Chapter 13 - We returned to the casino before dawn.Every street around the building was empty.
Police cars were parked outside.
No officers remained inside.
Dominic looked at me.
“Stay close.”
I nodded.
Marlowe followed.
Mason and Adrian stayed behind us.
Ana refused to stay in the car.
She walked beside me.
For the first time, all six of us entered the building together.
The casino was silent.
No music.
No guests.
No dealers.
Just abandoned tables and flickering lights.
We reached the roulette floor.
The table where everything began.
I looked at it.
“Under there?”
Adrian nodded.
“Yes.”
Dominic moved the table.
There was a circular metal plate beneath it.
My father's key fit the lock.
Click.
The floor opened.
A staircase led down.
We descended.
At the bottom was a massive vault.
Unlike the first one, this vault had no scanner.
Just one word engraved into the steel.
BENNETT
I touched it.
Nothing.
Adrian whispered.
“Try your name.”
I placed my hand against the metal.
The entire room shook.
Locks turned.
One.
Two.
Three.
The door opened.
Inside was a mountain of paper.
Ledgers.
Contracts.
Passports.
Bank records.
Photographs.
Names.
Millions of dollars could be traced through those pages.
But in the center sat one chair.
And on the chair was a mirror.
I stared at myself.
A message appeared on a screen behind the mirror.
WELCOME HOME, CLAIRE.
Then a video started.
My father.
He looked directly at me.
“If you're here, you've learned enough to hate me.”
I froze.
“I deserve that.”
He continued.
“I lied about your mother.”
“I lied about Dominic.”
“I lied about Adrian.”
“I lied about the money.”
“I did it because the truth would have killed you.”
Tears formed in my eyes.
“My greatest mistake was believing I could protect you by making you ignorant.”
He paused.
Then he said:
“Elias is not your enemy.”
I stared.
“What?”
My father continued.
“He is your biological grandfather.”
The room went silent.
Ana covered her mouth.
Marlowe closed his eyes.
Dominic stared at the screen.
My father continued.
“Your mother was Elias's daughter.”
I couldn't breathe.
“That makes you the legal heir to everything Elias controls.”
I stepped backward.
“No.”
“He has spent twenty years trying to control you because he cannot legally access the organization without your consent.”
The video continued.
“The money is not the real prize.”
“What is?”
“Power.”
My father looked exhausted.
“If you ever find the ledger, do not destroy it.”
“Use it.”
“Every corrupt official.”
“Every criminal.”
“Every person who believed they were untouchable.”
“Bring them down.”
I stared.
Then my father's final words appeared.
“Trust Dominic.”
The screen turned black.
I looked at him.
Dominic said nothing.
Adrian laughed bitterly.
“You finally got the answer.”
I turned.
“You knew.”
He nodded.
“Elias told me.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I wanted the ledger.”
“And now?”
Adrian looked at me.
“Now I want you alive.”
A gunshot echoed.
Marlowe fell.
Mason screamed.
“Dad!”
Elias stepped out from behind the vault door.
He wore a black suit.
No bodyguards.
No weapon visible.
Just a calm smile.
“Enough family drama.”
Dominic raised his gun.
Elias laughed.
“You won't shoot me.”
“Try me.”
“You can't.”
“Why?”
Elias looked at me.
“Because Claire has to make the decision.”
I stared.
“Decision?”
“Kill me.”
He smiled.
“Or rule with me.”
The vault doors locked.
Elias walked closer.
“You have ten minutes.”
“For what?”
“To decide whether you want revenge…”
He looked directly into my eyes.
“…or the empire.”
May you like
Then the lights went out.
And when they came back on, Dominic was missing.
