Chapter 9: The Vault

The words on Damien’s phone refused to leave Ava’s mind.

You have exactly one hour before they discover where Ava is. Get her to the vault. Trust no one—not even me.

She looked from the screen to Damien.

“What is this?”

Damien didn’t answer.

“Talk to me!”

He slowly took the phone from her hand and deleted the message.

“What are you doing?” Ava shouted.

“Keeping you alive.”

“You just erased the only proof that Ethan is alive!”

Damien locked the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

“If someone captures us, they won’t find it.”

Ava stared at him.

“You knew he was alive.”

“I suspected.”

“You lied.”

“I was trying to protect you.”

Victoria scoffed.

“That’s becoming your favorite excuse.”

Damien ignored her.

“We don’t have time to argue.”

Ava folded her arms.

“Then start explaining.”

He looked at both women before speaking.

“The vault Ethan mentioned isn’t a bank vault.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a hidden archive beneath Cross Holdings.”

Victoria frowned.

“An archive?”

“My grandfather built it over forty years ago.”

“Why?”

“To keep documents no one else was supposed to see.”

Ava’s fingers tightened around the tiny silver key.

“The key opens it?”

Damien nodded.

“I believe so.”

“Then let’s go.”

He hesitated.

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“Because everyone who has ever searched for the vault has disappeared.”

Silence settled between them.

Ava swallowed.

“What exactly is inside?”

Damien’s expression turned grim.

“If Ethan risked his life to hide that key with you…”

“…then whatever is inside is worth killing for.”

Meanwhile…

Twenty miles away…

Inside the top floor of Cross Holdings.

A man stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.

His tailored navy suit fit perfectly.

One hand rested behind his back.

The other held a crystal glass filled with whiskey.

Without turning around, he spoke.

“Have they found the girl?”

“No, sir.”

The man sighed.

“That’s disappointing.”

The younger man standing behind him lowered his head.

“We’ve searched the hospital.”

“The tunnels.”

“The surrounding streets.”

“No sign of Ava Cross.”

The older man smiled faintly.

“Then she’s exactly where Ethan wanted her to be.”

He finally turned around.

His silver hair reflected the afternoon sunlight.

His calm expression made him appear harmless.

But his cold eyes told another story.

“Prepare the board meeting.”

“Today, sir?”

“Yes.”

“If Ethan is truly alive…”

“…I want him to watch me take everything he built.”

The younger man nodded.

“And Damien?”

The older man’s smile widened.

“My son has always been loyal.”

He paused.

“I hope he still is.”

Back beneath the city…

The group reached an abandoned maintenance elevator.

Rust covered its doors.

The control panel had long since stopped working.

Damien pressed his hand against the metal frame.

“Help me.”

Together, he and Ava forced the doors apart.

Inside was an old ladder descending into darkness.

Victoria looked down.

“I can’t even see the bottom.”

“It’s six floors.”

She looked horrified.

“We’re climbing that?”

“We don’t have another choice.”

Lucas groaned.

His face had grown even paler.

“I won’t make it.”

Ava knelt beside him.

“You will.”

He smiled weakly.

“You don’t know me.”

“I don’t have to.”

“We’re getting you out.”

Lucas looked at her with gratitude.

“Ethan was right.”

Ava frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“He said…”

Lucas struggled to breathe.

“…he chose the right woman.”

Tears filled Ava’s eyes.

“He talked about me?”

“All the time.”

“He loved you.”

Victoria quietly looked away.

Ava noticed.

Guilt washed over her.

She wasn’t the only woman Ethan had loved.

Or had he?

Questions filled her mind.

Had Ethan truly married Victoria?

Or had someone forged those documents?

She looked at Victoria.

“Can I ask you something?”

Victoria nodded.

“Were you legally married?”

Victoria hesitated.

“I thought so.”

“What does that mean?”

“We had a private ceremony.”

“Witnesses?”

“No.”

“Family?”

“No.”

“Marriage license?”

“Ethan handled everything.”

Ava’s heartbeat quickened.

“Have you ever seen the original certificate?”

Victoria froze.

“No.”

“You only had the copy.”

“Yes.”

A realization slowly spread across Victoria’s face.

“Oh my God…”

“What?”

“What if…”

She couldn’t finish.

Ava completed the sentence.

“What if you were never legally married at all?”

Victoria’s eyes filled with tears.

For the first time, doubt replaced certainty.

“Then what was I to him?”

No one answered.

One by one, they climbed down the ladder.

Damien first.

Then Ava.

Victoria followed, helping Lucas.

Nearly ten minutes later, they reached the bottom.

The air felt cooler.

Older.

The walls were made of polished stone instead of concrete.

“This doesn’t look like a maintenance tunnel,” Ava whispered.

“It isn’t.”

Damien pointed ahead.

A massive steel door stood at the end of the corridor.

There were no handles.

Only a small keyhole.

Ava instinctively reached for the tiny silver key.

“This is it.”

Her heart pounded.

She slowly inserted the key.

Click.

The lock turned effortlessly.

A deep mechanical rumble echoed through the underground chamber.

The heavy steel door began to open.

Dust filled the air.

Lights flickered on automatically after years of darkness.

Ava stepped inside.

Rows of shelves stretched farther than she could see.

Hundreds of locked boxes.

Old files.

Hard drives.

Photographs.

Financial records.

At the center of the room stood a single wooden desk.

On top of it…

A framed photograph.

Ava walked toward it.

Her breath caught.

It was a family picture.

Ethan.

Damien.

An older man.

And a woman.

They were all smiling.

“What is this?” Victoria whispered.

Damien stared at the photograph.

His face turned pale.

“No…”

“What?”

“This picture…”

He slowly pointed at the woman standing beside his father.

“That’s impossible.”

Ava looked closer.

“What is?”

Damien’s voice trembled.

“That woman…”

“…is your mother.”

Ava’s world stopped.

“What?”

She stared at the photograph again.

It couldn’t be.

Her mother had died fifteen years ago.

So why was she standing beside the Cross family…

…smiling like she belonged there?