Chapter 5

Night fell.

I listened to the sounds drifting up from downstairs.

Dinner was just as stifling and lifeless as the night before.

I told them I wasn't feeling well and had the maid bring my food up to my room.

I had to conserve my energy, and get myself ready for what was coming.

Because everything would start at midnight.

The clock ticked closer to midnight, each second dragging on.

I could hear the whole villa shift from bustling with life to utter silence.

I could hear the sound of the kids' footsteps faded away.

I could hear Victor and Emily's footsteps as they retreated to their room.

Finally, I heard the soft click as the last light at the end of the hallway went out.

The silence was absolute.

I strained to catch any sound for almost an hour.

Only when I was certain everyone was asleep did I finally move.

I slipped out of my room like a ghost, not making a single sound.

The hallway was pitch black.

Only a few streaks of moonlight filtered in through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, throwing dappled shadows across the floor.

I was barefoot, my feet touching the cold marble.

Every step was careful. I didn't dare make a sound.

My first target was the study.

That was Victor's domain.

My gut told me the secrets were hidden there.

The study door was at the far end of the second-floor hallway, just beside their master bedroom.

This was the most dangerous place in the whole house.

I hugged the wall, inching forward bit by bit.

My heartbeat sounded deafening in the dead of night.

It was like a drum pounding in my chest.

Finally, I reached the study door.

I turned the doorknob, slowly and carefully.

It was locked as I expected.

I didn't get discouraged.

I fished out a paperclip I'd stashed in my pocket earlier.

I'd dug it out from some corner of my suitcase.

I'd seen enough movies to know you could pick a simple lock with one.

But I had no idea if this luxury villa's lock would be that easy.

Right now, I had to give it a shot.

I straightened the paperclip and carefully slipped one end into the keyhole.

My palms were sweaty.

Tiny beads of sweat started to form on my forehead.

I held my breath, fumbling around as I gently worked the paperclip inside the lock.

Time crawled by.

I was about to lose it, my patience nearly gone.

Just as I was about to give up, I heard a barely audible sound.

The lock popped open.

A surge of joy shot through me.

I carefully eased the door open, just wide enough for me to squeeze through sideways.

I slid inside and quietly pulled the door shut behind me, making sure no sound escaped.

The study was pitch black, even gloomier than the hallway.

I didn't dare flip the lights on.

I fished out my phone.

The one with the busted screen.

At least it still worked.

I turned the brightness all the way down, letting a tiny patch of weak light spill onto whatever was right in front of me.

It was a classic Westland-style study.

There was a massive mahogany desk, bookshelves stretching all the way to the ceiling, and paintings on the walls that just screamed old money.

The air reeked of cologne and cigar smoke.

It was Victor's scent.

It was suffocating, made me want to gag.

My target was clear: the desk.

I walked over and tried the drawers.

The first one was locked.

The second one was locked too.

Every single drawer was locked tight.

Victor was even more defensive than I thought.

Frustration gnawed at me.

Was I really about to walk away with nothing?

No way was I giving up now.

My gaze zeroed in on the pricey laptop on the desk.

Could the secrets be locked away in there?

I tried to open the laptop.

It needed a password.

I sighed, defeated.

Just as I was about to leave, my elbow accidentally knocked over a photo frame sitting on the desk.

The frame fell with a soft thud.

I swear my heart almost exploded from the shock.

I hurried to prop it back up.

It was a picture of Victor and Emily, side by side.

They were standing in a sea of lavender with a big smile.

But when I looked at Emily's smile, it felt so blinding.

Just as I was about to set the frame back down, I suddenly noticed something odd about the back of the frame.

I picked it up and, using the faint glow from my phone, took a closer look.

There was a tiny, almost invisible crack along the back panel.

It looked like a secret compartment.

I carefully worked at the crack with my fingernail.

The back panel came loose with a soft click.

There was no photo inside, just a small, silver key.

My heart was racing, adrenaline surging.

That was the key to the drawer.

My hands trembled as I slid the key into the lock of the first drawer.

I gave it a gentle twist.

It opened.

I pulled the drawer open.

There was no files, just rows upon rows of deep blue velvet boxes, lined up perfectly.

I picked one and flipped it open.

I found no jewelry.

Instead, there was a syringe full of clear liquid, plus a handful of tiny glass vials.

The labels on the bottles were in Westland language.

I couldn't make out most of it.

But one word jumped out at me: Valium, a heavy-duty sedative.

I opened the other boxes.

They all had the same kind of stuff inside.

My hands started to shake.

I wondered who were these for.

Was it for Emily?

Was he drugging her to keep her under control?

I forced myself to stay calm, shut the first drawer, and tried to steady my nerves.

Then I used the key to open the biggest drawer right in the middle.

No drugs was in there.

There was just a thick notebook with a black cover.

I flipped it open.

The first page was written in elegant script.

It was Emily's handwriting.

It turned out that it was a diary entry.

The date was twelve years ago, right when she first came to Westland.

The first page was overflowing with a girl's hopes and excitement.

[Rose City, I'm finally here!

[Victor's place is even more beautiful than I ever imagined; it's like something straight out of a fairy tale.

[He told me I'd be the only lady of this castle from now on.

[I feel like the happiest person alive.]