Chapter 38: Ghosts of the Past

The car slowed as the massive iron gates of the Blackthorn Estate loomed ahead. The once-pristine mansion beyond was now a decaying monument to a forgotten legacy, swallowed by creeping vines and the weight of time.

Liam clenched his fists. Coming back here was a mistake.

Yet, deep in his gut, he knew this was the only way forward.

Seraphina killed the engine, casting a wary glance at Nathan. "We're sure this place isn't being watched?"

Nathan exhaled, scanning the dense treeline. "We won't know until we step inside."

Catherine, leaning back against the seat, smirked despite her pain. "Oh, I'm sure someone's watching. They always are."

Liam ignored her. The air here was thick with memories—his father's voice, his mother's laughter… and the echoes of their final screams.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out. "Let's go."

---

Inside, the estate was eerily silent. Dust coated every surface, and faded portraits of ancestors lined the grand hallway.

Liam led them toward the study, his boots leaving imprints on the neglected marble floor.

His father's office had been untouched since the night of the accident. Papers were still scattered across the desk, as if frozen in time.

Nathan ran his fingers over a broken bookshelf. "Your father kept records, right?"

Liam nodded. "If there's anything useful, it'll be in the vault."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "Vault?"

Catherine chuckled. "Oh, you really don't know anything about the Blackthorn family, do you?"

Liam shot her a glare. He wasn't in the mood for her games.

Moving behind the desk, he reached for an old clock embedded in the wall. With a twist of the dial, gears groaned to life, and a hidden panel slid open.

A steel vault door stood behind it.

Seraphina whistled. "That's… dramatic."

Nathan smirked. "Rich people."

Ignoring them, Liam entered the passcode. A heavy clank sounded as the door unlocked.

Inside, shelves of ledgers, photographs, and coded documents filled the space.

But what caught Liam's attention—was a single black envelope resting on the center table.

He stepped forward, his heartbeat quickening as he read the name scrawled across it.

"For Liam."

---

Liam's fingers trembled as he tore open the envelope. Inside was a letter, written in his father's familiar hand.

"Liam, if you are reading this, then I am already gone.

What happened to me and your mother was no accident.

It was orchestrated.

And the one behind it… is closer than you think."

The words blurred as a storm of emotions crashed over him.

Nathan peered over his shoulder. "What does it say?"

Liam's jaw clenched. "That we've been chasing shadows."

Seraphina frowned. "Meaning?"

Liam swallowed hard, his pulse hammering in his ears.

"The person who ordered my parents' deaths… was someone inside our own family."

A deadly silence filled the room.

Catherine's smirk vanished. "Well, isn't that interesting."

Nathan exchanged a look with Seraphina. "If that's true… then we just walked into a trap."

At that moment, the lights flickered.

Then, from somewhere deep within the mansion—a floorboard creaked.

Liam's breath caught in his throat.

They weren't alone.

---The silence in the room was suffocating. The single black envelope still trembled in Liam's hands, his father's words sinking into his mind like venom.

"The one behind it… is closer than you think."

Nathan instinctively reached for the gun tucked in his waistband. Seraphina's expression hardened, her body tensing like a predator sensing danger. Catherine, for once, wasn't smirking.

Then—another sound. A faint but deliberate creak from the hallway.

Liam's fingers curled into a fist. His voice was a whisper. "We're not alone."

Nathan moved first, pressing his back against the vault's entrance. His sharp green eyes scanned the dimly lit hallway.

Seraphina drew a dagger from her boot, her grip steady. "How many exits?" she whispered.

Liam's mind raced. The study had only one main door, but the vault had a hidden escape hatch beneath the bookshelves. The problem? Whoever was out there probably knew that too.

Another creak. Closer this time.

Then, a shadow passed beneath the doorframe.

Without thinking, Liam moved. Fast.

He grabbed the nearest heavy object—a crystal paperweight—and flung open the door.

A gun fired.

The bullet barely missed his shoulder, embedding itself into the wooden desk behind him.

"Get down!" Nathan barked, tackling Liam back into the vault as another shot rang out.

Seraphina flung a dagger toward the attacker, but they were gone before it could strike. Instead, the blade embedded into the wooden doorframe, quivering from the impact.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway—retreating.

Catherine clicked her tongue. "Cowards."

Liam's breathing was ragged. "That wasn't just any attacker," he muttered. "They wanted to send a message."

Nathan wiped sweat from his brow. "What message?"

Liam looked down at the bullet hole, then at the open letter in his hands.

"That I'm getting too close to the truth."

---

The group didn't waste time.

Liam knew they had to move fast. Whoever had infiltrated the estate wouldn't stop until he was silenced.

Seraphina retrieved her dagger, cleaning the blade with precision. "We need to leave. Now."

Nathan agreed. "We should lay low until we figure out our next move."

But Liam shook his head. No. He was done hiding.

"We go after them," he said, his voice cold. "Tonight."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You realize we have no idea who they were?"

Catherine chuckled. "Oh, I have an idea."

Liam turned to her. "Talk."

She stepped closer, trailing a finger over the edge of his father's desk. "The Blackthorn family wasn't the only one with secrets, Liam. There's another player in this game."

Liam's jaw clenched. "Who?"

Catherine leaned in, whispering two words that sent a chill through his spine.

"The Obsidian Circle."

Nathan swore under his breath. Seraphina's eyes darkened.

Liam, however, felt something else.

A deadly determination.

If the Obsidian Circle had a hand in his parents' deaths—he would tear them apart.

One. By. One.

---