Chapter 82 Echoes Of The Past

• The attic smelled of time itself, aged wood, forgotten memories, dust-laden air thick with the scent of parchment. Mariana sat cross-legged on the worn floor, the dim light from a single hanging bulb casting long shadows over the open box before her. The manuscript lay atop a pile of old papers, its spine cracked with years of neglect. But it was the envelope nestled between the brittle pages that made her breath hitch.
• With trembling fingers, she retrieved it. Her father’s handwriting, bold and unmistakable, sprawled across the front. It was addressed to no one. Swallowing hard, she slid a nail beneath the seal and unfolded the yellowed paper inside.
• "If anything happens to me, know that the truth is in the files I hid at the cabin. Montero Global isn’t just corrupt, it’s dangerous. They will do whatever it takes to silence anyone who threatens them. Even me."