A metallic tang filled Lena's mouth. Exhaustion blurred the edges of her vision, but she couldn't stop. Leo's face, pale and still in the hospital bed, haunted her. Every second counted. Every penny mattered. Fingers cramped, she typed Julian Thorne’s name into the archaic newspaper archive. She knew he was connected, somehow. His chilling warning still echoed in her ears. Searching for any scandal, any hint of past trouble. Her eviction felt too personal, too targeted, to be mere coincidence. The house held secrets, and Julian Thorne was their keeper. Pages loaded slowly, pixelated ghosts of past headlines flickering on the screen. Most were dry business reports, corporate mergers, philanthropic endeavors. Nothing remotely scandalous. Then, a minor local business journal, dated five years ago. An obscure publication she almost overlooked. The headline was small, buried deep within a financial section. Clicking the link, she waited. A slow churn of her stomach began. This felt different. A premonition. Finally, the article loaded. Her eyes scanned down, past the initial pleasantries about Thorne Industries’ projected growth. Then, a name jumped out. *Cassandra.* Her breath hitched. *C*. Julian's cryptic mention. The woman in the photo at the house. This had to be her. Reading faster, her heart hammered against her ribs. The article detailed the abrupt dissolution of Julian Thorne’s engagement to Cassandra Maxwell. Not just a breakup, but a public spectacle. It painted a picture of a whirlwind romance ending in a very bitter, very public split. Cassandra Maxwell, heiress to a rival fashion empire, had reportedly vanished from the social scene without a trace. Julian Thorne, described as 'shocked and heartbroken' by his PR team, had been forced to issue a statement. The article hinted at significant financial repercussions for Thorne Industries due to a failed joint venture planned around the engagement. Accusations of betrayal, though veiled, were unmistakable. Sources close to the Maxwell family suggested a deep rift, not just between the couple, but between the two powerful families. Lena gripped her mouse, knuckles white. This wasn't just a breakup. This was a war. The kind of high-stakes drama that left lasting scars, and perhaps, a trail of collateral damage. Could this be it? Was this the reason for Julian’s strange behavior? His possessiveness over the house? The house itself was mentioned in passing as a 'future marital home' in an earlier, fluff piece. Her mind raced. What if Cassandra had left something behind? Something valuable, something incriminating, something Julian desperately wanted to keep hidden? Perhaps the house wasn't just a sentimental object. It was a vault. A place where a ghost of Julian's past still lingered. A ghost named Cassandra. His warning about digging up the past suddenly took on a chilling new dimension. He wasn't just protecting his privacy. He was protecting a secret. A secret tied to a woman scorned, a broken engagement, and potentially, a ruined business venture. The stakes were astronomical. Lena imagined Julian's face, that hard, unyielding mask. He was a man who wouldn't tolerate loose ends. Especially not ones tied to public humiliation and financial loss. The desperation for Leo’s treatment clashed with a rising tide of fear. She was uncovering more than just property records. She was unearthing a scandal. Another older article, linked in the sidebar, caught her eye. It was from a national business weekly, dated a few months after the first. A much bolder, more aggressive headline. Her heart pounded in her chest. This was it. The real story, the one Julian had warned her away from. The one that explained everything. She clicked. The screen glowed, illuminating the dark room. Her eyes fixated on the bold, unforgiving text. 'Thorne Heir Betrayed: Cassandra Maxwell's Shocking Exit Rocks Industry!'

Chapter 20: Cassandra's Ghost