Chapter 9: The Forty-Second Floor
The elevator doors closed.
Caleb and I stood in silence as the numbers climbed.
10.
20.
30.
40.
The higher we went, the quieter it became.
Almost like the building itself was holding its breath.
“You think Dad knew I would come with you?””
Caleb asked.
I stared at the glowing numbers.
“I don’t know anymore.””
That was the truth.
My father had planned everything.
Every possibility.
Every betrayal.
Every person who might stand beside me.
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
The forty-second floor was nothing like I expected.
No offices.
No employees.
No conference rooms.
Just a long hallway.
At the end was a single wooden door.
My name was engraved on a small metal plate.
HANNAH PIERCE.
I touched it.
My fingers trembled.
“He built this for you.””
Caleb whispered.
I walked toward the door.
There was a fingerprint scanner.
I placed my hand on it.
The lock opened immediately.
Inside was a private office.
Dad’s office.
Not the one everyone knew.
The one nobody knew existed.
A desk.
A chair.
A wall filled with photographs.
I walked closer.
There were pictures of me.
My graduation.
My first apartment.
My wedding day.
My father had saved everything.
Even things I had forgotten.
Then I saw another wall.
Documents.
Maps.
Names.
My heart sank.
This wasn’t an office.
It was an investigation room.
Caleb walked beside me.
“He was watching everything.””
“No.””
I looked at the files.
“He was protecting something.””
On the desk was a sealed envelope.
This time, my father’s handwriting was different.
Urgent.
Hannah,
If you found this room, then the people I feared have already made their move.
I opened it.
Inside was a small key.
And a message.
The tower is not your inheritance.
It is your shield.
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Caleb picked up another document.
His face changed.
“Hannah.””
I turned.
“What?””
He pointed at the page.
It was a list of names.
At the top was Vivian.
Below her was Caleb.
Below Caleb was Samuel.
But the last name was the one that made my blood run cold.
Because it was mine.
Hannah Pierce.
I stared at the paper.
“No.””
Caleb looked at me.
“There has to be an explanation.””
My hands shook.
“Why is my name here?””
Before either of us could answer, the office speakers suddenly turned on.
Static filled the room.
Then a voice.
Not my father’s.
Someone else.
A woman.
“Congratulations, Hannah.””
I froze.
The voice continued.
“You found the room.””
Caleb stepped back.
“Who is that?””
The woman laughed softly.
“You really thought Robert would leave everything to his daughter without consequences?””
I walked toward the speaker.
“Who are you?””
A pause.
Then:
“Someone who knows your father’s final secret.””
The lights flickered.
The office door behind us locked automatically.
My heart started racing.
The woman continued:
“And Hannah…”
The voice became quieter.
“Your father was not protecting you from Vivian.””
Silence.
“Your father was protecting everyone from you.””
I looked at Caleb.
He looked as shocked as I was.
Then the speaker clicked off.
And the computer on my father’s desk turned on by itself.
A single file appeared on the screen.
May you like
The title was:
*THE TRUTH ABOUT HANNAH PIERCE.*
