# Chapter 27 - The Unwitting Switch
"Instructions for the Johnson family?" My father looked puzzled as he took the phone from the butler. "What do you mean?"
My heart pounded as I watched him listen, his expression morphing from confusion to anger. The blood drained from my face. This couldn't be happening.
"I see," Father said coldly. He listened for another moment before hanging up without a goodbye.
His eyes found mine, burning with an intensity that made me take an instinctive step back.
"That was Raymond Philips, Nathaniel Ricardo's assistant," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "He wanted to inform us that Mr. Ricardo has no intention of harming Juliana, contrary to what you told her."
I swallowed hard. "Father, I can explain—"
"Explain what, Imogen?" he snapped, rising to his feet. "That you lied to your sister? That you tried to manipulate her with fear?"
