Chapter 9: Chapter 9:The Hidden Side Of Her Mother
The morning sun cast golden light over the penthouse, but Aria barely noticed she hadn't slept.
The files on the flash drive ran through her mind like poison lies layered on betrayal her father's voice still echoed in her ears.
Then we bury her… like we did her mother it wasn't just business,it was blood.
---
Aria dug through the carved wooden box her mother once left her — the one she had ignored for years.
Inside were jewelry pieces, old receipts, a sealed envelope… and a key not an ordinary key this one was gold, with a phoenix engraved into the base.
She pulled out the envelope and opened it slowly, hands shaking.
To My Aria,the letter began in flowing, delicate handwriting.
If you are reading this, then the world has turned crueler than I hoped. I wanted to shield you from all of this — from your father's greed, from the shadows I once escaped, from the truth behind our name there is a safety deposit box vault 071 first Bank use the key.
Inside, you'll find what I hid from your father, from the Lin board, and even from the government something that belongs only to you something they would kill for and if you're brave enough… use it to burn everything down.
Love,
Your mother, Mei Lin.
---
Aria closed her eyes, chest rising and falling.
Her mother hadn't been a delicate, soft-spoken woman hiding behind a rich man's name she had been playing her own game.
And she knew what they would do.
---
That afternoon, Aria visited the bank rhe manager led her to a high-security vault beneath the building, confused but respectful.
Vault 071 was sealed by a fingerprint lock and the key her mother left her. Once inside, a single black briefcase sat inside.
She opened it slowly inside were
Stacks of bearer bonds — untraceable wealth
A sealed will, written in her mother's name — signed months before her death
A photo album with evidence of Chairman Lin's illegal holdings and a worn passport — not her mother's… but someone else's.
Identity: YUN MEI — classified operative, Ministry of Intelligence.
Aria's breath caught her mother had been a spy.
---
Suddenly, it all made sense:
Her mother's secret fortune the "Phoenix Foundation"
The sudden illness no doctor could explain
She wasn't just silenced she was assassinated.
---
As Aria stood frozen, her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number:
They know you opened the vault you're running out of time.
Then:
Meet me tonight alone no Liam,no one else.
We need to talk about what your mother started… and who wants you dead next.
Attached was a map pin:
Location: Abandoned warehouse. 11 PM.
Code word: Phoenix wakes.
---
Aria gripped the phone tightly a trap?or a lifeline?one thing was clear.
This wasn't just revenge anymore.
This was legacy war,bloodline.
And she was the last phoenix left alive.
---
❓ Reader Questions:
1. Did you expect Aria's mother to be a spy?
2. What do you think is inside the sealed will?
3. Should Aria trust the anonymous message… or set a trap?