chapter1121

The lounge area was overflowing with food, every table stacked with treats, and the sofas buried under a mountain of gifts. It was honestly a bit much.

Lydia couldn't help but laugh, feeling a cozy warmth bloom inside her. "Okay, I get it. Thank you."

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights of the Capital stretched out in every direction. Lydia opened a bag of chips, settled into a wicker chair by the glass, and took a moment to check out Blake's office.

Simple. Elegant. A little bit intimidating, but totally Blake.

Except for the lounge area, which now looked hilariously out of place. Like someone had crashed a birthday party into a museum.

About ten minutes later, Blake came back from his meeting. Actually, the only reason he wrapped up early was because he knew Lydia was waiting. He hated the idea of her sitting there too long.

When Lydia saw him, she stood up from the sofa right away. "Blake."

He lit up at the sight of her and hurried over. "Sit, relax. I wasn't sure what snacks you'd like. There's not much to choose from around here.

Lydia wasn't your typical girl, and he was half-worried she'd think the whole spread was childish or boring.

She just lifted her snack bag and grinned. "These are great."

Blake laughed, a little relieved. "Glad you don't mind. So, what's up? This isn't just a social call, is it?"

He knew Lydia well enough to sense when something serious was on her mind. She wouldn't show up randomly unless it mattered.

She went quiet for a second, then lowered her voice. "Something happened at home."

Blake froze. That wasn't what he was expecting.

"What do you mean? What happened?" He racked his brain, trying to remember if he'd missed any signs. He hadn't been home lately, so he had no idea Lucinda had Grace following Lydia around. Just two days ago, things had seemed totally normal.

Lydia spoke quietly. "It's Grandpa."

Blake's mind jumped to the obvious. "Did he get sick again?"

Lydia shook her head. Then she laid it all out for him-Mr. Lowe's situation,

Grandpa's strange behavior, and her own suspicions.

Blake was floored. It took him a while to find his voice.

"Wait... so you think Grandpa might have been replaced?" Lydia nodded. "We can't rule it out. We need to be sure."

?

Blake wasn't the type to dismiss crazy ideas out of hand. Cloning sounded wild, but with the way technology was treking along he knew it wasn't impossible.

he

"So what do we do now? I mean, what if Grandpa..." Blake trailed off, worry creasing his brow.

"You focus on keeping Mom and Dad safe, quietly. I'll investigate Grandpa, but I'll need your help."

He watched his little sister, suddenly aware of how much she was carrying on her own. He nodded, determined. "I've got your back."

Blake wanted her to stay a little longer, maybe spend the afternoon together, but Lydia said she had other things to handle. He didn't press the issue.

He walked her all the way to the lobby.

By then, word had definitely gotten

around the office. People were

buzzing. Lydia noticed the way everyone stared, but getting into the car, she shot Blake a teasing look, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't look so stressed. We'll figure it out."

Blake forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah."

Honestly, his sister was way more composed than he was.

Oh, and Blake, when are you going to get yourself a girlfriend? Seriously, everyone at work seems to be rooting for you."

Kylie and Cameron were always on his case about it, too. Blake was at the age where people expected her to be thinking about marriage, but he never seemed interested, always buried in work. They'd given up trying to talk sense into him.

Blake just gave her an awkward chuckle. Arthur's not in a rush. I'm not either.