SHADOWS BENEATH THE CROWN
571 Words
Beyond the Silk Veil
Chapter Two: Shadows Beneath the Crown
The emergency board meeting began at noon.
By then, every executive in Laurent Global Holdings had abandoned their schedules. Black luxury vehicles lined the headquarters as reporters gathered outside, sensing that something extraordinary was unfolding.
Inside the executive boardroom, silence was heavier than the polished mahogany table that stretched from one end of the room to the other.
Alexander Laurent sat at the head of the table, his face unreadable.
To his right sat Seraphina.
She could feel the curious glances from directors who had known her since childhood. They smiled politely, but today their eyes held questions.
The family attorney entered carrying a locked briefcase.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "this morning the board received an anonymous package."
He unlocked the case.
Inside were dozens of documents.
Bank statements.
Property records.
Birth certificates.
Old newspaper clippings.
One document, however, drew everyone's attention.
It bore the Laurent family seal.
Alexander's expression hardened.
"Where did these come from?"
"We don't know," the attorney replied. "They were delivered before sunrise."
A board member adjusted his glasses.
"What exactly do they prove?"
The attorney hesitated.
"They suggest that twenty-eight years ago, a significant portion of the Laurent family's fortune was transferred into a private trust... under another beneficiary."
The room erupted.
"Impossible!"
"Someone forged those papers!"
"This is absurd!"
Seraphina remained silent.
Her eyes drifted toward the photograph inside her handbag.
The smiling man beside her mother.
Who was he?
And why had his face suddenly become the center of her family's downfall?
After the meeting, Seraphina left through a private exit to avoid the reporters waiting outside.
Her phone vibrated.
Unknown Number.
She ignored it.
Seconds later, it rang again.
This time, she answered.
"Hello?"
A calm voice spoke.
"You've seen the photograph."
Her heartbeat stopped.
"Who is this?"
"You don't know me."
"What do you want?"
"I want you to know the truth."
The caller paused.
"The man standing beside your mother wasn't her friend."
Seraphina gripped the phone tighter.
"Who was he?"
"He was the only man who knew why she died."
The line went dead.
That evening, rain fell over the city.
Seraphina drove alone instead of using her chauffeur.
Her thoughts raced faster than the windshield wipers.
Her mother had died when she was only twelve.
Everyone had called it a tragic accident.
No one had questioned it.
Until now.
She pulled into the underground parking garage of her apartment.
As she stepped from the car, she noticed a small envelope resting beneath her windshield wiper.
There was no name.
No address.
Only a single gold wax seal shaped like a crown.
Hands trembling, she opened it.
Inside was a note.
If you want answers, come to Saint Elora Chapel tomorrow at midnight. Come alone. Trust no one—not even your father.
Before she could read it again, a voice echoed through the empty garage.
"Miss Laurent..."
She spun around.
A security guard approached cautiously.
"Is everything alright?"
Seraphina quickly folded the note.
"Yes," she replied with a forced smile.
But deep inside, she knew nothing would ever be alright again.
Somewhere in the darkness, hidden eyes were watching her every move.
And for the first time in her life, Seraphina Laurent realized she was no longer living in a world of privilege.
She had become the target of a secret someone was willing to kill to protect.
- Writer
