Chapter 31: A Key to the Unknown

The silver key felt heavier in Liam's hand than it should have. The small inscription—his mother's initials—burned into his memory like an old wound torn open.

Across the poker table, Eve watched him, her smirk unshaken, her eyes gleaming with a quiet satisfaction. She had planned this. She had expected him to come. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Liam clenched his jaw. "Where did you get this?"

Eve swirled her drink lazily, the ice clinking softly. "Does it matter?"

Nathan, standing a few steps behind Liam, took a slow breath. "It matters if you want to walk out of here in one piece."

Eve chuckled. "Oh, Nathan. Always so dramatic." She leaned forward. "The real question is—do you want the truth, Liam? Or do you just want revenge?"

Liam's grip tightened around the key. He had spent years burying his past, locking away the pain, the betrayal, the questions.

Now, one small silver key threatened to rip open everything.

He wasn't sure he wanted the answers anymore.

But it was too late to walk away now.

---

The casino's tension lingered in the air as Liam, Nathan, and Seraphina left. The moment they stepped outside, the cold night air wrapped around them like a silent warning.

Seraphina was the first to break the silence. "That key—does it mean what I think it does?"

Liam didn't answer. He just stared at it, his mind racing.

Nathan muttered, "If Eve knows something about your mother, then she's either working with someone from your past or she's part of something bigger."

Liam exhaled sharply. "There's only one way to find out."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"

Liam turned toward the black car waiting for them. "We find the lock."

---

The city blurred past them as they drove through the neon-lit streets. Liam's mind was a storm of fragmented memories, old ghosts whispering in his ear.

His mother had always been a mystery. Beautiful, intelligent, but constantly watching over her shoulder. She had known something—something powerful enough to get her killed.

And now, Eve had left him a piece of that puzzle.

Nathan's voice cut through the silence. "So where do we start?"

Liam flipped the key in his fingers. "The only place that makes sense."

Nathan frowned. "You mean—"

Liam's eyes darkened. "The house she died in."

---

The mansion stood on the outskirts of the city, forgotten by time. Overgrown vines strangled its iron gates, the windows boarded up like a mausoleum holding secrets instead of the dead.

Nathan parked the car, exhaling. "I don't like this."

Seraphina slid her gun from her holster. "That makes two of us."

Liam didn't hesitate. He pushed the rusted gates open and stepped inside.

The house smelled of dust and decay, but beneath it all, something felt wrong.

It wasn't just abandoned.

It was waiting.

Waiting for him.

His mother's study was untouched, as if frozen in time. Old books lined the shelves, their spines cracked and worn.

And then he saw it.

A small, ornate lockbox on the desk.

Liam's pulse quickened. This was it.

He slid the key into the lock. A soft click echoed through the empty house.

Nathan muttered, "Here we go."

Liam opened the box.

Inside was a black envelope.

His breath hitched as he unfolded the letter inside. His mother's handwriting was delicate, yet firm.

"Liam, if you're reading this, then everything I feared has come true. There is so much you don't know, so much I never had time to explain. You are in danger. But you are also the only one who can finish what I started. Find the ledger. Protect it. And, Liam—trust no one."

Beneath the letter, there was a photograph.

Liam's blood ran cold.

It was a picture of Eve.

Standing next to his mother.

---

Nathan cursed. "What the hell?"

Seraphina's eyes narrowed. "Eve knew your mother?"

Liam's hands trembled slightly as he stared at the image. His mother's expression was soft, almost affectionate. Eve, however, wore the same unreadable smirk she had given him earlier tonight.

How was this possible?

Nathan ran a hand through his hair. "If she was connected to your mother… that means she's been watching you for a long time."

Seraphina's voice was sharp. "The question is—why?"

Liam clenched his jaw. "We ask her."

Nathan scoffed. "You really think she'll just give you answers?"

Liam's eyes darkened. "She will. Or she'll regret ever playing this game."

He tucked the letter into his pocket.

The past had finally caught up to him.

And now, he had no choice but to chase the truth—no matter the cost.

---

As they left the mansion, a pair of eyes watched them from the darkness.

A shadowed figure adjusted their earpiece, speaking into the microphone.

"They found it."

A voice on the other end responded. "Then it's time."

The figure smirked. "Understood."

And then they disappeared into the night.

---