Chapter 19 - The Sealed Box In The Basement Archives
Without telling Damian, Ren took the private elevator down to the deep subterranean storage archives on level B4 of the building.
The basement was cold, dark, and filled with thousands of dusty metal file cabinets dating back to the mid-twentieth century.
Using her senior executive access keycard, Ren opened the restricted vault containing the personal estate files of Richard Cole, Damian’s late father.
She pulled out a dusty, locked metal box marked PERSONAL ESTATE - RESTRICTED 1996.
Using a hair clip from her hair, Ren skillfully picked the simple old tumbler lock, flipping the metal lid open with a quiet creak.
Inside were personal letters, old black-and-white photographs, and a sealed brown legal envelope marked with red wax.
She picked up the envelope, carefully slicing the top edge open with a small pocket knife she carried in her bag.
Inside was a foreign passport issued by the Republic of Ireland in 2012—sixteen years after Damian’s mother was supposedly dead.
The photograph inside showed a woman with Damian’s exact dark grey eyes, holding a newborn baby girl in her arms in Dublin.
Attached to the passport was a handwritten note addressed directly to Damian, written in elegant, fading blue ink:
“My dearest Damian—If you are reading this, your father has finally met his end.”
May you like
“Everything he told you about my death was a lie to protect his empire.”
“I am alive in Ireland, and you have a sister.”
