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The silence in the room suddenly felt heavy, charged with a sudden, suffocating electricity. I stared down at the hand resting against the pristine white sheet. The index finger, which had remained entirely lifeless since the tragic accident nine months ago, twitched again. A slow, agonizing millimeter to the right. / Chapter 5 / 8

Chapter 5 - Secrets in the Dark

The basement of the Thornton estate smelled of damp stone, old paper, and decay.

It was a stark contrast to the gleaming marble and crystal chandeliers upstairs. The brass key Vivian gave me turned smoothly in the heavy iron lock of the archive room, swinging open with a low, metallic groan.

I flicked on my phone flashlight, sweeping the beam across rows of metal filing cabinets and dusty cardboard boxes.

Find the security footage.

My hands shook as I started pulling files. Tax returns, corporate mergers, property deeds—all standard corporate espionage material. But near the back, tucked behind a false panel in the wall, was a locked digital safe.

I remembered Jason’s birthday from the wedding registry dossier I had memorized: October 14.

I punched in the numbers: 1014.

The heavy steel door popped open with a satisfying click. Inside sat a single external hard drive and a handwritten ledger.

I grabbed the hard drive, plugged it into my laptop, and clicked the most recent video file dated nine months ago.

The screen flickered to life, showing the expansive private bridle path behind the Virginia estate. The camera angle was high, mounted on a surveillance tower.

There was Ethan, sitting tall and proud on a magnificent black stallion.

Then, another horse entered the frame. Jason.

I leaned closer to the screen, my breath catching.

Jason wasn't riding alongside Ethan; he was cutting him off, aggressively driving his horse directly into Ethan’s flank. I watched in absolute horror as Ethan’s horse reared in terror, losing its footing on the steep embankment overlooking the rocky ravine.

Before Ethan could regain control, Jason leaned over and struck Ethan’s horse across the face with a riding crop.

The animal bolted downward, plunging headfirst over the edge.

I clapped both hands over my mouth to stop a scream. The video continued playing, showing Jason casually pulling his horse to a stop, watching the wreckage below for a few long seconds, and then turning his horse around and riding away without a backward glance.

He didn't call for help. He didn't sound an alarm. He left his own cousin to die in the ravine.

"Found what you were looking for, didn't you?"

A voice cut through the darkness of the basement, cold and dripping with mockery.

May you like

The burner phone in my hand felt heavy, like a slab of cold iron pulled from a sunken ship. Across the line, Marcus let out a breath that sounded like a low whistle escaping a pressure valve. Nineteen years of rust, nineteen years of school plays, quiet dinners, and ledger sheets—all of it dissolved in the space of a single heartbeat.

The burner phone in my hand felt heavy, like a slab of cold iron pulled...

The man in the back of the Bentley was not a stranger, though it took me three agonizing seconds to place the face behind the silver-trimmed beard. Arthur Vance. The reclusive billionaire shipping tycoon, corporate sniper, and my father’s oldest, most estranged rival.

The man in the back of the Bentley was not a stranger, though it took me...

The ink on the medical schedule wasn't standard printer black. It was darker, heavier, pressed down with the kind of deliberate malice that only a fountain pen could deliver. I stared at the signature at the bottom of the page, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.

The ink on the medical schedule wasn't standard printer black. It was da...

I whipped around, my laptop screen illuminating the terrified expression on my face.

Standing in the doorway, blocking my only exit, was Jason. And in his hand, he held a sleek, silenced pistol.

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