Chapter 9: The Enemy Inside the House
The call ended.
But the voice remained.
That was the cruel thing about fear.
It did not need to stay in the room.
It followed you.
Marcus Bell's final words echoed inside my head.
The person you are looking for has already been inside your home.
Not office.
Not company.
Home.
That difference mattered.
Because my office was protected by systems.
Cameras.
Security.
Protocols.
My home was different.
My home was where I allowed myself to believe I was safe.
The place where I removed the armor.
The place where I trusted people.
And someone had been there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Learning.
I looked at Daniel.
"Check my house."
He understood immediately.
"Now?"
"Now."
Daniel picked up his phone.
Then stopped.
A strange expression crossed his face.
"What?"
He looked at the screen.
"The security system is offline."
Nobody moved.
"Since when?"
Daniel checked again.
"Forty-two minutes ago."
Forty-two minutes.
Exactly when we were leaving the cemetery.
Exactly when we learned about my father.
Exactly when someone wanted my attention somewhere else.
A distraction.
Again.
Everything was connected.
"How many people know my home security codes?"
Daniel hesitated.
I noticed.
"Daniel."
"Five people."
"Names."
He listed them.
"Myself. You. Your security chief. Marcus Bell. And..."
He stopped.
"And who?"
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
"Your father."
The room went silent.
Of course.
My father.
The man who was dead.
The man who was alive.
The man who somehow still had access to every part of my life.
I turned toward Alexei.
"You knew?"
"No."
"Someone knew."
Alexei looked at Daniel.
"Someone always knew."
That sentence irritated me.
Because it was true.
Everyone seemed to know something.
Everyone had a piece.
Except me.
For twenty years, I had been the richest man in the room and somehow the poorest in information.
We arrived at my house thirty minutes later.
The Voss estate sat on the edge of Seattle's most private area.
A massive property surrounded by trees, stone walls, and enough security equipment to protect a government official.
At least, that was what I believed.
The gates opened automatically.
Too easily.
I noticed.
"Stop."
The convoy stopped.
Daniel looked at me.
"What?"
"The gates."
He understood.
"They shouldn't open."
Exactly.
The system was supposed to require confirmation.
A manual approval.
A second layer.
Someone had removed it.
We stepped out carefully.
My security team moved ahead.
The house looked normal.
That was the problem.
Normal was dangerous.
A broken window would have been easier.
A destroyed room.
A sign of violence.
But nothing was wrong.
The lights were on.
The garden was untouched.
The front door was closed.
Almost welcoming.
Like the house was pretending nothing happened.
We entered.
The first thing I noticed was the smell.
Coffee.
Fresh coffee.
Someone had been here recently.
Daniel immediately reached for his weapon.
"Everyone spread out."
The team moved.
Room by room.
Nothing.
No intruders.
No signs of struggle.
No missing valuables.
Then Emma stopped.
Everyone noticed.
The girl stood in the hallway.
Her face changed.
"What is it?"
She looked toward the library.
"Someone was here."
I walked toward the room.
"How do you know?"
She touched the wall.
"I hear it."
I frowned.
"Hear what?"
"The room."
Nobody understood.
Except Viktor.
He looked concerned.
"Emma remembers spaces."
I looked at him.
"Spaces?"
"Sounds."
He explained.
"The way a room feels. Echoes. Footsteps. Movement."
The girl looked at the library door.
"Someone moved slowly."
She closed her eyes.
"Not like a thief."
A pause.
"Like someone who belonged here."
That sentence was worse.
Because thieves rush.
Enemies hide.
But someone who belonged...
Someone who belonged had permission.
I opened the library door.
Inside, everything appeared untouched.
The books.
The furniture.
The desk.
My father's old collection.
Then I saw it.
A book sitting on the table.
I knew immediately.
Because it was impossible.
That book had not been touched in twenty years.
It belonged to my father.
A black leather journal.
I picked it up.
My hands tightened.
"What's inside?" Daniel asked.
I opened the first page.
Only one sentence.
Written in my father's handwriting.
"If Alexander finds this, then I failed."
My breathing slowed.
The next page contained a message.
Not for me.
For Daniel.
I looked at him.
His face changed.
"Read it."
Daniel didn't move.
"Daniel."
Finally, he stepped closer.
The message was short.
Daniel,
If you are reading this, then my son has discovered enough to become dangerous.
Do not protect him from the truth anymore.
Protect him from the person who taught him how to trust.
Daniel became pale.
I stared at him.
"Who?"
He did not answer.
I turned the page.
The next line was written underneath.
Because the first betrayal came from someone who shared my blood.
My father's blood.
A family member.
Someone related to me.
Not an employee.
Not a stranger.
Family.
I looked at Alexei.
"Who else was involved?"
Nobody answered.
Then Viktor spoke.
"Adrian had a brother."
I turned.
A brother?
I had never heard that name.
"Impossible."
Viktor shook his head.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"Your father erased him."
"Why?"
"Because he was the first person to join The Circle."
The room became colder.
"What was his name?"
Viktor looked at me.
"Lucian Voss."
The name felt unfamiliar.
But somehow dangerous.
"Where is he?"
Nobody answered.
Then Emma whispered:
"Behind you."
Everyone turned.
The library door was still closed.
No one stood there.
But Emma was not looking at the door.
She was looking at the photograph on the wall.
A family portrait.
My father.
My mother.
Me.
And another man standing beside Adrian.
A man I had never noticed before.
Older.
Cold eyes.
A silver ring.
My heart stopped.
Because beneath the photograph was a small engraved plate.
A name.
Lucian Voss.
My father's brother.
My uncle.
The man erased from my entire life.
Then the lights went out.
Total darkness.
A second later, a voice came from the speakers.
Calm.
Familiar.
Older.
"Hello, Alexander."
Everyone froze.
Because the voice belonged to the one person who should not have been inside my house.
Lucian Voss.
"Your father always underestimated one thing."
A pause.
"He thought love made people weak."
The speakers crackled.
"He was wrong."
Another pause.
"Love is exactly why you are going to lose."
The lights returned.
And on the library table...
A new photograph appeared.
A photograph taken minutes earlier.
It showed everyone in the room.
Me.
Daniel.
Alexei.
Viktor.
Emma.
Taken from inside the house.
While we were standing there.
Someone had been watching us.
May you like
The entire time.
End of Chapter 9
