The rain had stopped.
Only the rhythmic tapping of water dripping from the hospital roof broke the silence.
Linh stood in the corridor, the silver key resting heavily in her palm.
She looked down at it again.
It was old.
Older than anything she had ever seen Khang carry.
The intricate crest engraved on its surface had been worn smooth by time, yet one detail remained perfectly clear.
A phoenix rising through a circle of flames.
She ran her thumb across it.
"This key..."
"It has never left the Nguyen family."
Khang's voice was quiet.
"But tonight, it belongs to you."
Linh looked up.
"What exactly is inside that vault?"
Khang held her gaze for several seconds.
"I don't know."
She frowned.
"You don't?"
"I know what my father told me."
"And that was?"
"That I wasn't allowe
