Chapter 176
With The Architect captured and his plans thwarted, there was a tense calm over the ruins of the construction site. But the truce between those involved was far from stable—old rivalries, unspoken alliances, and hidden secrets still bubbled beneath the surface. Alexander, Lily, and Ariana emerged from the chaos, each with a different agenda, each with a different understanding of what had just transpired.
Ariana glared at Alexander and Lily from a distance, her mind racing. She knew she had to act quickly if she was to regain any advantage. To her, Alexander and Lily were not allies—they were obstacles standing between her and her mother's ambitions. She quickly slipped away into the shadows, planning her next move.
As Alexander’s phone buzzed, he stepped away from Lily to answer the call. Lily, watching Ariana’s retreat, felt a chill run down her spine. She knew better than to trust Ariana, despite the truce they had formed earlier under dire circumstances. Lily’s loyalty was always to Alexander, and her hatred for Ariana and Carolina ran deep.
“It’s me, Maxwell,” came the gruff voice on the phone. “We need to talk—there’s something Caleb’s been hiding. He mentioned a vault beneath the estate, a secret he’s kept even from you.”
Alexander’s grip on the phone tightened, his gaze darting to Lily, who was still tracking Ariana’s movement. “A vault? What’s inside?”
Maxwell hesitated on the other end. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s something even The Architect didn’t know about. Caleb’s guarded it for years, and now... I think it’s time we find out why.”
***
Meanwhile, in a remote, opulent study, Carolina’s rage was boiling over. She had received word of The Architect’s downfall and, worse, her daughter Ariana’s apparent failure to carry out their plans. She paced back and forth, her mind spinning with new strategies.
“Your daughter has abandoned us, madam,” said Samuel, her trusted confidant, as he stood by the door, watching Carolina’s temper flare. “She’s gone rogue.”
“She’s a fool!” Carolina snapped, slamming her hand on her desk. “To think she could go against me and side with no one! This is what happens when you let ambition cloud your judgment. But she will learn, just like Lily and Alexander will learn—no one crosses me and walks away unscathed.”
Samuel remained silent, though he shared Carolina's concern. While she plotted her revenge, he couldn’t help but notice how the balance of power was shifting with The Architect’s capture. Whoever found Caleb’s secret vault would hold a power none of them had imagined, and that could turn everything on its head.
***
Alexander met Maxwell in a secluded corner of the estate, under the cover of shadows. Maxwell looked exhausted, his clothes dirty from the earlier battle, but his determination was unyielding.
“I’ve been digging into Caleb’s past,” Maxwell began. “He’s tied to a vault beneath this estate, something he kept from everyone—even you. It’s not just about wealth, Alexander. It’s about something far bigger.”
Alexander was skeptical but intrigued. “What could be so important that Caleb would hide it from everyone? Why keep it a secret all this time?”
Maxwell’s expression darkened. “Whatever it is, it’s dangerous. If we don’t get to it first, Carolina will. And you know what that means—she’ll use it against you, against Lily. Against everything we’ve built.”
Alexander thought of Lily and their plans. He couldn’t allow Carolina or Ariana to get the upper hand. “Then we find it. Tonight.”
***
At that same time, Ariana made her way through a dense forest path, far from the prying eyes of Alexander and Lily. She clutched a small, encrypted drive in her hand—a piece of The Architect’s old plans she had salvaged before his capture. She knew that her mother, Carolina, would be furious, but she also knew she couldn’t let herself be overshadowed by either her mother’s plans or Alexander’s ambitions.
As she pushed through the underbrush, she thought of her next steps. She needed allies, resources—anything that would give her leverage over the others. She reached a small, abandoned cabin where she had stashed weapons and equipment, and began setting up a secure communication line.
Ariana’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “You think you’ve won, Lily. You think you’ve outsmarted me, Alexander. But the game is far from over. Let’s see how you handle this.”
***
Back at the estate, Caleb sat alone in his private study, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. He had lived through the rise and fall of many power players, but he knew that the coming days would be the most dangerous yet. He had spent years keeping his secret hidden—something in that vault that could change the course of their entire world. And now, everyone was circling like vultures, hoping to uncover it.
But as he drained his glass, Caleb made a decision. He would not let anyone, not even his own family, dictate the terms of his legacy. He would fight for his secrets, and if it meant facing off against Alexander, Carolina, or even Ariana, then so be it.
The battle for control was far from over, and as the sun began to rise over the estate, the shadows of a new conflict loomed over everyone. And the question remained: who would be the first to unlock the truth hidden beneath the estate—and who would be willing to pay the price?
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