The Billionaire's Debt-Bride
Under the light of my torch, I could see the watermark of a long-dead papermaker: a small, intricate crown.
This is it, I breathed, running a gloved finger along the edge of the top sheet. The calcium carbonate buffer is perfect. It hasn't been acidified by the industrial revolution. It’s... pure.
But as I lifted the sheet, my heart did a slow, sickening slide into my stomach. The paper wasn't blank.
"Damian," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Look."
I tilted the page toward the UV light on Damian’s belt. A pale, shimmering luminescence appeared on the surface. It wasn't ink; it was a chemical stain, a "ghost" image that had been pressed into the fibers long ago.