Chapter 7 - The Crypt
I backed away from the steel coffin, my hands trembling violently.
"Who is that?" I gasped, pointing a shaking finger at the frozen corpse.
Isabella did not look surprised.
She walked over to the coffin and stared down at the frozen face with deep sorrow.
"That is Adrian Vale," she whispered, a single tear escaping her eye.
"The real Adrian Vale."
My mind spun violently, trying to make sense of her words.
"If he is the real Adrian, then who did I just marry?" I demanded.
Isabella closed the lid of the coffin and secured the latches.
"The man you married is a ruthless operative named Julian," she explained.
"Ten years ago, the real Adrian uncovered his mother's connections to the cartel."
"He threatened to expose Celeste and tear down the family empire."
"So, Celeste had her own son murdered."
Bile rose in my throat as the horrifying truth settled in.
"She replaced him with an imposter to keep the cartel money flowing and maintain control of the company," Isabella continued.
"Julian underwent extensive plastic surgery to look exactly like Adrian."
"He studied his voice, his mannerisms, and his entire life history."
"I found out the truth shortly after they made the switch."
"That is why they tried to kill me in Italy."
Everything finally made sense.
The sudden personality changes, the cruelty, the total obedience to Celeste.
The man I had spent a year with was a phantom, a violent actor playing a part.
"We have to take this ledger to the FBI director," I said, clutching the book to my chest.
"We bypass the local agents entirely."
"This proves everything."
"Not yet," Isabella said, checking her watch.
"We need to lure Julian and Celeste into a trap where the cartel can see them fail."
"If the authorities arrest them first, the cartel will just silence them in prison."
"We need the cartel to realize they have been dealing with a fake."
Suddenly, the heavy bronze doors at the top of the stairs slammed shut.
The deafening sound echoed through the crypt.
Total darkness consumed us as the emergency lights outside were cut off.
"We are trapped," Isabella hissed, raising her gun toward the stairs.
A voice echoed from a hidden intercom speaker in the corner of the ceiling.
"You really should not go digging up family secrets, Clara," the voice mocked.
It was Celeste.
"Julian is already out on bail, thanks to our very expensive friends."
"Enjoy the crypt, ladies."
"The ventilation system shuts off in exactly ten minutes."
The intercom clicked off, leaving us in deadly silence.
I desperately searched the stone walls with my flashlight.
"There has to be a manual override," I yelled, panicking.
Isabella ran to the electronic lock mechanism on the inside of the door.
She tried to pry the metal casing off with the butt of her gun, but it was solid steel.
We were buried alive.
Suddenly, a loud mechanical grinding noise came from the floor beneath us.
One of the heavy stone tiles shifted, sliding slowly to the side.
A bright light blinded us as a figure climbed up through a hidden smuggling tunnel.
I raised my hands to block the glare.
The person stepped fully into the crypt and lowered their flashlight.
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It was my sister, Sarah.
And she was pointing a gun directly at my chest.
