Chapter 14 - THE MIDNIGHT EXCAVATIONFor three days, Greystone Manor operated under a state of self-imposed siege. I told the domestic staff and Rosie’s nanny that we were conducting emergency structural reinforcement for the foundation. In reality, Marco and a crew of three trusted, vetted private contractors worked around the clock in the sub-basement with pneumatic drills, shovels, and ground-penetrating radar.
On the third night, just past 2:00 AM, the drill bit of the heavy jackhammer punched through a thick layer of reinforced concrete beneath the stone floor, emitting a hollow, echoing thud.
“Mr. Vance! Over here!” one of the contractors called out, wiping sweat from his forehead.
I knelt down beside the jagged hole, shining my flashlight directly into the cavity. Beneath the concrete lay a sealed, heavy-gauge galvanized steel drum, coated in thick industrial waterproofing sealant.
“Bring the crowbars,” I ordered.
Working in silence, Marco and the contractor jammed the heavy steel bars beneath the rim of the drum lid. With a deafening pop of vacuum-sealed pressure breaking, the lid flew back.
We all held our breath, leaning forward to peer into the dark interior.
Inside the drum were packets of water-damaged files, a heavy gold pocket watch engraved with my grandfather's initials, and a small, rusted tin box. Inside the tin box lay a collection of legal deeds, property titles signed under extreme duress—and a second platinum ring, identical in design to the one Vivienne had worn, but featuring two hand-carved stars instead of one.
“What is that?” Marco whispered, picking up the second ring with gloved fingers.
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“It’s a family marker,” I realized, a dark realization dawning on me. “The Carter family didn't just work for us. Generations ago, before my family stole this land, the Carters owned this entire estate. My ancestors didn't just hire Sofia and her mother... they enslaved their bloodline, keeping them close to ensure the secret of how Greystone Manor was stolen never leaked.”
The ring wasn't just a keepsake. It was a key to a hidden trust fund containing fifty percent of Vance Global’s foundational shares—shares that legally belonged to Rosie Carter.
