LOGINThe 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
Daniella stared at the photograph on her phone.Ask Christian about his mother.For several seconds, she couldn’t move.Christian stood beside her, his attention fixed on the message. His expression changed the moment he read it.“What does my mother have to do with this?”“I don’t know.”“Then why would they send you that?”Daniella looked down at the photograph again. It showed her and Christian standing beside the lemon tree only minutes earlier.Someone had been watching them.Someone close enough to photograph them without being noticed.Christian took the phone from her hand.“Whoever sent this knows where we are.”“And they know something about your mother.”He looked at her.Daniella immediately noticed the change in his face.“You know something.”Christian’s jaw tightened.“Daniella—”“No. Don’t do that.”“Do what?”“Don’t tell me you don’t know what they’re talking about.”He looked away.That was enough.Daniella stepped back.“Christian.”He rubbed his jaw.“My mother die
The old house looked smaller than Daniella remembered.She sat in the passenger seat staring through the windshield as Christian parked beside the overgrown driveway. The property had been abandoned for years, but the walls were still standing. Most of the windows were covered with wooden boards, and weeds had swallowed nearly the entire front yard.Daniella had not returned since the night her father died.She had avoided the place for thirteen years.Now she was back because of a diary her mother had apparently hidden beneath a lemon tree.Christian switched off the engine.“You don’t have to do this tonight.”Daniella looked at him.“Yes, I do.”“Someone shot at us less than an hour ago.”“And someone knows we’re coming here.”“That is exactly my point.”Daniella looked toward the backyard.“If whoever sent that message wanted me to stay away, they shouldn’t have told me what was buried here.”Christian studied her face.“You think they’re trying to scare you away.”“I think they’r
Daniella read the sentence again.Ask the woman who raised you where she buried it.Her fingers tightened around the paper.Christian stood beside her, watching her carefully. “Daniella?”She didn’t answer.Her mind had already gone to one person.Maria.Aunt Maria had been part of her life for as long as she could remember. After her father’s death, Maria had stayed with Daniella and her uncle. She had cooked for her, taken care of her, comforted her through nightmares and helped her survive the years after losing her father.Maria had been family.But apparently, she had also been keeping secrets.“Christian,” Daniella finally said, “we need to find Maria.”He looked at the note.“Your aunt?”Daniella nodded.“She knows where my mother’s diary is.”Christian’s expression hardened. “Then we ask her.”They drove to Maria’s house.Daniella spent the entire journey trying to remember anything unusual about her aunt. There had always been things she couldn’t explain.Maria never liked di
Christian killed the engine, but neither of them moved.The old Harper house stood before them in complete darkness except for the single illuminated window on the second floor. Daniella stared at it, trying to convince herself there was a reasonable explanation for the light.There wasn’t.“Someone is inside,” she whispered.Christian reached beneath his seat and pulled out the gun.Daniella’s eyes immediately went to it. “Are you carrying that now?”“Considering everything that’s happened tonight, yes.”“You could have mentioned that before.”“You probably would have told me it wasn’t necessary.”“It wasn’t.”Christian gave her a look.Daniella sighed. “Fine. Maybe it was.”He checked the weapon before putting it beneath his jacket.“Stay behind me.”Daniella opened her door.“Don’t even start.”Christian caught her wrist before she could step out. “I’m serious.”“So am I. My father is connected to whatever is inside that house, my uncle has disappeared, Gabriel knows more than he’s
“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
“What?”The word left Daniella’s lips slowly, almost like she wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly. Her brows pulled together in confusion as she stared at him, searching his face for any sign that this was some kind of joke. But Christian wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t even slightly amused. Hi







