Chapter 7
Julian didn't hesitate. He ripped the iron key from Marcus’s grip, shoved the guard hard against the pillar, and bolted toward the private elevator hidden behind the mahogany bookshelves in the east study. Elena followed closely behind him, her light blue dress fluttering like a distressed flag as she ran, her grief momentarily eclipsed by a mother's primal instinct to find the child she never knew she had.
The private elevator plunged downward with terrifying speed, descending far beneath the foundations of the grand estate into the bedrock where Julian had built his deepest, darkest secrets. The air grew damp, smelling of ancient stone and stagnant water. When the doors slid open with a heavy metallic chime, they stepped out into a dimly lit concrete corridor lined with heavy steel security doors.
"Which one?" Elena demanded, her voice echoing off the bare walls as she frantically checked the numeric keypads beside each door.
"The end of the hall," Julian said, his boots splashing in a shallow puddle of condensation as he sprinted toward the final door, where a red indicator light was flashing with an ominous, rhythmic pulse.
He jammed the jagged iron key into the primary lock, turning it twice before punching a twelve-digit master code into the biometric pad. The heavy steel gears groaned, the locking mechanisms disengaging with a series of heavy mechanical thuds that vibrated through the floorboards. Julian threw the door open, the beam of his flashlight cutting through the thick, stale darkness of the subterranean room.
Inside, the space was surprisingly warm, furnished like a small child's bedroom with pastel wallpaper, a tiny white wooden bed, and shelves lined with storybooks and dolls. Sitting on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs calmly, was a seven-year-old girl wearing a yellow floral dress identical to the one Maya wore upstairs. She looked up, blinking against the harsh beam of the flashlight, her wide, sorrowful eyes mirroring Maya's exact expression.
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"You took a long time, Daddy," the little girl said softly, her voice echoing in the small room. "Ethan said you forgot about me."
Elena collapsed to her knees on the cold concrete threshold, staring at the child in utter disbelief. She reached out a trembling hand, her fingers brushing the little girl's cheek
