Chapter 1 - The Secret In The Soil
I stared at the thick parchment envelope resting in my dirt-stained palms.
The familiar elegant strokes of my father's handwriting made my breath catch completely in my throat.
He had addressed the damp letter simply to his favorite white rose.
That was the secret nickname he had given me when I was just a little girl learning how to garden in this very yard.
I carefully broke the heavy wax seal to avoid tearing the fragile, damp paper.
Inside was a single sheet of expensive stationary bearing his personal corporate letterhead.
The words written on the page completely shattered my understanding of the past eight agonizing months.
My father wrote that he knew Calvin and Tabitha had been secretly stealing money from his private accounts.
He also revealed that my own brother, Kyle, was deeply involved in covering up their massive financial crimes.
I felt a sickening knot form deep in my stomach as I read the terrifying, undeniable truth.
My own flesh and blood had actively conspired against the man who gave them absolutely everything.
The letter explicitly instructed me not to trust the official will that would be presented tomorrow morning.
He had secretly hired a private investigator to gather undeniable proof of their massive embezzlement scheme.
The critical evidence was hidden somewhere inside the house, protected by a very specific and brilliant mechanism.
He wrote that I needed to find his antique silver pocket watch to unlock his true, lasting legacy.
Suddenly, the loud crunch of gravel behind me broke the quiet, peaceful morning silence.
Ms. Penelope, my father's fiercely loyal attorney, rushed hurriedly through the decorative garden gate.
Her usually perfect blonde hair was slightly disheveled, and she looked completely out of breath.
I handed her the damp letter without saying a single, desperate word.
She read the short message quickly, her eyes widening behind her expensive designer glasses.
She whispered frantically that we needed to get to his private study immediately before Calvin returned.
We ran through the heavy back door and hurried down the long, shadowed mahogany hallway.
The heavy oak door to the study was slightly ajar, which was a clear violation of my father's strict household rules.
We stepped into the dimly lit room and froze entirely in absolute horror.
The large oil painting that usually covered the hidden wall safe had been violently ripped down and thrown aside.
The heavy steel door of the safe was swinging wide open, completely exposed to the room.
Every single legal document and valuable item inside had been completely and ruthlessly cleared out.
Standing in the dark shadows near the large bay window was a tall man holding a heavy iron crowbar.
He slowly turned around to face us with a wicked, unapologetic smile plastered across his face.
It was my own brother, Kyle.
Kyle casually tossed a stack of confidential documents onto the expensive leather sofa.
He arrogantly told me that Calvin had sent him to retrieve the real will before I could ever find it.
I fiercely demanded to know how he could betray our father's beautiful memory for a lying coward like Calvin.
Kyle laughed coldly, stating that our father was incredibly weak and Calvin was the profitable future of the company.
He raised the heavy metal crowbar and took a highly threatening step toward Ms. Penelope and me.
He declared that we were absolutely not going to leave this room until we handed over the garden envelope.
Ms. Penelope instinctively stepped in front of me to shield my body from his sudden, terrifying aggression.
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Kyle swung the metal bar violently, completely smashing my father's expensive antique globe into a hundred broken pieces.
He coldly warned us that his next violent swing would not be aimed at the office furniture.
