Chapter 9: The Secret Locked In The Ashes
776 Words
The piercing alarm echoed through Blackwood Mansion, shattering the peaceful evening.
Nathan Blackwood grabbed Lena Brooks' hand instinctively.
"Stay close to me."
Security guards rushed past them toward the mansion while flashing red lights reflected off the marble walls.
Nathan answered another call from his assistant.
"What happened?"
"The archives have been broken into, sir. The vault was opened, but only one file is missing."
Nathan's jaw tightened.
"Which file?"
"The Blackwood Legacy File."
His face turned pale.
"I'm on my way."
---
An hour later, Nathan and Lena arrived at Blackwood Tower.
Police officers and forensic investigators filled the building.
The archive vault was hidden beneath the tower, protected by steel doors and fingerprint scanners.
Nathan stared at the broken lock.
"This wasn't ordinary theft."
The lead investigator nodded.
"Whoever did this knew exactly where the file was."
Lena quietly looked around.
The room had been turned upside down, but something felt strange.
She noticed a tiny piece of black fabric caught on the edge of a cabinet.
"Detective..."
Everyone turned toward her.
"I think this belongs to whoever broke in."
The detective carefully collected it.
"Good eye, Miss Brooks."
Nathan smiled proudly.
"You've always noticed the little things."
---
Meanwhile...
Across the city...
Inside an abandoned warehouse...
Charles Blackwood stood beside Victoria Sterling.
A thick brown envelope rested on the table.
Victoria smiled.
"So it's finally ours."
Charles opened the envelope.
Inside were faded photographs.
Old contracts.
Birth certificates.
And one handwritten letter.
He read only the first sentence before his expression darkened.
"No..."
Victoria frowned.
"What is it?"
Charles slowly lowered the paper.
"If Nathan sees this..."
"He'll discover who really destroyed his parents."
Silence filled the room.
Victoria whispered,
"Then we make sure he never does."
---
Back at Blackwood Tower...
Nathan gathered the board of directors.
"This theft wasn't about money."
"It was about hiding the truth."
Charles walked into the meeting moments later.
His expression remained perfectly calm.
"What truth?"
Nathan stared directly at him.
"The truth someone is afraid I'll uncover."
Charles chuckled.
"You're letting emotions cloud your judgment."
Nathan slammed his hand on the table.
"My family's secrets have already stolen enough years."
"I'm done pretending."
Every director fell silent.
No one had ever seen Nathan lose control.
---
Later that evening...
Lena returned to the small apartment where her mother and younger brother still lived.
Her mother immediately noticed the worry on her face.
"Lena..."
"What's wrong?"
Lena sat beside her.
"I think Nathan's family is hiding something."
Her mother froze.
"What kind of something?"
"I don't know."
"But everyone becomes afraid whenever the past is mentioned."
Her mother's hands trembled around her teacup.
"Lena..."
"If you ever learn the truth..."
"Promise me you'll be careful."
Lena looked surprised.
"You know something?"
Her mother forced a smile.
"No."
"I only know that powerful families protect dangerous secrets."
---
That night...
Nathan couldn't sleep.
He unlocked a drawer in his bedroom.
Inside lay the only photograph he had from before the k********g.
A younger Nathan stood beside his smiling parents.
Behind them...
Almost hidden...
Was a little girl wearing a blue dress.
Nathan frowned.
He had never noticed her before.
He turned the photo over.
On the back, written in his mother's handwriting, were the words:
Never forget the little girl with the silver coin. One day, she will lead you home.
Nathan's heart pounded.
His mother had known.
Somehow...
She had known about Lena.
Before he ever disappeared.
A knock sounded on his bedroom door.
Mrs. Eleanor Hayes stepped inside.
"Mr. Nathan..."
"I found something while cleaning your father's old study."
She handed him a dusty leather journal.
"It belonged to your father."
Nathan carefully opened it.
The first few pages contained business notes.
Then, halfway through the journal, a folded map slipped onto the floor.
Across the map, one location had been marked with a red circle.
Beneath it, his father had written:
The truth was buried where the fire began.
Nathan's breathing became uneven.
"The fire..."
The same mysterious fire that had claimed his parents' lives.
The same tragedy everyone insisted had been an accident.
Nathan looked out the window toward the dark skyline of Ashwood City.
"This wasn't an accident."
Somewhere...
Someone had spent fifteen years hiding the truth.
And Nathan was finally close enough to uncover it.
Far away, Charles Blackwood stood in his office, watching the city lights.
His phone rang.
"The journal has been found," the caller whispered.
Charles closed his eyes.
"So..."
"The game has finally begun."
He looked toward the distant Blackwood Tower.
"Forgive me, Nathan."
"But some promises..."
"...should have stayed forgotten."
End of Chapter 9
By Jasmine
- Writer
