Chapter 31 - The Unopened Letter
Three months later, a heavy winter snowstorm blanketed the Montana valley in three feet of pure white powder.
Mark sat by the stone fireplace, drinking hot tea while Lily played happily with her puppy on the wool rug.
A knock echoed at the cabin door, gentle yet distinct against the howling mountain wind.
Mark walked to the door, opening it to find a postal worker holding a priority mail envelope soaked in melting snow.
"Special delivery from the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Mr. Sterling," the worker said, handing him the package.
Mark signed the slip, closing the heavy wooden door against the freezing wind.
He sat back down by the fire, breaking the blue wax seal on the official court envelope.
Inside was a single photograph taken three days ago at a private estate in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The photograph showed a silver-haired woman sitting on a terrace—a woman who looked identical to Evelyn Sterling.
Sitting beside her was a tall man holding a familiar champagne glass, smiling coldly at the camera.
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Written on the back of the photograph in neat, elegant blue ink was a single sentence:
"Did you really think the garden party was over, Mark?"
