Chapter 21 - An Ominous Final Warning Arrives At The Gate
Midnight wrapped the Valle estate in absolute stillness as soft moonlight poured through the reinforced glass windows.
Charlotte and Arthur were resting quietly in the private family wing while the mansion slumbered beneath the guard of night security.
Suddenly, the secure digital intercom system near the grand iron gates chimed with a soft, electronic alert.
The head security guard walked out to the foyer, checking the live-feed security monitor displaying the entrance gate.
There was no person standing before the camera, but resting squarely on the stone pillar was a small black envelope.
The guard unlocked the heavy pedestrian door manually, stepping out into the crisp air to retrieve the mysterious package.
He brought it inside, locking the deadbolt securely behind him before opening the thick paper flap under the desk lamp.
Inside was a single printed photograph of the estate’s front portico taken from an angle outside the property boundary.
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Scrawled across the back of the photograph in dark red ink was a chilling, unexpected final warning:
“You locked up Richard and Robert, Charlotte... but you never checked who really holds the master deed to the land beneath this estate.”
