Chapter 4 - The Ledger
The underground lounge erupted into hostile whispers.
Chloe felt the piercing stares of fifty of the most vindictive teenagers on the planet.
She had broken the cardinal rule of The Vault by bringing an outsider into their sanctuary.
Preston descended the velvet-lined staircase, his eyes locked on Chloe with cold fury.
"Explain yourself, Chloe," Preston demanded, stopping just inches from her face.
Before she could formulate a lie, Asher stepped in front of her, shielding her from Preston.
"I forced her," Asher stated loudly.
"I told her I had blackmail material on the Kensington family, and she had to bring me here to get it back."
Preston sneered, looking Asher up and down.
"And what makes you think you can walk into my territory and make demands?"
"Because I'm not here for you," Asher replied coldly.
"I'm here for the ledger."
A collective gasp echoed through the dimly lit room.
The ledger was the mythical black book that contained every dirty secret, every bribe, and every crime committed by the students' parents over the last decade.
It was the source of The Vault's ultimate power.
Preston's arrogant facade cracked for a split second.
"There is no ledger," Preston snapped.
"You're delusional."
"I think we both know that's a lie," Asher countered.
Preston signaled to the heavy-set seniors acting as bouncers by the door.
"Throw him out," Preston ordered.
"And strip Chloe of her membership."
The bouncers moved in, but suddenly, the emergency fire alarms began blaring at a deafening volume.
Thick white smoke poured from the ceiling vents, blinding everyone in the room.
Panic ensued as the elite students scrambled for the exits, coughing and shoving each other.
In the chaos, Asher grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her away from the crowd.
They slipped into a hidden maintenance corridor that Asher somehow already knew about.
"You set off the alarms?" Chloe coughed, trying to catch her breath.
"It was a distraction," Asher said, pulling a small crowbar from his jacket.
He pried open a metal panel on the wall, revealing a hidden wall safe.
"How did you know this was here?" she asked, astounded.
"My sister told me," he muttered, quickly cracking the mechanical lock.
The safe clicked open, and Asher pulled out a thick, leather-bound book.
He flipped through the pages frantically, stopping at a section dated three years ago.
His face went pale.
Chloe looked over his shoulder, her eyes scanning the handwritten entries.
"Asher," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"The person who paid to have your sister ruined..."
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Asher looked up, his green eyes filled with a terrifying rage.
"It was your father, Chloe."
