The charity event finally ended close to midnight.
One by one, luxury cars disappeared beyond the mansion gates while exhausted workers cleaned the remains of the evening's disaster.
Broken glasses.
Wilted flowers.
Ruined decorations.
And somewhere downstairs, Vanessa was still complaining loudly about her destroyed gown.
"I told them imported silk cannot be replaced easily!" her voice echoed through the hallway.
Madam Martha looked emotionally defeated.
"Yes, ma'am."
"And my shoulder still hurts from the fall!"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And someone better investigate that waiter!"
"Yes, ma'am."
Elena quietly carried empty trays toward the kitchen while hiding her amusement.
The poor waiter looked like he had aged ten years in one night.
Another maid whispered softly beside Elena, "If Madam Vanessa slips one more time, I may start believing this mansion is haunted."
Elena almost smiled.
Maybe the mansion simply disliked Vanessa.
By the time the last guest left, the entire house had grown quieter.
Tired workers slowly disappeared into staff quarters while soft rain continued falling outside the tall windows.
But Elena's mind remained restless.
The hidden letter stayed tucked safely beneath her mattress upstairs.
She had reread it three times already.
Every word felt heavier now.
Do not trust Vivian.
Protect Elena.
The warning refused to leave her thoughts.
Elena sat quietly on the edge of her small bed, staring at the dark window across the room.
Her mother had been involved in something dangerous inside this mansion years ago.
Something connected to Adrian's father.
And somehow, Vivian knew about it.
A soft knock suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
Elena stood immediately.
"Who is it?"
"Me," Madam Martha answered from outside.
Elena quickly opened the door.
The older woman stepped inside carrying folded towels.
"I noticed you skipped dinner."
"I wasn't hungry."
Madam Martha gave her a knowing look.
"People who say that are usually thinking too much."
Elena remained quiet.
For a moment, neither woman spoke.
Then Madam Martha sighed softly and placed the towels nearby.
"You should be careful inside this house."
Elena looked up slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Madam Martha hesitated.
Almost like she regretted speaking already.
"The Cole mansion remembers everything," she said quietly. "Even the things people try hardest to bury."
Elena's chest tightened instantly.
Did she know something?
Before Elena could ask another question, voices suddenly echoed from the hallway outside.
Vanessa again.
"Where is Adrian?!"
Madam Martha closed her eyes briefly like a woman suffering from endless disappointment.
"In his study, ma'am," another servant answered nervously.
Vanessa scoffed loudly.
"Of course he is."
Her footsteps moved farther down the corridor afterward.
Madam Martha shook her head slightly.
"That woman creates storms everywhere she goes."
Then she looked back at Elena again.
"Get some sleep."
After she left, Elena slowly closed the door.
But sleep never came.
Instead, her thoughts kept returning to one detail from the archive room.
The photograph.
Her mother standing beside Adrian's father.
Neither looked frightened in the picture.
In fact…
They looked close.
The realization unsettled her deeply.
Could her mother have worked directly for Adrian's father?
Or was there something more?
Unable to stop herself, Elena quietly slipped from her room nearly thirty minutes later.
The mansion had become silent now.
Most lights were off except for a few dim lamps along the corridors.
Carefully, Elena walked barefoot toward the west wing again.
Her heartbeat quickened with every step.
She only wanted another look at the photograph.
Nothing more.
But the moment she reached the archive room door, she froze.
The door was slightly open.
Elena's pulse jumped instantly.
Someone was already inside.
Light spilled faintly into the hallway from beneath the doorway.
Slowly, Elena stepped closer.
Then voices reached her ears.
One male.
One female.
Adrian.
And Vanessa.
"You're hiding things from me again," Vanessa snapped angrily.
Elena stayed completely still outside the doorway.
"I already told you," Adrian answered coldly. "There's nothing inside this room worth discussing."
"That's not true."
Vanessa's heels clicked sharply against the floor inside.
"My mother warned me about this place years ago."
Elena's eyes narrowed immediately.
Vivian.
"She said your father kept secrets here."
A dangerous silence followed.
Then Adrian spoke again.
"My father is dead."
"And yet you still protect him."
Elena carefully moved closer to the crack in the doorway.
Through the narrow opening, she could see Vanessa standing near the shelves with her arms folded tightly.
Her expression looked furious.
Adrian stood near the old desk watching her calmly.
"You're overreacting again," he said.
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
"Do you know what your problem is? You always act like everyone else is dramatic while you stand there pretending to be emotionless."
Adrian said nothing.
Vanessa stepped closer toward him.
"You think silence makes you powerful."
Her voice lowered afterward.
"But silence is exactly what destroyed this family."
For the first time, Elena noticed something flicker briefly across Adrian's face.
Pain.
Gone almost immediately.
But she saw it.
Vanessa turned away sharply afterward and grabbed one of the dusty frames sitting near the shelf.
"What even is this?"
Elena's heart nearly stopped.
The photograph.
Vanessa stared down at the picture carelessly.
Then frowned.
"Who's the woman beside your father?"
Adrian looked toward the frame.
For one brief second, his expression changed completely.
Elena saw genuine shock in his eyes.
Vanessa noticed it too.
"…You know her."
Adrian walked forward immediately and took the photograph from her hand.
"It's nothing important."
Vanessa scoffed.
"Then why do you suddenly look nervous?"
"I'm tired, Vanessa."
"You're avoiding the question."
Adrian placed the frame face down onto the desk.
"She used to work here years ago. That's all."
Elena's fingers curled tightly beside her.
Work here?
That was all?
Vanessa narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"My mother mentioned her once."
Elena's breathing stopped.
Vanessa continued casually, "Lina, right?"
The room became deadly silent.
Even Adrian looked slightly stunned now.
Vanessa shrugged carelessly.
"My mother said she disappeared after causing trouble."
Elena's chest tightened painfully.
Causing trouble?
Anger burned sharply inside her stomach.
Adrian's voice became colder.
"Enough."
Vanessa rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Fine. Keep your precious family secrets."
She turned sharply and headed toward the door.
Elena immediately stepped backward deeper into the shadows outside.
The archive door opened moments later.
Vanessa stormed out first, still muttering angrily under her breath.
"Everybody in this mansion needs therapy."
Elena nearly blinked at the strange sentence.
Vanessa disappeared down the hallway without noticing her hidden nearby.
Several seconds later, Adrian stepped out too.
But unlike Vanessa, he stopped.
His eyes slowly lifted toward the dark hallway.
Toward her hiding place.
Elena's pulse froze.
For one terrifying moment, she thought he saw her.
But Adrian only stood there silently with exhaustion written across his face.
Then quietly, he closed the archive door again and walked away.
Leaving Elena alone with one terrifying realization burning through her mind.
Adrian knew far more about Lina than he admitted.