BLACKWOOD MANOR
762 Words
Beyond the Silk Veil
Chapter Five: Blackwood Manor
Sleep never came.
Seraphina spent the rest of the night seated by the floor-to-ceiling windows of her penthouse, the city lights glittering below like scattered diamonds. Her mother's journal lay open on the coffee table, while the brass key rested in her palm.
One question refused to leave her mind.
What was Blackwood Manor?
Just before sunrise, she made a decision.
She would find it.
By morning, Seraphina drove to the Laurent Estate.
The mansion looked as magnificent as ever, but today it felt like a prison disguised as a palace.
She entered through the grand foyer and found her father in the library, standing before a roaring fireplace.
He didn't turn around.
"I knew you'd come."
"You knew I wouldn't destroy Mother's journal."
Alexander sighed.
"No. You're too much like her."
Seraphina stepped closer.
"Tell me about Blackwood Manor."
His shoulders stiffened.
"It no longer exists."
"That's a lie."
He slowly faced her.
"I sold it twenty years ago."
"To whom?"
"I don't know."
"You expect me to believe you sold a family estate without knowing the buyer?"
Alexander remained silent.
The silence answered her question.
"You do know," she whispered.
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because some truths protect the people we love."
"And some lies destroy them."
For the first time, Alexander lowered his eyes.
"I've already lost your mother. I won't lose you too."
Without another word, Seraphina turned and walked away.
Hours later, she sat inside the city's historical archives.
Stacks of old newspapers, maps, and property records surrounded her.
An elderly archivist adjusted his glasses as she approached.
"I'm looking for information about Blackwood Manor."
The man frowned.
"I haven't heard that name in years."
He disappeared into the records room and returned with a dusty leather folder.
"There was a fire there almost twenty years ago."
"A fire?"
He nodded.
"The newspapers called it an accident."
Seraphina opened the folder.
A faded photograph showed a magnificent Victorian mansion surrounded by towering pine trees.
Below it was a headline.
MYSTERIOUS FIRE DESTROYS HISTORIC BLACKWOOD MANOR
She quickly scanned the article.
No bodies had been recovered.
No cause had ever been determined.
Then she noticed something strange.
The article mentioned that the estate contained an underground vault that investigators had never managed to access.
Her pulse quickened.
The vault.
Just as her mother had written.
As she thanked the archivist and stepped outside, she felt someone watching her.
Across the street, a silver sedan sat with its engine running.
Its tinted windows concealed the occupants.
The moment Seraphina looked toward it, the car slowly pulled away.
She memorized the license plate anyway.
That evening, Seraphina returned to her apartment.
As she unlocked the door, she sensed something was wrong.
Everything looked exactly as she had left it...
Except the wooden box.
It was open.
The journal was still there.
The locket remained untouched.
But the brass key...
...was gone.
A chill swept through her body.
Someone had entered her home.
Someone who hadn't wanted the journal.
They had come for only one thing.
A folded note lay where the key had been.
With trembling hands, she unfolded it.
Only six words were written in black ink.
"You're already too late, Seraphina."
A sudden knock echoed through the apartment.
Three slow knocks.
Silence.
Three more.
She approached the door cautiously and looked through the peephole.
No one.
Only a small package resting on the floor outside.
She opened the door just enough to retrieve it.
Inside was an antique pocket watch.
Its hands had stopped at 11:47.
Attached was another note.
"If you want the key back, meet me where time stopped."
Before she could make sense of the message, her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
She answered.
A calm male voice spoke.
"Don't go alone."
"Who is this?"
"My name is Ethan Cole."
The name from her mother's journal.
"I've been trying to protect you," he continued. "But now it's too late to stay hidden."
"You knew my mother?"
"Yes."
"What did she ask you to do?"
A pause.
"She asked me to keep you alive."
The call ended.
Seraphina stood frozen, clutching the pocket watch.
The mysterious Ethan Cole had finally revealed himself.
But if he had truly been protecting her all these years...
Who had stolen the key?
And why had they chosen now to begin their hunt?
Outside, hidden in the darkness across the street, a shadowy figure lowered a pair of binoculars.
With a satisfied smile, he whispered,
"The next move is yours, Miss Laurent."
- Writer
