Chapter 9: Hidden Truths
The archive room fell silent again after Adrian left.
Elena remained standing near the shelves for several seconds, listening carefully to the fading sound of his footsteps outside the corridor.
Only after the silence fully returned did she move again.
Slowly, she released the breath trapped inside her chest and turned back toward the mountains of dusty files surrounding her.
Her pulse still had not calmed completely.
Adrian finding her there had almost ruined everything.
But something about that encounter unsettled her in a different way.
He had questions.
Yet he still left her alone inside the room.
Why?
Elena pushed the thought aside immediately.
She could not afford distractions now.
Quickly, she stepped closer to the nearest shelf and began searching through the old records carefully. Dust coated nearly every folder. Some papers looked untouched for years.
Business contracts.
Property ownership documents.
Financial records.
None of them mattered.
Elena continued searching deeper into the shelves while moonlight stretched across the room.
Then suddenly—
Her fingers paused on a small black storage box hidden behind several old files.
Unlike everything else, this box looked cleaner.
Recently touched.
Elena's eyes narrowed slightly.
Carefully, she pulled it forward and opened it.
Inside were several folders tied neatly together with a dark ribbon.
No labels.
No dates.
Just hidden.
A strange feeling settled inside her chest.
Slowly, Elena untied the ribbon and opened the first folder.
The moment she looked down, her heartbeat stopped briefly.
Photographs.
Old photographs.
Most showed Adrian's father standing beside workers, business partners, and charity groups from years ago.
But then Elena froze completely.
One photograph slipped halfway from the pile.
A woman stood beside Adrian's father smiling softly at the camera.
Elena's fingers tightened instantly.
Her mother.
The picture trembled slightly in her hands.
Younger.
Happier.
Alive.
For several seconds, Elena could barely breathe.
Why would her mother's photograph be hidden inside the Cole family archive?
And beside Adrian's father of all people?
Her mind raced violently.
She quickly searched through the remaining papers inside the folder.
Letters.
Receipts.
Documents.
Then finally—
One envelope caught her attention immediately.
Across the front were handwritten words.
For Lina,
Elena stared at the name.
Lina
Her mother's name.
Her hands slowly opened the envelope.
Inside was a folded letter written in faded ink.
Elena stepped closer to the moonlight and began reading carefully.
Lina,
If anything happens to me, do not trust Vivian,
She knows about the missing funds and she is becoming desperate. I tried to stop this before it became dangerous, but I fear I waited too long.
If necessary, take the documents and leave immediately.
Protect Elena.
Her entire body went cold.
Elena.
Her name.
The paper trembled violently in her hands now.
This was real.
Her mother knew something.
And Adrian's father had warned her.
Elena's breathing became uneven as dozens of thoughts crashed together inside her mind.
Missing funds?
Danger?
Vivian?
Suddenly—
A loud crash echoed somewhere downstairs.
Elena jumped violently.
Then voices followed.
Raised voices.
One of them sounded furious.
Vanessa.
"Oh my God! Somebody catch that woman!"
Another crash followed immediately afterward.
Elena blinked in confusion.
What was happening now?
Curiosity pulled her toward the archive door.
Carefully, she slipped the letter back into the envelope and hurried toward the hallway.
The moment she reached the staircase overlooking the ballroom below, she nearly laughed out loud.
Vanessa stood near the center of the grand hall covered in pink frosting.
Completely covered.
Cake cream clung to her expensive gown, her hair, even one side of her face.
A broken three-layer cake had collapsed directly onto her moments earlier.
Several guests looked horrified.
Others were clearly trying not to laugh.
One elderly woman had already failed completely and was coughing into her napkin to hide her laughter.
Vanessa looked seconds away from fainting.
"WHO DID THIS?!" she screamed.
A terrified young waiter stood nearby shaking uncontrollably.
"I—I slipped, ma'am—"
"You ruined my dress!"
"I'm sorry!"
"My dress cost more than your entire salary!"
The ballroom had become complete chaos.
Elena quietly stepped farther down the stairs while hiding her amusement.
Even Madam Martha looked exhausted.
Meanwhile, Adrian stood nearby rubbing his forehead slowly like a man questioning every decision that brought him to this moment.
Vanessa pointed furiously at the crying waiter.
"Remove him immediately!"
Then disaster struck again.
As Vanessa turned dramatically, the heel of her expensive shoe stepped directly into fallen frosting.
Slip.
A loud scream escaped her mouth.
And in front of half the ballroom—
Vanessa fell backward straight into a decorative flower arrangement.
The entire room froze.
Then somewhere near the back—
Someone snorted loudly.
Elena bit the inside of her cheek so hard to stop herself from laughing.
Even Adrian closed his eyes briefly.
The poor businessman beside him whispered quietly, "Should we help her?"
Adrian opened his eyes again.
"Yes," he answered with the calm voice of a man who had survived this behavior many times before.
Several workers rushed forward immediately to help Vanessa stand.
Flowers clung to her hair now.
One long leaf remained hanging from her shoulder like decoration.
"I hate this house!" Vanessa shouted dramatically.
Madam Martha sighed under her breath.
"Unfortunately, the house feels the same way."
Elena almost choked.
She quickly lowered her head to hide her smile.
For the first time all night, the heavy darkness surrounding the mansion cracked slightly beneath the ridiculous scene.
But Elena's smile faded again moments later as her fingers tightened secretly around the hidden envelope inside her apron pocket.
Because now she knew something important.
Her mother had not died by accident.And somewhere inside this mansion, the truth was still hiding.
Elena slowly lifted her eyes toward the upper floor again.
Vivian.
The name echoed heavily inside her mind now.
Vanessa was loud, cruel, and dramatic.
But her mother…
Her mother sounded far more dangerous.
As laughter and chaos continued downstairs, Elena quietly stepped back into the shadows of the hallway.
Her revenge had started with anger.
Now it was becoming something much deeper.
A hunt for the truth.