جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 170

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

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

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

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?”“

The drive to the training compound felt longer than it should have.Daniella sat in the back seat beside Christian while Elena remained in the front. Her uncle drove without saying a word.The silence was suffocating.Daniella kept staring at the back of his head, trying to reconcile the man she knew with the confession he had just made.He was the man in her childhood memory.The man standing over her father’s body.The man whose face she had spent thirteen years trying to remember.And he was the same man who had spent those thirteen years training her.Christian reached for her hand.She hesitated before allowing him to hold it.“You don’t have to do this tonight,” he said quietly.“Yes, I do.”“Why?”“Because if I stop now, I might never be able to face it.”Christian squeezed her hand.“Then I’ll be there.”Daniella looked at him.“I don’t deserve you.”His expression tightened.“Don’t say that.”“I lied to you.”“You didn’t know the truth.”“I still entered your house planning t