CHAPTER 6 — THE ASSASSIN INSIDE THE FAMILY
The cabin exploded before sunrise.
Flames consumed the wooden walls within seconds.
Federal helicopters rushed toward the mountain after emergency satellites detected the blast.
They arrived too late.
Only ashes remained.
Investigators believed no one could have survived.
Until Colonel Vance noticed something unusual.
There was only one body.
The mysterious woman was gone.
She had escaped.
Or someone had taken her.
Back in the city, Ethan struggled with a different battle.
Everything he believed about his childhood had been shattered.
Late that night, he returned alone to the Sterling mansion.
The estate was empty.
Dark.
Silent.
He wandered into his late father's private study.
While moving an old globe...
He heard a mechanical click.
A hidden door slowly opened.
Behind it was a secret room.
Inside stood dozens of locked filing cabinets.
Family photographs.
Military documents.
Boxes filled with cash.
Then Ethan noticed one final object.
A leather journal.
His father's handwriting covered every page.
He flipped to the final entry.
His hands began shaking.
"If anyone reads this, I am probably dead."
"Victoria never knew the truth."
"The children survived."
"But someone far more powerful ordered me to keep them apart forever."
"If Maya and Ethan ever meet again..."
"They will uncover Project Sentinel."
"And if Project Sentinel is exposed..."
"Half the government will fall."
Ethan barely had time to process the words.
A floorboard creaked behind him.
He turned.
Standing in the doorway...
Holding a silenced pistol...
Was someone he trusted his entire life.
His family attorney.
The man smiled calmly.
"I'm sorry, Ethan."
"You were never supposed to read that."
He raised the gun.
May you like
The trigger began to tighten.
TO BE CONTINUED...
