Chapter 6 - The Night Elise Learned Why Sebastian Never Trusted Love
Sebastian recovered quickly.
Elise did not.
She stayed near him.
Not because she had to.
Because she wanted to.
That frightened her too.
Grant entered a plea deal.
He admitted his involvement.
He also gave investigators information about Vivian's network.
His father was arrested.
Mercer Holdings was frozen.
Elise's relationship with Grant ended quietly.
No dramatic goodbye.
No final kiss.
Just one sentence.
“I forgive myself for believing you.”
Then she walked away.
Sebastian heard about it.
He didn't comment.
Until one evening.
“You look lighter.”
Elise looked at him.
“I am.”
“Good.”
They were sitting in the library.
Rain hit the windows.
Elise held a mug of tea.
Sebastian drank whiskey.
“You don't have to be alone anymore,” he said.
Elise smiled.
“Neither do you.”
He looked at her.
“You think you know me.”
“I know enough.”
“No.”
He leaned back.
“You know what I show you.”
“Then show me more.”
Silence.
Sebastian stared into the fireplace.
“My mother left when I was twelve.”
Elise waited.
“My father told me she chose another life.”
“Did she?”
“No.”
“What happened?”
“She was trying to expose Vivian.”
Elise froze.
“Vivian?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“My mother discovered the foundation was being used to move stolen assets.”
“The same system.”
“Yes.”
“She tried to stop it.”
“She disappeared.”
Elise's heart tightened.
“Did Vivian kill her?”
“We don't know.”
“But you think she did.”
“Yes.”
Sebastian's voice became quiet.
“I spent twenty years believing my family destroyed my mother.”
“And now?”
“Now I know my family was destroying itself.”
Elise reached for his hand.
He let her.
“I don't know what to do with that.”
“You don't have to do anything tonight.”
He looked at her.
She smiled.
“Sometimes people need time before they need answers.”
He held her hand.
For the first time, Sebastian looked vulnerable.
Not weak.
Human.
Then a security alarm sounded.
They rushed downstairs.
One of the archive rooms had been opened.
No forced entry.
No broken lock.
Inside, the hidden wall safe stood open.
Elise stared.
“Who has access?”
Sebastian's face hardened.
“Only me.”
She looked at him.
“And Vivian.”
“Vivian is in custody.”
“Then someone else has the code.”
A shadow moved at the end of the corridor.
Sebastian chased it.
Elise followed.
They reached the basement.
A man stood waiting.
Daniel Cross.
He held a folder.
“Don't move.”
Sebastian pointed his weapon.
“You should have run.”
Daniel smiled.
“You're predictable.”
Elise stared.
“What do you want?”
“The original registry.”
“Why?”
“Because your family owes me.”
Sebastian's eyes narrowed.
“For what?”
Daniel laughed.
“Your father.”
Silence.
“I worked for him.”
Sebastian froze.
“I helped him hide the money before he died.”
Elise asked,
“What money?”
“Protection money.”
“For whom?”
Daniel smiled.
“Not criminals.”
“Then who?”
“The government.”
Elise's blood ran cold.
Daniel threw the folder.
Elise caught it.
Inside were classified documents.
Names.
Payments.
Officials.
And one photograph.
Her grandmother.
Elise froze.
“No.”
Sebastian looked at her.
“What?”
“My grandmother.”
Daniel smiled.
“She wasn't just an archivist.”
Elise stared at the photograph.
“She worked for intelligence.”
Sebastian said nothing.
Daniel continued.
“She was one of the people who created the code your family has been trying to decipher for thirty years.”
Elise's hands shook.
“Why me?”
“Because she trained you.”
Elise realized something.
Every memory.
Every odd lesson.
Every strange handwriting exercise.
Every instruction about paper pressure.
Her grandmother had never been teaching Elise a hobby.
She had been preparing her.
Daniel ran.
Sebastian chased.
But Elise remained frozen.
The truth had changed everything.
Her grandmother had known.
Her mother might have known.
And now Sebastian knew.
She looked down at the papers.
At the bottom was one sentence.
THE ARCHIVIST WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE ELISE.
She whispered,
“What does that mean?”
Sebastian came back.
“Because you weren't the original target.”
“Then who?”
He read the next page.
May you like
His expression changed.
“Your grandmother.”
