Chapter 1: The Woman on the Screen
The hidden display beneath the piano flickered again.
Emma froze, barely breathing as the face sharpened into focus.
Her stepmother—Vivienne—stood in the mansion’s security room, calm and composed, holding a tablet connected to the house system.
But she wasn’t alone.
Behind her, the men inside the mansion were visible on split screens—each one moving with purpose, not chaos. They weren’t robbing randomly.
They were searching.
Vivienne spoke without looking away from the feed.
“Find her. Not the vault. The girl is the key.”
Emma’s heart dropped.
On the phone, her father’s voice turned colder than the storm outside.
“So it’s begun.”
Emma whispered, “Daddy… why are they looking for me?”
A pause.
Then he answered.
“Because, Emma… you’re not just my daughter. You’re the only person who can unlock what your mother left behind.”
A loud crash echoed outside the music room.
Footsteps stopped right at the door.
May you like
The handle slowly turned.
And the line went dead.
