The Family Seat. Blood Almanac, #2

A house does not keep secrets. It keeps records. Architectural historian Lydia Pemberton knows that buildings don't lie. When her formidable grandmother Eugenia passes away, Lydia inherits Stonecroft, a pristine 1791 Virginia estate. But Eugenia's will comes with one strict, final instruction: Never open the east wing. Naturally, Lydia opens it. What she finds behind the padlocked door isn't dust and decay, but a fully renovated, recently occupied apartment.
The stranger living inside isn't a squatter-she holds a legally binding lease, a trust fund, and a DNA profile that matches Lydia's own grandfather. For decades, Eugenia orchestrated a brilliant, silent deception, building a second life for a second family under the exact same roof. As Lydia uses her professional skills to audit her own family's history, the investigation turns into a high-stakes psychological chess match.
The interloper isn't just taking half her house. She holds the leverage to destroy Lydia's entire career.