INICIAR SESIÓNAdrian’s voice still echoed through the cellar.“You should never have opened that door.”Daniella stood completely still, the black ledger pressed against her chest. Christian was beside her, his gun raised toward the staircase, while Elena stood behind them. Her uncle remained near the metal safe, watching the darkness above.But Daniella wasn’t thinking about Adrian.She was thinking about her uncle.For years, he had been the person she trusted most.The man who had raised her after her father’s death.The man who had taught her how to fight.The man who had taught her how to read people, manipulate situations, control her emotions and never hesitate when the time came to hurt someone.He had taught her everything she knew about revenge.And now she was beginning to wonder why.Christian’s voice broke through her thoughts.“We need to move.”Daniella looked at him.“Where?”“There’s another exit.”Her uncle immediately shook his head.“No.”Christian turned toward him.“Why?”“Bec
They barely made it out of the old Harper estate before another explosion shook the building behind them.Daniella stumbled as the ground trembled beneath her feet. Christian caught her around the waist and pulled her toward the waiting car.“Get in!”Elena climbed into the back seat while Daniella and Christian got in front. Christian started the engine and sped away from the estate.For several minutes, nobody spoke.Daniella looked through the rear window as smoke rose above the trees.Her mother’s hand rested on her shoulder.“You’re really alive,” Daniella whispered.Elena gave a small, sad smile.“I am.”Daniella looked at her reflection in the mirror.“I don’t know how to feel about this.”“You don’t have to know yet.”“I spent thirteen years thinking you were dead.”“I know.”“I missed you.”Elena’s eyes filled with tears.“I missed you too.”Daniella turned around.“Then why didn’t you come back?”Elena looked down.“Because the first time I tried, someone found me.”“Who?”“
Daniella couldn’t breathe.The woman standing in the doorway looked exactly like the woman from the photographs she had kept hidden in the back of her wardrobe for most of her life.Her mother.Elena Cruz.Alive.For thirteen years, Daniella had believed she was dead.She had mourned her beside her father’s grave. She had asked questions nobody answered. She had spent years imagining what her mother might have said if she had survived.Now she was standing less than ten feet away.Daniella’s lips parted.“Mom?”The woman nodded, tears already running down her face.“Yes.”Daniella took one step forward.Then another.Christian immediately caught her hand.“Daniella, wait.”She looked at him.“What?”“We don’t know if this is safe.”The woman shook her head.“He’s right.”Her voice trembled.“You can’t trust anyone here.”Daniella stared at her.“You’re my mother.”“Yes.”“You’re alive.”“Yes.”“Then why did you let me believe you were dead?”Elena’s expression broke.“I didn’t have a
The drive to the old Harper estate was silent.Daniella sat in the passenger seat, staring at the flash drive in her hand. It was small enough to fit between two fingers, yet it supposedly contained the names of everyone connected to Crown Meridian.For thirteen years, she had searched for the truth about her father’s death.Now she finally had something that could expose it.And she had no idea whether opening it would destroy everything she believed about her family.Christian drove with both hands on the steering wheel.His uncle sat in the back seat.Daniella glanced at him through the mirror.“You’re sure the estate is safe?”“No,” he answered.Christian gave him a sharp look.“That’s reassuring.”His uncle ignored the comment.“The estate hasn’t been occupied in years. Your father had it sealed after my sister died.”“Your sister?”“My mother,” Christian said quietly.Daniella looked at him.Christian’s uncle continued.“Evelyn left several private records there. Samuel never fo
The warehouse fell silent.Daniella crouched behind a stack of storage boxes, her heart pounding as footsteps moved somewhere beyond the shelves.Christian kept one arm in front of her while holding his gun in the other.“Stay down,” he whispered.Across the warehouse, Daniella could barely see her uncle. He was crouched behind another storage unit, his face tense.“The person who killed my father is someone I trusted,” Daniella whispered.Her uncle looked at her.“Yes.”“Who?”He opened his mouth.Another gunshot exploded.The bullet struck the metal shelf above him.Daniella flinched.“Not here,” her uncle shouted. “They’ll kill all of us.”Christian looked toward the entrance.“How many?”Her uncle shook his head.“I don’t know.”“Then start talking.”“I will.”“You have ten seconds.”Her uncle stared at Daniella.“The person behind Crown Meridian isn’t one person.”Daniella frowned.“What does that mean?”“It means there is a network. People in government, finance, law enforcement
The cemetery was almost empty when Christian parked the car.A cold wind moved through the trees, carrying the smell of wet earth. Daniella stared through the windshield at the rows of graves stretching into the darkness.Christian’s mother had been buried here thirteen years ago.The same year Daniella’s father died.The timing wasn’t lost on either of them.Christian switched off the engine.“You’re sure about this?” Daniella asked.“No.”She looked at him.“But I know we can’t ignore it.”They stepped out of the car.Christian carried a flashlight while Daniella held the diary against her chest. Neither spoke as they walked between the graves.After several minutes, Christian stopped.“This way.”They continued until they reached a large marble headstone.Daniella looked at the name.Evelyn Harper.Christian stood silently in front of it.Daniella watched him.“You don’t have to talk about her.”“I want to.”He stared at the grave.“My mother was different before she got sick. She
“I want you to go undercover.” The moment the words left Christian’s mouth, Daniella genuinely thought she had heard him wrongly. She stared at him from across the office, her brows slowly pulling together in confusion while her brain tried to process what he had just said. “W
“My secretary,” Christian said simply. “Starting now.” The words did not settle immediately. They hung in the air between them, heavy, unexpected, almost unreal. Daniella stared at him, her brows slowly knitting together as if her mind refused to process what she had just heard.
The door didn’t just open; it slammed against the wall with enough force to snap Daniella out of whatever storm she had just walked into.She flinched.Her body jerked slightly as her grip tightened around the file in her hand. “Jesus Christ!” she breathed out, her chest rising sharply. “
The mansion felt and smelt different that evening, of course it was the day everyone has been waiting for, the day contract would be signed, people would display everything their nonchalant teachers have been teaching them. It was D NIGHT. Even the staff moved differently, quieter, more care







