Chapter 8
Elena's hand trembled violently as her fingertips traced the soft curve of the little girl's cheek. The reality of the child was a physical weight pressing down on her chest, heavy and suffocating. This was the twin Maya never knew she had, hidden away in a subterranean cage while the world above danced in luxury and deception. The identical yellow floral dress the girl wore felt like a cruel mockery of the birthday party happening upstairs.
"What is your name, sweetheart?" Elena whispered, her voice cracking as hot tears spilled over her lashes and soaked into the front of her light blue dress.
The little girl tilted her head, her dark curls bouncing slightly as she studied Elena with a haunting maturity that no seven-year-old child should possess. She did not flinch, nor did she smile. She simply looked past Elena toward the tall, imposing figure of Julian standing in the doorway.
"My name is Lily," the girl replied, her voice steady and clear in the damp air of the vault. "Ethan told me to wait right here until the bad men stopped shouting upstairs. He said you were coming to open the door, but only if you brought the silver box from the study."
Julian stepped into the room, his tattooed forearms tensing as he scanned the confined space for any sign of another occupant. The air was thin, thick with the scent of old paper and stale dust, but there was no trace of Ethan. The heavy steel door was the only way in or out, which meant Ethan must have slipped away into the labyrinth of service tunnels before Marcus triggered the lockdown.
"There is no silver box, Lily," Julian said, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly register as he crouched down to meet her eye level. "You're safe now. We're going upstairs where your sister Maya is waiting for you."
Lily’s eyes narrowed slightly, a spark of calculation flashing in her gaze that mirrored Julian's own cold intensity. She reached behind her pillow and pulled out a small, tarnished brass key, holding it up between her thumb and forefinger.
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"Ethan said you would say that," Lily whispered, her expression entirely devoid of fear. "He said you locked me down here because I know what happened to the real David Vance."
Julian froze, the breath catching in his throat as the iron key in his hand felt suddenly heavy as lead.
