A cold dread settled in Lyra's stomach. Dominic Thorne. The name echoed, a sinister whisper in her mind, tying together the fragmented pieces of conversation she'd just overheard. Valerius Industries, sabotage, her family's danger – all connected to him. Elias had lied. He had actively, deliberately, kept her in the dark about the true depth of the threat. She felt a sharp sting of betrayal, a counterpoint to the fear that coiled around her heart. Waiting until the house was utterly silent, Lyra crept from her room. Moonlight streamed through the tall windows, casting long, eerie shadows across the polished floors. Every creak of the old mansion seemed amplified, a drumbeat against her raw nerves. Her destination was Elias's study. It was a forbidden zone, a sanctuary he guarded fiercely. Tonight, she had to violate it. Reaching the heavy oak door, she paused, pressing her ear to the wood. Nothing. Only the quiet hum of the house's ventilation. Her fingers trembled as she turned the brass knob. Unlocked. A small victory, or perhaps a sign of Elias's overconfidence. Stepping inside, a rich scent of leather and old paper filled her nostrils. Bookshelves lined every wall, reaching to the ceiling, filled with volumes that looked as untouched as they were ancient. His vast mahogany desk dominated the room, meticulously organized. Her eyes scanned the space, searching for anything out of place. No obvious files, no glaring secrets. He was too careful for that. She moved to the desk, her gaze lingering on a framed photo – Elias, younger, beside a stern-looking older man, both smiling thinly. Surely, something was hidden. Elias’s secretiveness wasn't just a personality trait; it was a fortress built around something deeply buried. She ran her hand along the carved edge of the desk, feeling for any loose panels, any hidden catches. Near the bottom right drawer, her fingers brushed against a barely perceptible seam. A slight push, a click, and a slim, false panel slid inwards. Inside, not a drawer, but a small, dark recess. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Reaching in, she pulled out a worn, leather-bound folder. No label, no identifier. Just plain, dark leather. Opening it, Lyra found a collection of old documents, news clippings, and what looked like legal papers. The dates were nearly fifteen years old. Her breath hitched. This was it. Reading the first page, her eyes widened. A detailed report from a private investigator. It spoke of a hostile takeover, a calculated corporate raid on a company named 'Sterling Group' – Elias’s family conglomerate, she realized with a jolt. Further pages revealed the devastating aftermath. Sterling Group, once a formidable player in the tech industry, brought to its knees. The family patriarch, Elias’s father, depicted in news articles as a broken man, forced into early retirement, his reputation in tatters. What truly chilled her was the architect of the downfall. The documents meticulously detailed the actions of a senior executive within Sterling Group itself. A trusted lieutenant, who had systematically siphoned funds, leaked proprietary information, and manipulated stock prices. His name jumped out at her: Arthur Vance. But beneath his name, in a different, more recent hand – Elias’s hand, she was certain – a small, damning annotation was scribbled:

Elias's Past Trauma