Chapter 4 - THE ARCHIVE OF LIES
Julian stared at the photograph, the color draining from his face. The empire he was trying to save was built on a foundation of his stepmother's blood money.
"We need the original ledger," Julian said, his voice deadly calm. "If Eleanor knows Marcus failed, she’ll be here before sunrise."
"The old library," I said. "My mother always hid her most vital records in plain sight. Books. Leather bindings."
We moved quickly through the darkened corridors of the estate, Lily holding tightly to Julian’s hand. We reached the restricted wing, unlocking the heavy oak doors of the library. Using the cipher logic, I scanned the shelves for the specific binding slant my mother used.
I pulled a dusty volume of Dante’s Inferno. Hollow. Inside lay a leather-bound book.
"This is it," I said, flipping through the pages of coded transactions. But as I translated the first column, the truth shifted beneath my feet.
"Julian," I breathed, stepping back. "Your father didn't steal the syndicate's money to hide it from Eleanor. He stole it from my family."
Julian froze. He looked at the ledger, then at me. But before he could process the betrayal of his own father, a heavy click echoed through the room.
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The library doors locked from the outside.
"I always knew you were too smart for a maid's uniform," Eleanor's voice purred through the estate's intercom system.
