Chapter 10 - the threshold of sixteen
Isabella walked slowly into the room, her small pink slippers silent against the carpet. She stepped up to the desk and laid the white swan music box on top of the dark wood.
"Ellie said... the swan has another key," Isabella said, her voice growing stronger and clearer with every word.
Vincent looked down at the music box in surprise. "Another key?"
Isabella reached out her small fingers and pressed firmly against the swan's porcelain wing. A tiny hidden compartment on the top of the swan's back sprung open with a quiet mechanical click.
Inside lay a tiny brass key tied to a piece of black ribbon, along with a folded piece of paper written in her mother's elegant handwriting.
Vincent unfolded the note carefully under the lamp light.
“Vincent,” the note read. “If you found the first card, you know about Dominic. But if you are holding this key, it means Isabella trusted you enough to show you the second secret. This key opens locker sixteen at the central grand station. Inside is the ledger of the Sixteen—the true leaders who control the syndicate behind the scenes. Do not trust anyone who wears the silver crest.”
Vincent stared at the note, his pulse hammering quietly against his ribs.
He looked down at his seven-year-old daughter, whose bright, observant eyes reflected the warm glow of the desk lamp. She was no longer the fragile, silent girl from this morning. She was a Moretti—resilient, sharp, and safe under his protection.
May you like
Vincent picked up the small brass key, looping the black ribbon around his wrist beside his luxury watch.
He knew that tomorrow, a new battle would begin against enemies hiding behind silver crests and fake smiles. But tonight, as he lifted his daughter into his arms and carried her back toward the nursery, the silence in his home was finally broken...
