Chapter 21 - A Mysterious Black Envelope Arrives At Midnight Gate
Late on a quiet Friday midnight, the automated security chime on the Marchetti estate's iron gates echoed softly through the night.
Elias walked down the long driveway under the pale glow of the security floodlights to inspect the perimeter.
There was no vehicle or person in sight along the dark, winding country road bordering the sprawling property.
Resting on the stone pillar was a plain black envelope sealed with an unfamiliar crimson wax stamp.
There was no return address or postal mark, only a chilling symbol carved directly into the hardened red wax.
Elias picked it up with a gloved hand, unlocked the pedestrian gate, and sliced open the seal with his pocket knife.
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Inside lay a single photograph of Maeve walking outside her new Chicago foundation office earlier that afternoon, alongside a handwritten note:
“You destroyed the North Side and ruined the Ashfords, Elias... but you forgot that the true head of the table never left Europe. We are coming for your new queen next.”
