Chapter 32 - The Room Below
Eleanor's gun pointed directly at Noah.
“Don't move.”
Gabriel stepped between them.
“You don't want to do this.”
Eleanor laughed.
“You still think this is about what I want?”
Jonathan raised his weapon.
“Put it down.”
“You first.”
“No.”
Jonathan didn't blink.
“Not happening.”
Eleanor's gaze shifted to me.
“Hannah.”
I hated how calmly she said my name.
“You have no idea what you've activated.”
“I know enough.”
“No, you don't.”
She descended one step.
“You think Thomas was trying to save you.”
“Wasn't he?”
“He was trying to preserve the network.”
Gabriel shook his head.
“That's not true.”
“You stole the trust.”
“I stole it from you.”
“You stole the only thing preventing the family from being destroyed.”
I stared at her.
“You're still talking about the family.”
She looked at me.
“Because there is still a family.”
“No.”
I heard my own voice shaking.
“You've been using that word to justify everything.”
Her expression tightened.
“You're very brave now.”
“I wasn't brave when I was a child.”
“No.”
“You made sure of that.”
For the first time, Eleanor looked away.
Gabriel noticed.
“You remember.”
She looked back.
“Of course I remember.”
“Then tell her.”
“What?”
“Tell her what happened after Elise had the twins.”
Eleanor's jaw tightened.
“I don't owe you an explanation.”
“You owe them the truth.”
She lifted the gun slightly.
“Truth is a luxury people like you can afford because you don't understand consequences.”
Noah stepped forward.
“My mother understands consequences.”
Eleanor looked at him.
“You think she sent you here because she wanted you to know her?”
Noah said nothing.
“She sent you because she knew she was running out of places to hide.”
Gabriel's face changed.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“You've seen Elise.”
Eleanor smiled.
“Have I?”
Silence.
I looked at Gabriel.
“You said she was with you.”
“She was.”
“Where?”
Gabriel hesitated.
That was enough.
“You don't know where she is.”
“I know where she was.”
“Was?”
He looked at me.
“Eleanor moved her.”
I felt betrayed again.
“You knew?”
“I suspected.”
“You suspected my mother was in danger and didn't tell me?”
“I was trying to keep you alive.”
“You keep saying that.”
My voice broke.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
Elias stepped forward.
“Hannah.”
I pulled away from him.
“No.”
He stopped.
“I've had enough people deciding what I can survive.”
The words landed hard.
Elias lowered his eyes.
Gabriel looked away.
Even Noah seemed uncomfortable.
Eleanor smiled.
“You see?”
I looked at her.
“What?”
“They all made choices for you.”
She lowered the gun.
“And now you're finally realizing how little control you've ever had.”
A metal door slammed somewhere upstairs.
Then another.
Martin checked the console.
“She's moving the security teams.”
“Where?” Rachel asked.
Martin's face went pale.
“Down here.”
Jonathan turned to Eleanor.
“You're trapping yourself.”
“No.”
She looked at the walls.
“I'm trapping you.”
Suddenly the room filled with a mechanical hum.
The filing cabinets locked.
Every drawer snapped shut.
The lights turned white.
A voice announced:
“Biometric verification required.”
Martin stared.
“She activated the room.”
“What room?” I asked.
He pointed toward the center of the floor.
A circular section opened.
Inside was a glass panel.
Under it was a fingerprint scanner.
“No.”
I understood.
“She wants my blood.”
Eleanor nodded.
“The trust needs a biological confirmation.”
“I already gave it one.”
“Preliminary confirmation.”
She smiled.
“This will complete the chain.”
Gabriel moved toward me.
“She cannot force you.”
“She doesn't need to.”
Eleanor looked at the scanner.
“Your identity is already in the system.”
Martin's eyes widened.
“Hannah, don't touch anything.”
“Why?”
“The system doesn't need your consent anymore.”
I stared at the scanner.
“That can't be legal.”
“It doesn't care about legal.”
Martin stepped closer.
“It was designed to execute.”
A loud bang came from above.
Security had reached the stairs.
Jonathan looked at the group.
“We need another way out.”
Noah stepped toward the cabinets.
“There is.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Mother showed me.”
He removed the photograph from the wall.
Behind it was a small keypad.
Gabriel stared.
“That's where Thomas hid it.”
Noah entered six numbers.
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to remember.”
“Hurry.”
“I was eleven.”
“Think.”
Noah closed his eyes.
Then he whispered.
“Mom used to tell me birthdays weren't dates.”
“What does that mean?”
He entered my birthday.
The keypad flashed green.
A panel opened.
Behind it was another staircase.
We ran.
Eleanor didn't follow.
She smiled.
I stopped.
“Why aren't you coming?”
“Because you just opened the exit I wanted you to find.”
My blood turned cold.
“What?”
Eleanor lifted the gun.
“Go.”
Jonathan pulled me down the stairs.
We disappeared into darkness.
Behind us, Eleanor shouted one sentence.
“Ask Gabriel why Thomas trusted him more than his own brother.”
Gabriel froze.
Jonathan looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
Gabriel didn't answer.
I kept walking.
Because I already knew.
May you like
There was another secret between the two men.
And this time, I wasn't waiting for someone else to tell me.
