The afternoon sky was beginning to turn toward evening when the black car driven by Daniel finally left the city limits.
The road they traveled grew increasingly quiet.
Tall buildings slowly gave way to large houses hidden behind high fences and ancient trees.
The place was an old district for elite families.
An area built decades ago when wealthy people still preferred to hide their wealth rather than flaunt it.
Ethan sat in the front seat, staring at the straight road ahead of the car.
He had not spoken much since they left the safe house.
Daniel glanced at him occasionally.
"I still can't believe we're actually doing this."
Victor, sitting in the back seat, looked tense.
"Is your family's house still empty?"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Since my mother passed away, my father rarely stays there."
Leonard Graves, sitting beside Victor, smiled faintly.
"A large abandoned house usually holds interesting stories."
Victor looked at him anxiously.
"I don't like the way you say that."
Leonard only let out a small laugh.
The car finally turned into a road lined with old trees.
A few minutes later, a tall iron fence appeared before them.
Daniel slowed the car down.
"Is this it?"
Ethan nodded.
The fence looked old, but it was still sturdy.
Behind it stood a large classic-style house with gray stone walls and tall windows.
The place looked like it had once been very lively.
But now it felt quiet and still.
Daniel turned off the car engine.
There was no sound except for the wind rustling through the leaves.
Victor whispered,
"This place is creepy."
Leonard opened the car door.
"Old houses always feel that way."
Ethan walked toward the fence.
He entered the code on a small panel next to the gate.
A few seconds later, a mechanical sound rang out.
The gate slowly opened.
Daniel whistled softly.
"You still remember the code."
Ethan did not reply.
He simply walked inside.
Gravel on the driveway crunched softly beneath their shoes.
The house looked even larger up close.
Wide stone steps led to the tall front door.
Victor looked around.
"No guards?"
Ethan shook his head.
"My father never trusted guards."
Leonard smiled slightly.
"A man who believes secrets are stronger than weapons."
They climbed the steps and Ethan opened the front door.
Its hinges creaked softly.
Cold air and the smell of dust greeted them immediately.
Daniel turned on the lights.
The large front room had high ceilings.
Old paintings hung on the walls.
A grand spiral staircase led to the upper floor.
Victor whispered,
"This house is like a museum."
Ethan walked further inside.
His steps were slow.
As if every corner of the house carried memories.
Daniel asked,
"Where are the documents you're looking for?"
Ethan pointed to a corridor on the left.
"My father's study."
Leonard followed calmly.
"The perfect place to keep secrets."
They walked down the long corridor before finally reaching a large wooden door.
Ethan stopped in front of it.
His right hand touched the doorknob.
For a few seconds he just stood still.
Daniel noticed.
"It's okay if you're not ready."
Ethan took a long breath.
"There's no other choice."
He opened the door.
The room inside was darker.
Bookshelves lined almost every wall.
A large dark wood desk stood in the center of the room.
A few old maps still lay on top of it.
Victor walked in slowly.
"It's like this place hasn't been touched in years."
Leonard looked around with great interest.
"Sometimes people deliberately let things look forgotten."
Daniel went straight to the desk.
"Let's start here."
He opened one of the drawers.
There were only old documents about investments.
Nothing looked suspicious.
Victor began checking the bookshelves.
"Mostly economics books."
Leonard instead walked toward the back wall.
He tapped several sections of the wooden paneling with his fingers.
Ethan watched him.
"What are you doing?"
Leonard replied casually,
"Looking for something hidden."
Daniel said,
"Do you think there's a secret room?"
Leonard smiled.
"Houses of influential families almost always have one."
A few seconds later he stopped.
He tapped one wooden panel again.
The sound it made was different.
Hollow.
Leonard raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
Ethan stepped closer.
Leonard pressed a section of the panel.
A soft click was heard.
The wooden panel shifted slightly.
Victor stepped back immediately.
"No way…"
Leonard pushed the panel open.
A hidden compartment was revealed behind it.
Daniel whistled softly.
"Wow."
Inside the compartment was a small metal box.
Ethan picked it up carefully.
The box was quite heavy.
Daniel said,
"Open it."
Ethan set the box on the desk.
Its lock was simple.
A few seconds later the lid opened.
Inside were several old documents.
And a black flash drive.
Victor looked at it tensely.
"This must be important."
Daniel picked up one of the documents.
His eyes immediately widened.
"Oh my god…"
Leonard stepped closer.
"What is it?"
Daniel handed the document to him.
Leonard read the first few lines.
His expression turned serious.
"A research contract."
Victor asked,
"Research on what?"
Leonard looked at Ethan.
"Project Helios."
Silence immediately fell over the room.
Ethan picked up another document from the box.
The signature at the bottom made his blood feel cold.
The name written there was perfectly clear.
Richard Blackwood.
His father.
Victor whispered,
"He was really involved…"
Daniel said softly,
"Not just involved."
He pointed to one page.
"He's one of the founders of this project."
Leonard picked up the flash drive from the box.
"These documents are just the surface."
He looked at Ethan.
"The real thing is probably in here."
Daniel turned on his laptop.
He inserted the flash drive.
A few seconds later a folder appeared on the screen.
It contained dozens of files.
Recordings.
Research documents.
And one video.
Victor said softly,
"Play it."
Daniel clicked the file.
The laptop screen displayed footage from a conference room.
Several people sat around a long table.
The video quality was not very clear.
But their faces were still recognizable.
Marcus Sterling was there.
A few other men who looked like politicians.
And at the end of the table
a man with gray hair.
Ethan froze.
It was his father.
Richard Blackwood.
In the recording, his father was speaking.
"Project Helios will give us an advantage no one else can match."
Marcus nodded beside him.
"And Elena Ward?"
someone in the room asked.
Richard answered without hesitation.
"If she becomes a problem…"
he paused for a moment.
"…we'll take care of it."
The video stopped there.
The study fell completely silent.
Victor looked pale.
Daniel stared at the screen seriously.
Leonard leaned against the desk.
"Now we have proof."
Ethan still stood motionless.
His eyes were fixed on his father's face on the laptop screen.
But what he felt now was not just anger.
There was something deeper.
Betrayal.
Daniel said softly,
"Marcus wasn't lying."
Leonard nodded.
"And this is just the beginning."
Victor asked in a trembling voice,
"What do we do now?"
Ethan closed the laptop slowly.
When he spoke, his voice sounded far colder than before.
"We stop them."
Daniel looked at him.
"Including your father?"
Ethan did not hesitate.
He looked at each of them one by one before replying.
"Especially him."