The night winds howled outside the Lin estate, rattling the floor-to-ceiling windows as if the storm itself had come to deliver a long-forgotten message.
Ella Lin stood alone in her private study, the soft glow of a single desk lamp illuminating the sealed black case in front of her—the last unopened remnant of Leon Xu's shadowed legacy.
Her fingers hovered over the case's digital lock.
For five years, she'd refused to touch it.
But now, something gnawed relentlessly at her mind—an unease she couldn't shake.
Was he really gone?
And if so… why did it feel like he was still pulling the strings from beyond the grave?
Downstairs, the twins were anything but the innocent children the world still believed them to be.
Quietly, they huddled in front of a hidden screen, their tiny fingers flying across encrypted codes Leon had secretly taught them through a series of puzzles hidden in the pendant he left behind.
"Brother… did you unlock it yet?" the younger twin asked nervously.
The older brother's eyes gleamed as the final line of code fell into place.
"Got it!"
The screen flickered to life, revealing a hidden file marked "For My Sons—To Be Opened When the World Believes I Am Dead."
At the same time, upstairs, the black case in Ella's hands clicked open.
Inside, a single flash drive and a blood-red envelope addressed to her in Leon's familiar, maddeningly perfect handwriting.
Her heart thundered painfully as she slid the letter open.
"Ella,"
"If you're reading this, it means the world has finally turned its back on me… or perhaps, I've turned my back on it first."
"But love… you should know by now, I never leave without a plan."
"In the ice beneath the Arctic, you believed I died. But there are some things colder than death, and I buried my greatest secrets there—just as I buried my heart the day you walked away for the last time."
"If you want to truly be free of me, Ella, you'll have to uncover the final piece of my empire. But be warned… what you find may shatter everything you thought you knew about me."
"Yours, in life or in death—Leon."
Ella's hands shook violently.
Her eyes darted toward the encrypted flash drive.
She wasn't sure if she was ready.
But before she could insert it, the door slammed open.
The twins rushed in, their faces pale, eyes wide with something far beyond childish mischief.
"Mommy… we found Daddy's last message."
"He's… he's not really gone, is he?"
Ella's heart clenched so tightly she could barely breathe.
Outside, the storm raged louder, as if the entire world was holding its breath for the final truth.