Chapter 42 Threads Of Deceit

• Scarlett stared at the empty vault, the metal door yawning like a wound in the study wall. Dawn’s pale light slanted through the windows, illuminating the silence that felt heavier than any storm the night had wrought. Every folder, every ledger, every piece of evidence she and Damien had fought for was gone.
• Her chest tightened. Memories of Emily’s letters, Clarisse’s journals, and the Seraphim archives flickered through her mind like dying embers. She had believed those documents would finally bury the nightmares. Now, they were more vulnerable than ever.
• Damien stood beside her, arms crossed. His jaw clenched with barely restrained anger. Serena, Gideon, Olivia, Vanessa, and Bianca formed a tense half-circle behind them. The air hummed with suspicion.