Chapter 21 - A Mysterious Final Warning Arrives At Her Doorstep
Late on a rainy Tuesday evening, after returning to her Manhattan penthouse from a late-night design review, Elise found a package at her door.
It was a heavy, unmarked manila envelope resting on the private marble landing outside her secure elevator foyer.
There was no return address, no postage stamp, and no courier signature—only her name written in sharp, precise cursive ink.
She unlocked her door, brought the envelope inside under the bright foyer lights, and carefully sliced open the top seal.
Inside lay a single photograph taken earlier that evening through her office window, showing Elise standing at her drafting table.
Attached to the back of the photograph was a printed note that made her blood run instantly cold in her veins:
May you like
“Daniel was only a distraction. The house on Lake Norman was never yours to begin with, and we are coming to collect.”
Elise froze, staring at the chilling note as she recognized the wax seal on the back—the exact same crest belonging to the corporate syndicate she thought she had buried forever.
