Chapter 2 - The Secret Vault Beneath The Estate
The rain poured heavily against the stained-glass windows of the Mercer ancestral home in Boston as I turned the ignition of my car off.
The house sat dark, quiet, and imposing—a sprawling historic estate that Julian had tried to sell off three separate times to cover his corporate debts.
I walked down into the cold stone wine cellar beneath the main floor, stepping past rows of dusty, untouched wine bottles from the 1980s.
Behind a heavy oak display rack in the rear corner sat a small, reinforced iron wall safe hidden behind an antique copper plate.
I reached out with trembling fingers, inserting the worn silver key Eleanor had placed in my hand with her dying breath.
The key turned smoothly inside the ancient lock with a crisp, heavy click that echoed through the damp stone chamber.
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I pulled the iron door open, revealing a thick leather ledger, a USB drive, and three sealed manila envelopes stamped with a law firm's crest.
I opened the top envelope, and my breath hitched as my eyes scanned the bold text printed across the legal documents: LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ELEANOR MERCER.
