The moment the call ended—
We moved.
No discussion.
No debate.
Just action.
Because everyone in that room understood the same thing.
If Richard Ashford found those letters first—
They would disappear forever.
Adrian grabbed his car keys.
Elena collected every document from the table.
And I was already calling her back.
Again.
And again.
And again.
No answer.
Straight to voicemail.
Every time.
My stomach twisted tighter with each failed attempt.
Because she never ignored my calls.
Not unless she couldn't answer.
And that possibility terrified me.
The elevator ride down felt endless.
Thirty floors.
Thirty agonizing floors.
Nobody spoke.
The tension was too thick.
Too real.
The moment the doors opened—
We practically ran.
Adrian's black car was waiting outside.
And minutes later—
We were speeding through city traffic.
Rain began falling.
Light at first.
Then heavier.
The kind of storm that made everything feel darker.
More dangerous.
"Tell me exactly what happens if Richard gets those letters."
I finally asked.
Elena stared out the window.
Watching rain slide across the glass.
"He destroys them."
Simple answer.
Simple certainty.
"No hesitation?"
She laughed bitterly.
"You still think this is about reputation."
That got my attention.
"What do you mean?"
Elena looked at me.
And for the first time—
She looked genuinely worried.
"If Sophia loved Victor..."
A pause.
"If she never wanted Richard..."
Another pause.
"Then the foundation of everything changes."
The car became silent.
Because everyone understood what she wasn't saying.
The marriage.
The company.
The empire.
The story Richard built for twenty years.
All of it suddenly looked different.
My phone vibrated.
Hope exploded inside my chest instantly.
Her.
I answered immediately.
"Where are you?"
Her breathing sounded rushed.
Panicked.
"You have to hurry."
Fear shot through me.
"What happened?"
A door slammed somewhere in the background.
Then her voice dropped to a whisper.
"He found the box."
The entire car froze.
"What?"
"I hid the letters before he got there."
Relief hit me.
For exactly one second.
Then she continued.
"But now he's looking for them."
The relief disappeared instantly.
"Where are you?"
Silence.
Then—
"The east wing."
Another pause.
"My mother's old studio."
I frowned.
"Studio?"
"Nobody uses it anymore."
Her voice shook.
"It's the only place he never goes."
That sentence felt important.
Very important.
Then suddenly—
A man's voice echoed faintly in the background.
Her father's voice.
My blood ran cold.
"She's here."
She whispered.
Then the line went dead.
Again.
I stared at the phone.
Heart pounding.
The rain outside intensified.
Hammering against the windshield.
Adrian pressed harder on the accelerator.
The estate gates appeared twenty minutes later.
Huge.
Imposing.
The Ashford mansion stood beyond them.
Lit against the storm.
Looking less like a home—
And more like a fortress.
Security guards moved across the property.
More than usual.
Much more.
"They know something's happening."
Elena whispered.
No one disagreed.
Adrian parked a short distance away.
Then looked at all of us.
"This is the part where good decisions end."
Despite everything—
I almost laughed.
Almost.
Because he wasn't wrong.
The three of us stepped into the rain.
Immediately soaked.
The mansion towered above us.
Watching.
Waiting.
Somewhere inside—
She was alone.
Her father was searching.
And twenty years of secrets hung in the balance.
I looked up at the dark windows.
Then took a deep breath.
For months—
Richard Ashford controlled the game.
Tonight—
We were finally stepping onto his board.