Chapter 20 - The Unfinished Past
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It was a quiet Tuesday evening. Snow was falling gently over the estate, blanketing the grounds in pristine white. Aliyah was sitting by the fireplace in the study, reading a novel, while Victor was finishing up some paperwork at his desk.
Silas knocked heavily on the oak doors.
"Enter," Victor said without looking up.
Silas walked in, his face unusually grim. He held a small, black velvet box in his massive hand.
"This was just delivered to the front gate, Boss," Silas rumbled. "The courier didn't leave a name. Security swept it. No explosives, but they wouldn't open it without you."
Victor frowned, setting his pen down. He took the box from Silas, dismissing the guard with a nod.
Aliyah closed her book, a sudden, inexplicable chill running down her spine. "What is it?"
Victor didn't answer. He slowly opened the velvet box.
The color completely drained from his face. His jaw locked, the muscles ticking violently. He stared at the contents as if he had just seen the devil himself.
"Victor?" Aliyah asked, standing up and walking toward the desk. "What's wrong?"
Victor slowly reached into the box and pulled out a delicate, silver locket. It was scorched and slightly melted on one side, bearing the faint engraving of a blue 'E'.
It was Elena’s locket. The one she was supposedly wearing the day the car bomb exploded.
Tucked beneath the velvet padding of the box was a single, glossy photograph.
Victor picked it up with a trembling hand, flipping it over.
It was a picture of a woman with dark hair, sitting at a cafe table in a European city, reading a newspaper. The timestamp in the corner of the photo indicated it had been taken yesterday.
The woman in the photo was older, but the face was unmistakable. It was Elena.
Written on the back of the photograph in neat, familiar handwriting were three words:
I am returning.
May you like
Victor looked up at Aliyah, the pale gray of his eyes filled with a terrifying mix of horror, betrayal, and impending war.
The past wasn't dead. And it was coming back to claim the throne.
