The Darkness comes hunted

Chapter Nineteen: Tick Tock Mr.Clock

The night sky was dark and starless over uptown Lakewood, where Prescott's mansion loomed like a fortress. Mason slipped inside the estate, avoiding the two security guards who patrolled the manor with flashlights. He looked up and spotted a flickering flashlight, which was a signal from Valentina.

Valentina climbed up on the garbage bin and unlocked the first-level rear window. She let Mason in and closed the window behind him.

'What took you so long?' Valentina whispered impatiently.

'Even my guards aren't that hard to sneak past like yours, V. It's not easy to fool your trained, professional security guards,' Mason murmured back.

They moved cautiously upstairs, hoping to find some dirt on Mr. and Mrs. Prescott. They reached Valentina's parents' bedroom and Mason quietly opened the door. The room was large and black, with nothing but a bed and a desk. A faint nightlight shone through the window, casting a dim glow over the empty space.

They wasted no time and began to search the whole room, just as Mike and Betty had done a few days before.

Valentina tiptoed into her mother's closet, hoping to find a clue about her mysterious past. She pushed aside the expensive dresses and shoes, and gasped when she saw a hidden door behind them. She looked over her shoulder, making sure no one was watching, and opened the door. Inside, she found a closet-like safe that she had never seen before. It looked ancient and strange, made out of a material that resembled metal but was not. She wondered what secrets it held and how to unlock it.

She noticed a keypad on the safe, with four digits. She tried to guess the passcode, but none of the combinations she entered worked.

She tried her mother's birthday, her father's birthday, their anniversary date, but nothing happened. She felt frustrated and scared. She knew she had limited time before Mason would notice her absence.

She decided to try one last thing. She entered her own birthday, hoping for a miracle. To her surprise, the safe beeped and opened. She felt a mix of shock and excitement. She had unlocked the safe with her birthday. What did that mean? Was it a coincidence or a sign?

She quickly opened the safe and looked inside. She saw a folder with a label that made her curious.

She decided to try one last thing. She entered her own birthday, hoping for a miracle. To her surprise, the safe beeped and opened. She felt a mix of shock and excitement. She had unlocked the safe with her birthday. What did that mean? Was it a coincidence or a sign?

She quickly opened the safe and looked inside. She saw a folder with a label that made her curious.

As she glanced at the file, a shiver ran through her veins and the air left her lungs like a soul being sucked out of her body.

She grabbed the folder and hid it in her backpack. She didn't have time to look at it now. She closed the safe and the door and ran out of the closet.

Mason opened the mirrored glass closet on the right side of the bed with a c***k. He poked his head inside and looked for any files or papers related to the recently opened Merrick Biotech research facility.

He found nothing and moved to another cabinet nearby. Valentina continued to look for any evidence in Mr. Prescott's office that could link her family to Merrick Enterprise or its subsidiary, Merrick Biotech. But after thirty minutes of searching, they came up empty-handed.

'Okay, Val, I checked everywhere and there's nothing weird or dangerous-looking in here,' Mason said.

Valentina shook her head. 'There must be something, anything, that can prove my family is closely connected to the Merrick family.' She sighed.

'You mean a signed contract between my dad and your family? I don't think they're that stupid.' Mason said in a low voice.

'Yeah, a hard proof that can end this madness bond between your family and mine.'

'Are you serious right now, Valentina?'

'Come on, M, let's search again. I'll take the bedroom, you take the study room this time.'

Mason gripped Valentina's arm hard before she went nuts about searching for her father's guilt.

'You wanted to see if we'd find anything incriminating—and we didn't.'

'Then we'll look somewhere else. This is a big house, Mason.'

'Valentina—what do you really want? Our only goal was to come here and search for anything that could prove Mike and Betty wrong. That's all.'

'I still don't think my family is that clean. And you know it, deep in your heart, you know it, Mason.'

'Do you want your parents to be guilty?'

'All I want is the truth, Mason. One way or the other, I need to be sure.'

'We can keep looking all night, Vali, and never find anything.'

'Then what about when it's time for me to take charge of my family seat at the Merrick board? I don't want to go blindly into the lion's den, Mason.'

'I'm not sure, but what I am a hundred percent sure of is you will kill it when it's time for you to take charge, Vali.'

'I don't know, Mason,' Valentina said uncertainly. 'I don't think I'm up for the job if my parents are still in the dark.'

'I'll be there, next to you, supporting you with all my heart and soul, and doing what I can to help, if you let me.' Mason promised, his voice sincere.

Valentina breathed deeply, gazing into Mason's clear blue eyes.

'And maybe I'm wrong, but not finding anything tonight feels like a win for both of us and our families. A big win for the home team.' Mason went on, holding Valentina's hands tightly.

Valentina smiled, feeling a surge of happiness.

'What?' Mason asked, laughing and smiling back.

'Just... Yeah, though I walk through the valley of darkness, Mason Blossom is there with a smile and a sports metaphor.' She said, leaning towards Mason. Their lips met in the middle.

They were about to kiss again when Valentina's phone rang. She snatched it from her father's desk and answered it.

'What is it?' Mason asked.

'It's from my bodyguard. He said we accidentally set off my parents' bedroom alarm. My father's bodyguards are on their way here.

We need to leave right now before they catch us.' Valentina said, panic in her voice. She grabbed Mason's hand and ran for the door.

Mason followed her, sneaking out through the same rear window he had entered earlier. Valentina kept an eye out for the flashlights that were approaching them fast from behind.

They jumped off the garbage bin and ran towards the fence that separated the Prescott's estate from the rest of the neighborhood. They climbed over it and landed on the other side, where Mason's car was parked.

They got in and drove away, hoping to lose their pursuers.

'Are you okay?' Mason asked, glancing at Valentina.

'Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up.' Valentina said, trying to calm down.

She looked at the backpack that was on her lap. It contained the files and documents that they had stolen from the safe. She wondered what secrets they would reveal.

They got in Mason's car and drove away. Valentina felt a pang of guilt. She had lied to Mason. She had found something in the safe, but she didn't tell him. She didn't know what was in the folder, but she had a feeling it was important. She had a feeling it was about her.

She wanted to look at it, but she also wanted to wait. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to be ready.

She glanced at Mason, who was driving with a smile on his face. He seemed happy and relieved. He seemed to think they had done a good job. He seemed to think they had found nothing.

He had no idea.

She reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. He smiled and squeezed back.

They drove on, into the night, not knowing what the future would bring.