The Shadow of Love

Prologue-4

Emily silently got up and wiped off her tears. One thing she did not understand was that despite all she had seen, something greater in her was pushing her to know more. She had one of the handguns in her hand and pondered whether to take or keep it.Aside the handguns were rifles. Some of the rifles were wooden and wood coloured or brownish in colour. The other rifles were made of different materials and black in colour. It was unusually longer and greater in size and in length than the handguns. She briefly touched that as well. It was heavy and seemed loaded.

Emily did not know how guns or rifles operated, so she was careful in touching them, should she include shooting herself. Emily smiled at the thought of that. Not only were there guns and rifles , but there were also a cache of knives. The knives were well pointed and sharp to touch. The safe had light in it, and Emily could see a dishevelled reflection of herself in the image of the knives. There were other bladed weapons like daggers and bayonets. They were also sharp pointed and had an edgy point.

Emily’s breathing paused when she discovered there was also an arsenal of explosive devices. She didn’t know how they had operated, but as long as she was safe, Emily guessed and assumed she could buy more time. Emily panicked. There was nice and valuable artwork and jewellery. They looked expensive and highly valuable. There were rare collectables and antiques as well. That wasn’t all. There was a stash of cash and precious metals.

They seemed to be stolen goods. Emily remembered how she had seen in the news one of the valuable artworks and collectables being searched for. It broke her heart to see this side of Ethan to discover these about him. She felt her world shattering.

There were encrypted files. It included suspicious activities and connections to the shady dark individuals Emily had previously seen in the golden folder at the desk table in the library. There were records of his financial transactions and money laundering schemes. Emily was more surprised because now, there were more cryptic messages and codes hinting at a greater conspiracy or plot of events.

Emily looked deeper into the safe. She found a cryptic note. It mentioned “The Architect”. However, the message found in the cryptic note was difficult to understand and decipher. The brief message or sense Emily could make of it was its hint at a meeting with the “The Architect”. Emily looked up thoughtfully, scratching her head. She brushed and flipped her golden brown hair backwards. Emily thought that it may have had a correlation to the “Blueprint” she saw in the golden folder at the desk table in the library.

Emily thought it must be a mysterious figure she had no idea about. Whoever “The Architect” was, must be an important personality in Ethan Blackwood’s life. Emily was certain it was linked to the blueprint she had seen earlier in the golden folder at the desk table in the library. From documents of blueprint of a high-security facility and a luxury building to a ledger with cryptic entries and large sums of money, contract with a fake company or a shell corporation, a list of coded names and phone numbers and receipt for a large purchase of surveillance equipment, Emily knew and had a feeling of playing with fire by being in Ethan’s life.

The photos of the documents in the golden folder included Ethan with a group of rough-looking men, likely in a warehouse and an abandoned building, a picture of a valuable artifact and a rare gemstone, photo of a high-tech gadget or a hacking device, a snapshot of a luxurious lifestyle, with a private jet or a yacht as well as a picture of Ethan with a mysterious woman or what seemed to be a rival businessman. Emily had a rush of feelings going through her, excitement, danger, pain, hurt, betrayal, and more. She thought of confronting Ethan but second guessed it may not or would not be so safe.

“Why would he lie to me”, Emily thought sadly with her palm on her chest. With what she had discovered, Emily was certain this was just the tip of the iceberg. A thrill went down her spine at the thought. She would need space. To run. To go anywhere. She could not trust the man she had come to love. He was and had been dishonest with her. The lies made her more angry at the thought of it. Emily thought of calling her best friend Sarah Taylor, but she knew her best friend would raise concerns of telling him that he was suspicious and had warned her. Emily was not ready for a confrontation and closed off the thought of calling Sarah.

Emily rearranged the materials in the safe one by one including the cryptic note, the collection of handguns, the cache of knives, the arsenal of explosive devices, the valuable artwork and jewelry, rare collectibles and antiques as well as the stash of cash and the precious metals. Her life was in danger, and that was all she could come to think of. Especially from the arsenal of explosive devices, which could harm her at any time. At this point, Emily had never been more grateful for her life. And that was because she didn’t know what kept pushing her towards knowing more and discovering more.

Despite what Emily had discovered, her heart moved towards Ethan. He was not safe either by being involved in these activities. From Emily’s findings, she could conclude, her lover, her man, the person she runs to when broken could be her most dangerous ally or friend. The thought made her feel uneasy. She still thought of his safety. He had to get out of this. Emily also wondered if it would be best to cut him off. But the love she had for him restricted her. Emily was very conflicted at the point because the man she had come to love, care for, and cherish was a master mind criminal.

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