Chapter 3 - The Black Envelope
Her father knelt down again, his calloused fingers picking up the heavy envelope. Printed on the front in sharp, gold ink was a single family emblem he hadn't seen in over six years—the mark of the Sterling Syndicate, his own father's powerful financial empire. He tore open the seal with rising dread, his dark eyes scanning the handwritten note inside.
The letter contained no formal greeting, only a brutal ultimatum: "Your debt to the family is paid only when the girl returns to where she belongs." His knuckles turned white as he crushed the paper in his fist. He realized with horror that his estranged wife hadn't simply fallen on hard times; she had been systematically hidden away and starved by his own family to force him back into the dark business he had tried so hard to escape.
