The escape from the Legacy Vault left more questions than answers.Ashford Manor was quiet when Ethan and the others returned.The documents recovered from the Vault were secured inside Richard’s private chamber.But the truth they uncovered weighed heavier than any file.Samuel Grant stood near the window, staring at the city lights.For twenty-five years, he had carried a secret.And now Ethan finally knew.“You should have told me.”Ethan’s voice broke the silence.Samuel slowly turned around.“I wanted to.”“But your father made me promise.”Ethan looked at him.“My father is gone, Samuel.”“I know.”“Then why keep protecting his secret?”Samuel looked down.“Because I wasn’t protecting the secret.”“I was protecting you.”Ethan’s expression hardened.“I don’t need protection from the truth.”Samuel nodded slowly.“Your father knew you would say that.”Ava looked up from the documents.“What exactly was Richard afraid would happen if Ethan knew?”Samuel walked toward the table.“H

The doors of Saint Marcus Cathedral slowly closed behind Ethan.The sound echoed through the empty hall.For decades, the cathedral had stood abandoned.Dust covered the wooden benches.The stained-glass windows were cracked.Yet someone had been here recently.Someone had been waiting.Ethan walked deeper inside.His eyes scanned every corner.“You wanted me here.”His voice traveled through the darkness.“Show yourself.”For several seconds…Nothing happened.Then a figure stepped out from behind one of the stone pillars.An elderly man.Wearing a simple black coat.His face carried years of regret.Ethan remained cautious.“Who are you?”The man looked at him.“My name is Daniel Cross.”The name meant nothing to Ethan.But the man’s next words changed everything.“I was your father’s personal investigator.”Ethan’s expression changed.“My father never mentioned you.”Daniel gave a sad smile.“That was the point.”“He couldn’t.”“Why?”“Because by the time Richard discovered the tru

The name on the photograph changed everything.Victoria Hale.The woman who disappeared twenty years ago.The lawyer who handled the Ashford family’s darkest days.The woman who had sealed the records after Richard Ashford’s death.And now…The mysterious woman had revealed one impossible truth.Victoria Hale was alive.Inside Richard’s study at Ashford Manor…Ethan stared at the photograph.“Why would she hide for twenty years?”Samuel looked troubled.“Because she knew something.”Jonathan picked up the photograph carefully.“Victoria was not just Richard’s lawyer.”“She was one of the few people he trusted completely.”Gabriel looked at him.“You knew her?”Jonathan nodded.“Yes.”“She helped Richard build the legal protection around Ashford Global.”Ava looked through the old files.“Then why would someone like her disappear?”Nobody answered.Because the same question had followed them from the beginning.Everyone connected to the truth had either vanished…Or died.Ethan looked

The old Ashford Estate was silent again.But this silence was different.It was not peace.It was the silence that came after a storm.Inside the damaged mansion, Ethan stood alone in the old family library.The documents Victoria had given him were spread across the table.Every page created another question.Every answer revealed another secret.The Ashford family had been built on trust.But someone had used that trust as a weapon.Gabriel entered quietly.“Young Master.”Ethan did not look up.“Tell me you found something.”Gabriel placed a tablet on the table.“We searched the attackers’ equipment.”“And?”“They were not ordinary mercenaries.”Ethan looked at him.“Crimson Circle?”Gabriel shook his head.“No.”“That’s what makes it worse.”He opened a file.“They had no connection to the Circle.”Samuel, who had just entered the room, stopped.“What did you say?”Gabriel looked at him.“Their weapons, communication systems, and identities were completely separate.”Ethan’s expre

The underground chamber remained silent.No one moved.No one spoke.Everyone was trying to understand the impossible person standing before them.Alexander Ashford.A name that did not exist.A person erased from history.Yet he stood there wearing the Ashford family ring.Ethan stared at him.“Who are you?”The man looked at him calmly.“I already told you.”“I’m Alexander Ashford.”Jonathan stepped forward.“That’s impossible.”Alexander looked at him.“Is it?”Jonathan’s expression hardened.“The Ashford family had only two sons.”“Richard and me.”Alexander smiled slightly.“That’s what you were told.”The words struck the room.Ethan looked toward Samuel.Again.Another secret.Samuel lowered his head.“I knew there were things Richard kept hidden…”“But this…”Alexander looked at him.“You knew more than anyone, Samuel.”Samuel’s face changed.“Don’t.”Ethan immediately noticed.“You know him.”Samuel remained silent.Ethan’s voice became colder.“Samuel.”The older man finally