The morning air at the Mountain Villa was sharp, carrying the scent of pine needles and damp earth. Chen Ying had slept for only four hours, yet she woke with a clarity that felt like a sharpened blade.
By 8:00 AM, the black car was idling in the driveway. Chen Shao was already waiting by the door, looking as though he hadn't slept at all. His eyes were bloodshot, and his suit, though expensive, lacked the crispness of his usual corporate armor.
"The locker is at the Imperial Bank's vault," Chen Shao said, his voice low and gravelly. "It's a high-security biometric unit. It requires the blood of a direct Chen descendant and a physical key that Father has kept in his desk for twenty two years."
He held up a small, ornate silver key. The metal was tarnished, looking like a relic from another era. "He gave it to me this morning. He... he couldn't bring himself to come, Yingying. He said the ghosts in that locker would be too loud for him to hear anything else."
