Chapter 9: THE NAME SHE NEVER EXPECTED
680 Words
The doorknob turned.
Sophia’s heart hammered against her ribs.
She yanked the flash drive from her laptop just as the bedroom door opened.
Victor Ashford stepped inside.
His eyes swept across the room before settling on his daughter.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
Sophia forced a yawn.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Victor looked at the closed laptop.
“For someone who couldn’t sleep, you seemed very busy.”
“I was looking at old pictures of Elena.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Victor smiled.
It wasn’t the smile of a grieving father.
It was the smile of a man trying to see through a lie.
“If you find anything that belongs to your sister…” he said quietly, “…bring it to me.”
“I will.”
He nodded once and left.
Sophia waited until his footsteps faded before locking the door again.
She plugged the flash drive back into the laptop.
The video resumed.
Elena looked exhausted.
“If you’re seeing this, I don’t have much time.”
She glanced nervously toward the door before continuing.
“I discovered something hidden inside the Ashford Foundation’s financial records.”
“There are payments…”
“…millions of dollars…”
“…to a company that doesn’t exist.”
Sophia frowned.
“What?”
“I traced the money.”
“It led to a place called Raven House.”
“I was going there the morning of my wedding.”
“I never made it.”
The video suddenly distorted with loud static.
The image froze.
Then the screen went black.
“No!”
Sophia clicked the mouse repeatedly.
Nothing.
The file had corrupted.
Only one clue remained.
Raven House.
⸻
Meanwhile…
Nathan’s car sped along the coastal highway.
Elena stared out the window in silence.
“So where are we going?” she finally asked.
“Somewhere safe.”
“Safe from who?”
Nathan hesitated.
“From the people who erased your life.”
She turned toward him.
“You keep talking like you know everything.”
“I don’t.”
“But I know enough.”
He reached into the glove compartment and handed her a folded newspaper from six months earlier.
The headline read:
Bride Vanishes Hours Before Wedding.
Below it was a photograph of Elena and Adrian.
She studied Adrian’s face.
Kind eyes.
A warm smile.
The moment she looked at him…
Another memory returned.
He was laughing as they danced barefoot in the rain.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Her chest tightened.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“I remember him…”
Nathan noticed.
“Adrian?”
She nodded.
“I loved him.”
Nathan looked back at the road, saying nothing.
For the first time…
There was sadness in his eyes.
⸻
At Blackwood Police Headquarters…
Detective Hayes pinned another photograph onto the investigation board.
In the center was Elena.
Around her were photographs of Victor…
Adrian…
Sophia…
Nathan…
And now…
A new name.
Raven House.
His phone rang.
“Detective Hayes.”
A nervous voice answered.
“Sir… we’ve identified the owner of Raven House.”
Hayes grabbed a pen.
“Who is it?”
There was a long pause.
Then came the answer.
“You.”
Hayes froze.
“What?”
“The property has been registered in your name for the last eight years.”
His blood ran cold.
“I’ve never even heard of Raven House.”
“According to the records…”
“…you own it.”
⸻
Far away, inside a dimly lit room…
A man sat in a leather chair, watching security footage of Elena climbing into Nathan’s car.
He paused the video.
Smiled.
Then picked up his phone.
“It’s time,” he said.
“The game is over.”
A woman’s voice answered from the shadows.
“No.”
“It’s only just beginning.”
She stepped into the light.
Her face was hidden beneath a black veil.
But one thing was unmistakable.
On her left hand…
She wore Elena’s engagement ring.
- Writer
