosts dinners with criminals. He places them in high positions because he has them by the balls. They serve him. They obey him. General Blackwood is nothing but a criminal with a polished name.” “Watch your words,” I snapped. The last name she indirectly insulted was the one I bore. The one Savannah will take… The one our children will bear. She smirked. “Your father is into illegal businesses. People vanish—women, men, even children—and all fingers point to him. He has a Senator in his circle. A professor. A corrupt judge he helped put at the top. And Jace? He joined that circle because his brother referred him.” Savannah’s breath hitched beside me.Paula didn’t stop. “Asher Kingston knew Savannah was off-limits. They all knew about Jace’s daughter and the circumstances surrounding her conception. But that didn’t stop him. When Jace reported it to your father, the General swept it under the rug. He said it wasn’t a big deal. And to make things worse?” Her smile sharpened. “Jace’s brother encouraged Kingston to do whatever he wanted… as long as she didn’t get pregnant.” Savannah gasped, hand trembling against her chest. I felt a coldness crawl under my skin. “How do you know all this?” Savannah asked, voice barely there. Paula didn’t even look at her. Her eyes stayed locked on mine—steady, venomous, certain. “I know because Jace told me,” she said. “I know because everything I’ve done leading up to this moment… was to kill you, Roman Blackwood.” Savannah grabbed my arm. I didn't react. Paula’s voice dropped to a chilling whisper. “Jace wanted revenge on Julius Hart through his daughter, Chloe. And I?” She leaned forward, chair creaking. “I wanted revenge on Reginald Blackwood—for murdering my father. And I planned to do it by taking you from him.” She shrugged. “Or any of your numerous siblings.” Her eyes glittered with triumph, with hate, with years of festering rage. “You,” she whispered, “were always my target. But that changed the moment I found out that you were the one who killed Kingston. I figured that you might be different.” She tilted her head. “You know why?” I didn't speak. But she continued. “It's because your father would have never given that order. The General knew that once one man was down, it was only a matter of time before everything else went downhill. Only he controls the game. He pulls the strings. Only the general decides who dies.” The room fell silent immediately. Everything froze around me except the beating of my own heart—slow, loud, and thunderous in my ears. My father’s sins. Jace’s revenge. The trafficking. The murders.The circle. The corruption. The trap I was born into without even knowing. Paula’s final words echoed in my skull like a countdown. “You were always the target.”