Chapter 16 - THE HOUSE OF GHOSTS They returned to the ruins of the original Valerius estate.
The place where Isabella's childhood had supposedly ended.
The house was burned.
Broken.
Covered in ivy.
But beneath the ruins, Mateo discovered a hidden room.
A steel door.
Inside were files.
Photographs.
Recordings.
Katerina had built the room as an emergency archive.
There was one final video.
Katerina appeared on screen.
She looked exhausted.
But determined.
"If you're watching this, Isabella, you survived."
Isabella began to cry.
Her mother's voice continued.
"The person responsible for the fire was not Silas."
Isabella stopped breathing.
"Silas was only the weapon."
Katerina revealed the truth.
Her brother had orchestrated everything.
He wanted control of the Valerius fortune.
He manipulated Silas.
He betrayed Lorenzo.
He ordered the fire.
But Rosa saved Isabella.
And another servant saved Adrian.
Katerina had known she might die.
So she created the ledger.
She knew one day her children would return.
The recording ended.
Silence filled the room.
Isabella touched the screen.
"She knew."
Mateo stood beside her.
"She believed you'd survive."
Then footsteps echoed outside.
Someone had entered the ruins.
May you like
A voice spoke from the darkness.
"You took long enough."
