Chapter 21 - A Secret Metal Box Uncovered Behind The Library Wall
Late the following evening, while Julian was attending a late-night board meeting downtown, Abigail was cataloging the rare books in the penthouse library. While wiping down the high mahogany shelving, her hand brushed against a spring-loaded wooden panel behind the encyclopedia section.
The wall panel popped open with a soft click, revealing a hidden wall safe that had been left slightly ajar. Inside rested an old, rusted metal box wrapped in faded velvet, completely separate from Julian's corporate documents.
Abigail carefully lifted the lid, finding a yellowed photograph of Julian's late sister standing beside an older woman who looked shockingly identical to Abigail's own mother.
Tucked beneath the photograph was a handwritten letter from thirty years ago, written in faded black ink that made Abigail's breath catch in her throat:
May you like
“If Julian ever finds this box, he will finally learn that the Mercer family and the Cross family were never strangers... and the fortune was never truly his.”
Abigail raised her head toward the quiet library door as the sound of the private elevator chime signaled Julian's return to the penthouse...
