LOGINARIA POVThe metallic click echoed through the darkness.No one breathed.No one dared move.The tiny lantern had gone out, leaving the chamber swallowed in complete blackness.My heartbeat pounded so loudly that I could barely hear anything else.Then David’s voice came, calm but commanding.“Nobody move.”His words steadied me just enough to keep from panicking.Somewhere across the chamber, Vivian spoke.“I’ve got movement at my two o’clock.”Another click.The unmistakable sound of a pistol being cocked.Monica’s voice finally broke the silence.“I… I swear that wasn’t me.”Her voice trembled.Too much.Either she was terrified…Or she was an excellent liar.A flashlight suddenly snapped on.Its beam sliced through the darkness.Everyone instinctively shielded their eyes.David stood near the center of the chamber, holding a tactical flashlight in one hand and his weapon in the other.The light swept across each of us.Monica.Elena.Mira.Vivian.Alfred.Me.Everyone was exactly
ARIA POVNo one said a word.Leon’s voice still echoed faintly through the hidden chamber, lingering in the silence long after the speaker went dead.David slowly lowered his gun, his eyes scanning every corner of the room.“He’s listening,” he said quietly.Vivian frowned.“Not listening.”She looked up toward the ceiling.“Watching.”A chill ran through my body.David immediately searched the walls, his hands gliding over the ancient stone until he stopped beneath one of the carved family crests.“There.”Hidden inside the eye of the stone eagle was a tiny camera.David smashed it with the butt of his pistol.The tiny lens shattered.But instead of feeling relieved…I felt even more exposed.“If there was one,” Monica whispered, “there are probably more.”Vivian nodded.“And they’ve been here for years.”Alfred looked devastated.“The Archive was compromised.”Mira crossed her arms.“Which means Leon didn’t find us tonight.”“He expected us.”Those words settled heavily over everyon
ARIA POVThe hidden bookshelf slid aside with a deep mechanical rumble.Dust drifted through the air as a narrow stone passage slowly revealed itself behind the wall.No one spoke.The message on every monitor still glowed in bright red.WELCOME HOME, ARIA HARRISON.My name.The Archive had recognized me.A strange feeling settled over me—part fear, part curiosity.David stepped beside me, his eyes fixed on the newly opened passage.“This wasn’t on any blueprint,” he said quietly.Alfred nodded.“Only the heir could reveal it.”Vivian glanced toward the security monitor.“We’re running out of time.”On the screen, Leon’s men were attaching explosive charges around the main entrance.“They’re preparing another breach,” Mira observed.David made his decision.“We keep moving.”Monica raised an eyebrow.“So… we’re choosing the creepy secret tunnel over the army outside?”Vivian smirked.“Correct.”“I was afraid you’d say that.”Despite the tension, a few tired smiles appeared.It lasted
ARIA POVThe room fell into a suffocating silence.Everyone’s eyes remained fixed on the security monitor.Leon stood confidently outside the massive stone entrance, the black device resting casually in his gloved hand. Behind him, dozens of armed men spread out through the tunnel, searching every corner with disciplined precision.David’s jaw tightened.“He found it.”Vivian looked at the screen in disbelief.“That’s impossible.”“It was locked inside the Geneva vault,” Mira whispered. “No one even knew it still existed.”David never took his eyes off Leon.“Someone betrayed us.”The words echoed through the archive like a gunshot.No one spoke.Because everyone was thinking the same thing.If Leon had the Master Override Key…Someone on the inside had helped him.Alfred slowly walked toward a large wooden cabinet built into the wall.He inserted a small brass key and opened it.Inside were several leather-bound journals, rolled blueprints and an old metal box covered with dust.He c
ARIA POVNo one moved.The hidden stone doorway had opened just enough to reveal a long corridor stretching into the darkness, illuminated by rows of antique wall lamps that somehow still burned after all these years.At the far end stood a lone figure.Tall.Motionless.Watching us.A chill crept down my spine.“Who is that?” Monica whispered.Vivian instinctively raised her pistol.“I don’t know.”David stepped forward slightly, placing himself between me and the mysterious figure.“Stay behind me.”His voice remained calm, but I noticed the way his hand tightened around the gun.The figure slowly began walking toward us.Each footstep echoed through the corridor.Tap…Tap…Tap…The sound was unnaturally clear in the silence.As the person drew closer, the light revealed an elderly man dressed in a dark tailored suit. His silver hair was neatly combed back, and despite his age, he carried himself with remarkable confidence.He stopped several feet away.Then, to everyone’s surprise…
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE ARIA POV David’s hand stopped halfway between us. For a brief second, neither of us moved. Then he slowly lowered it and took a step back. “We don’t have time,” he said quietly. The words sounded like they were meant as much for himself as for me. Before I could respond, Vivian hurried toward the front of the abandoned train carriage. “They’re tracking our heat signatures,” she whispered. “They’ve entered the station.” The atmosphere changed instantly. David grabbed a folded map from his backpack and spread it across one of the dusty seats. “The tunnel splits ahead,” he explained. “One path leads to the old freight depot. The other goes beneath the city archives.” Mira frowned. “The archives were sealed years ago.” “Officially,” David replied. Vivian gave a dry laugh. “Nothing about tonight is official.” Monica leaned over the map. “So which tunnel gets us out alive?” David tapped a point beneath the archives. “If Leon is after what Aria inherite
ARIA POV“I’m your mother.”The words echoed endlessly inside my head.No.No, that was impossible.I slowly stepped backward away from Vivian while clutching the photograph tightly in my shaking hands.“My mother is right there,” I whispered, pointing toward Elena.Vivian’s eyes softened slightly.
ARIA POVThe woman in red smiled slowly from the top of the staircase.And my entire body went numb.She looked exactly like me.Not completely.But enough to make my stomach twist violently.The same sharp eyes.The same lips.Even the shape of her face looked painfully familiar.Behind me, Monica
ARIA POV“They cannot take you.”My father’s words echoed inside my head as Monica dragged me toward the basement stairs.Everything felt unreal.The gunshots.The screaming.The strange men inside the house.My injured mother.None of it made sense anymore.“Move!” Monica whisper-shouted while pul
ARIA POV“Aria… help me.”The weak voice floated through the darkness again.My entire body froze.It was my mother.I was sure of it this time.The basement door stood slightly open now, creaking slowly as cold air drifted upward from below. The darkness inside looked endless, swallowing every bit







