ONE MONTH WITH THE DEVIL

Chapter 24

Every step toward that house felt like I was walking back into a grave I had somehow escaped.

The headlights of Ethan’s car had disappeared far behind me. I had made everyone stay back and promise to call me as soon as daylight broke, even if it meant I had to walk straight into a trap alone.

The Vance estate stood ahead of me, silent and dark. Only one window was lit, the study where everything had begun.

I held my phone in one hand and Dad’s notebook in the other. My breathing was fast and uneven as I approached the house.

The front door was slightly open, as if someone had been waiting for me.

I pushed it and stepped inside.

The hallway was completely silent. There were no guards, no shouting, and no sign of anyone moving around. The only sound was the slow ticking of a grandfather clock somewhere in the darkness.

“Grandfather?” I called out. My voice echoed through the empty hallway. “I’m here, just as you asked. Now let him go.”

Slow clapping came from the top of the stairs. It was slow, deliberate, and mocking.

My grandfather stood there, his face lit by the light above him.

And beside him was Victor.

His hands were tied behind his back, and a dark bruise covered part of his jaw. But the moment he saw me, his eyes locked onto mine. They were wide with fear.

“Lara, no!” he shouted, his voice rough. “Get out of here. Now!”

My grandfather smiled.

“How touching. You actually came alone, just as I knew you would. Love truly is the greatest weakness a person can have.”

He waved his hand, and Xander appeared from the study doorway. He looked tense and avoided meeting my eyes.

“Untie him,” I demanded, lifting my chin. “You wanted me, and now you have me. The files are safe, and the story hasn't been made public yet. Right now, it's my word against yours. Nobody else knows anything. Let Victor leave with me, and we can discuss the terms.”

My grandfather laughed. It was a dry, unpleasant sound.

“You have no power to bargain with me, child. You're here because you care too much. Just like your father. And, like him, you'll learn that feelings cannot run an empire. Only power can.”

He walked down a few steps, his expression becoming more serious.

“Give me the notebook and the files. Put them on the floor and push them toward me. Then you and your mother will pack your things and leave this town tonight. You must be gone before sunrise. After that, I'll consider whether the boy gets to live.”

I hesitated, holding the notebook tightly against my chest.

This was exactly what he wanted. He wanted everything Dad had fought to protect and everything Victor had risked his life to uncover.

He wanted me to hand all of it back to him.

But Victor was watching me. He shook his head desperately, and I could see tears in his eyes.

Don't do it. Run.

His lips formed the words without making a sound.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

But instead of giving him the notebook, I opened it to the last page and held it up so all three of them could see.

“You can have them,” I said. My voice shook, but I forced myself to remain calm. “But you can't have the truth.”

I raised my phone.

“I've sent copies of everything to three different newsrooms, my lawyer, and the district attorney. If I don't check in by morning, everything will become public. Your name, Xander's name, every bribe, every threat, and every lie. All of it will come out. You don't control everything anymore. We do.”

My grandfather's face turned red with anger.

“You wouldn't dare!”

“Try me.”

I turned toward Xander.

“And what about you? Do you honestly believe he'll share his power with you? Look at him. He's only using you. Once this is over, you'll become another problem he needs to get rid of, Xander. He has never needed partners. He only needs people he can control.”

Xander flinched.

For the first time, I saw doubt in his eyes. He was beginning to understand that he might have chosen the wrong person to trust.

My grandfather noticed his reaction immediately.

“Don't listen to her!” he shouted. “She's lying! She's just a frightened girl holding a notebook. She has nothing!”

“Really?” I asked, tapping my phone. “Then check your pocket, Xander. The device I gave Maya is recording everything. She's streaming it live right now.”

Xander quickly reached into his pocket.

The moment he realized what I had said, panic spread across his face.

That brief moment of distraction was all Victor needed.

He suddenly threw his shoulder backward into my grandfather's chest.

My grandfather lost his balance and tumbled down the stairs, landing hard on the marble floor.

Xander rushed forward, but he didn't come toward me or Victor.

Instead, he ran past us and out through the front door, disappearing into the darkness.

I rushed to Victor and immediately began trying to loosen the ropes around his wrists.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Victor rubbed his sore wrists, but his eyes remained fixed on me.

“You sent the files?” he asked urgently. “Lara, you didn't actually send them, did you?”

I stopped moving.

Then I slowly shook my head.

“No. I didn't. But they didn't know that.”

Victor stared at me for a moment.

Then he let out a breath and gave me a disbelieving smile.

“You're incredible.”

He pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly.

For one perfect moment, I felt safe again. His arms were around me, and I could finally breathe without fear.

The fight was over.

We had won.

Then we heard a groan from the bottom of the stairs.

My grandfather was moving.

He slowly pushed himself up, one hand pressed against his side. His face was twisted with pain and anger.

But it was the object in his other hand that made my blood run cold.

A small silver handgun.

I hadn't even known he owned one.

“I gave you every chance to keep quiet,” he rasped, raising the gun toward us. His hand shook slightly, but his eyes were filled with rage. “But you insist on being just like him. Stubborn. Foolish. And now you're going to die.”

Victor immediately stepped in front of me, shielding me with his body.

He looked around desperately, searching for somewhere we could run or hide.

But there was nowhere to go.

We were trapped.

“Grandfather, don't!” I screamed. “Please, put the gun down!”

He didn't listen.

His finger tightened around the trigger.

Suddenly, a car raced up the driveway. Bright headlights shone through the windows, followed by the sound of sirens in the distance.

The sirens grew louder with every passing second.

My grandfather flinched, and the gun moved slightly. But he didn't lower it.

His eyes looked wild and desperate, as if he could no longer see a way out.

“I'm not going to prison,” he whispered, almost as if he were speaking to himself. “I built this empire. It's mine.”

Before Victor or I could react, my grandfather turned the gun away from us and toward himself.

“NO!” I screamed, rushing forward.

But I was too late.

His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor.

For a moment, I couldn't move.

The entire hallway seemed to fall silent, even as the sirens grew louder outside.

One terrible thought filled my mind.

He had taken the answers with him.

But there was something else I couldn't ignore.

Someone had given him that gun. Someone had helped him prepare for our arrival. Someone had known what was going to happen tonight.

And whoever that person was, they were still out there.

My phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out with trembling fingers and looked at the screen.

A message had arrived from a number I knew all too well.

I opened it.

“He didn't tell you everything, Lara. The worst secret isn't buried. It's standing right beside you.”