"I can't say now. Someone's coming. I have to leave now ma'am." She moved away fast.
It sounded like someone was closer down the corridor.
Mila closed the door, "Oh my God. Did anyone hear us? Who could that be?" she questioned herself silently leaning on the door. Her heart was pounding.
Her eyes moved to the envelope on the table.
Mila grabbed it again. Her hands were shaking. As she pulled out the note, a faded picture fell out too.
"Huhhh, a picture?"
She brought the photo closer to the light. Two men were smiling side by side, holding each other's shoulders.
"Father." She exclaimed.
One was her father, young and happy.The other man looked like an older Adrian, with the same sharp jaw.
"What?" Mila said in shock. She had to hold her mouth so no one would hear her.
"Reginald Cole," She whispered. She turned the photo over. No writing on the back.
The warning note stared back "Adrian's family hides dark secrets. The accident was on purpose, leave before it gets too late."
She sat on the bed and looked at the picture. Her father died in a car accident, and no one did anything about it.
Now this links to the Coles.
She put the photo and note back in the envelope. She knew it would be hard for her to sleep off.
"An envelope, hidden in the old study." Mila remembered Clara's words.
She stopped, looked at the door.
"Sleep would not come anyways."
She quickly picked up her phone, turned on the flashlight, and wore her robe.
"I need to know what this is about."
It was dark outside but that didn't stop her from going out as she closed the door gently, so no one would hear the sound.
She moved fast. Bare feet silent on the carpet, turned down one corridor. Then another.
On the left was a small passage. She remembered Clara's words "back corridor."
She reduced her walking step.
"Could this be the room?" She wandered.
An unmarked door waited at the end. The wood looked old like no one had entered there for years. Handle cold under her fingers.
She pushed the door gently. It opened with a small creak. Inside smelled of leather and paper.
Mila closed the door behind her and started searching.
"Where is it?"
She pulled open desk drawers. Nothing but pens and old receipts.
She checked under stacks of books. Nothing.
She ran her hand behind framed maps on the wall. Her fingers touched tape.
She pulled the envelope out. It was very old.
Her hands trembled when she opened it.
A photograph fell out. She picked it up.
"Huhhh could this be_" her heart began to beat fast.
In the picture were two men standing outside, hugging each other and smiling. The same picture she saw in her room.
"Again?" Mila whispered to herself. "Why is there a duplicate of this picture? What connection does my father have with the Cole"
Mila turned the photo over. A date in faded ink. Twenty-five years ago.
"Twenty-five years ago."
Her throat became so dry. "Father never spoke of the Coles. Not once."
A folded note fell out next.
She unfolded it. Sharp handwriting. Hurried.
"Keep this safe. If anything happens to me, show it only to someone you trust completely. The debt isn't paid. They will come for it. Protect her."
No name at the bottom.
Mila stared at the words. Protect her. Her?
She sat on the desk chair because her legs felt weak.
Questions crashed in. Why did her father leave town so fast back then? Why no goodbye?
Was it money? A fight? Something worse?
She folded everything. Tucked the envelope inside her robe pocket.
"I have to go back now."
She kept the envelope back, sneaked to her room and locked her door. No one saw her.
Mila sat on the bed and pulled the photo out again. "Hmmmmm, what could be this hidden secret?"
Morning came.
Mila dressed. Went downstairs.
The breakfast room was empty. Ashley went to a meeting. Others scattered.
Adrian found Mila in the hallway.
"Mila, I need help in the library. Old files. Property lines. Boring stuff, but two heads are better."
"Huhh.. .Sorry?" Mila responded in shock. She thought Adrian saw her last night.
"Mila, are you okay?" Adrian asked.
"Uhhhh… yes, yes, i… I'm fine, Library,"
She nodded. "Sure. I can help."
"Okay, let's go then." Adrian was a bit confused.
They walked to the library. A long table waited. Piles of folders and ledgers already open.
They sat and began to work quietly.
Adrian passed her a thick ledger. "Start here. Cross-check dates."
Mila flipped pages. Numbers. Signatures. Dates.
Hours passed. Coffee cups emptied.
"Ohhhh."
Adrian loosened his tie. Rubbed his eyes.
Mila turned a page. Stopped.
"Adrian, take a look at this."
He leaned over.
The ledger jumped. 1998 ended. The next page said 2000.
A whole year missing. Page torn out clean.
"That's not right."
He checked front and back. "Father kept these files himself. No one else touched them."
Mila looked at his face. "Why tear out a page?"
He sat back. His voice dropped.
"I don't know. He was always... distant. Locked in his office. Mother said to leave the past alone."
He looked at the ledger again.
"Sometimes I think there were things he didn't want anyone to see."
Mila's pulse quickened. The envelope felt heavy in her mind.
She kept her voice steady. "Did he ever talk about my town? Or my family?"
"Never. Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering. Small connections sometimes."
He studied her for a moment.
Then he smiled. Small. Tired.
"I'm glad you're here, Mila. This house eats people alive. With you, it feels... lighter."
He reached across the table. Took her hand.
His fingers were warm. She did not pull away.
They sat like that for a minute. Quiet.
Then he let go. "We should finish up."
"Yes." Mila responded.
They worked another hour. Filed everything away.
Adrian got up. "It's late. I'll walk you back."
"Mmmmm." She nodded.
They left the library.
"Knock… knock."
"Did you forget anything?" Mila asked, coming out. She thought it was Adrian.
"Mrs. Reyes?"
"Dinner, ma'am?" Mrs Reyes asked.
"No, I'm full." Mila went back inside her room and locked the door.
She pulled out the envelope.
The photo lay there. Her father and Reginald, smiling like friends.
"What really happened?" she whispered.
Mila tucked the photo under her pillow. But sleep escaped her.
A noise outside footsteps? She sat up, listening.
Nothing. Just wind, maybe.
She lay back, eyes on the ceiling. The photo haunted her thoughts.
"What if the accident wasn't random? What if the Coles caused it?"
Mila turned off the light. The room was so dark that she couldn't see anything.
But questions swirled. Is Adrian's vulnerability real or an act?
She needed answers.
The warning on the envelope kept repeating in her head, leave before it was too late.
Mila closed her eyes, but pictures of crashes kept coming to her mind.
Earlier that night, after the maid left, Mila moved around her room thinking about the envelope.
Photo and note tumbled out. She examined the photo closely.
Her father's face, so alive. Reginald's eyes, piercing even in fade.
"Why together?" Mila muttered.
She recalled childhood stories. Father worked odd jobs, never mentioned Coles.
Now this. A hidden connection
She stared at the two men. Friends or foes?
The maid's words: "It was—"
Interrupted. Who?
Mila planned to find the maid tomorrow.
For now, she held the photo tight.
Haunting her, yes. Sleep far away.
Adrian's words replayed "Accidents happen."
Like Ashley said at dinner.
Connections everywhere.
Mila whispered, "Nana, stay safe."
Her phone buzzed. Unknown number.
She didn't answer. Deleted the call log.
Fear gripped. But resolve too.
She'd uncover the truth.