CHAPTER 10 – The House Learns His Name
That night, Lucas stayed later than usual.
He reviewed files again, but now nothing aligned cleanly anymore.
Every trail branched.
Every signature repeated in different hands.
It wasn’t one thief.
It was a system.
At midnight, the lights in the corridor flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then stopped.
Lucas stepped out of the study.
The hallway was dark.
Too dark.
Then he heard footsteps.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Measured.
Coming closer.
He turned—
And saw Trent standing at the end of the hall.
But Trent wasn’t alone.
Behind him stood two security staff Lucas had never seen before.
Trent spoke quietly.
“You didn’t listen.”
Lucas didn’t move. “To what?”
“To the warning.”
A long silence.
Then Trent added:
“Some doors in this house stay closed for a reason.”
Lucas’s voice stayed steady. “And what’s behind them?”
For the first time, Trent didn’t smile.
He simply said:
“People who never left.”
The lights flickered again.
And in that split second of darkness—
Lucas realized the estate wasn’t just hiding theft.
May you like
It was hiding something far older.
And far more dangerous than he had ever been tested for.
