CHAPTER 4 – Beneath the Sterling Mansion
Ignoring everyone around him, Daniel grabbed Lily's hand and raced toward the abandoned Sterling mansion.
Victoria begged him to stop.
"If you go down there... you'll destroy everything!"
Her words only confirmed his worst fears.
Hours later, Daniel unlocked a rusted steel door hidden beneath the mansion's wine cellar.
The silver key fit perfectly.
The heavy door creaked open.
A freezing wind rushed from the darkness below.
Dust covered the forgotten underground corridor.
It looked untouched for years.
Until Daniel noticed something horrifying.
Fresh footprints.
Someone had been there recently.
The corridor ended at a reinforced steel room.
Inside were dozens of boxes filled with documents, photographs, medical files, passports, and newspaper clippings.
Every file carried one name.
Emily Carter.
Daniel's hands trembled as he opened the first folder.
Inside was Emily's death certificate.
Date of death: seven years ago.
Cause of death: unknown.
Signed...
By Victoria Sterling.
"But... she's not a doctor," Daniel whispered.
Then Lily pointed toward the far wall.
"There."
Daniel slowly turned.
Hidden behind a dusty curtain was a live security monitor.
The screen suddenly flickered on by itself.
A woman appeared.
Older.
Thinner.
But unmistakably...
Emily.
She looked straight into the camera.
"If you're watching this, Daniel... it means I finally ran out of time."
She paused, fighting back tears.
"But I'm not the biggest secret they've been hiding."
Daniel's heart pounded.
Emily leaned closer to the camera and whispered one sentence that changed everything.
"Victoria isn't your wife... she's your sister."
The screen instantly went black.
Daniel froze.
Lily burst into tears.
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And somewhere deep beneath the mansion...
A heavy metal door slowly began to open.
