By the time Davis returned to Blackwood Estate that evening, his mind was crowded with questions.
Victoria's documents had given him the first tangible evidence that his family's collapse might not have been an ordinary business failure.
But the original ledger remained missing.
And Victor Ashford's reaction to Victoria's secret meeting suggested that the old man knew considerably more than he was willing to admit.
Davis entered the estate through the main doors.
The restored mansion stood beneath the fading evening light, its stone walls and tall windows reflecting the history of a family that had once commanded respect throughout the business world.
Arthur Harrison was waiting in the entrance hall.
"Welcome home, young master."
Davis smiled.
"Arthur, how many times must I tell you to stop calling me that?"
Arthur's eyes twinkled.
"Until you stop looking like the master of this house."
"That may take a while."
The older man laughed.
"Your father used to say the same thing whenever I corrected his manners."
Davis's smile softened.
For a moment, he imagined his father walking through the hall, removing his coat, and asking Arthur whether dinner was ready.
The image was so vivid that it hurt.
He looked away.
"Arthur, I need your help with something."
"Anything, sir."
"Do you remember an old financial ledger from my father's study? Something connected to the final months of Blackwood Holdings?"
Arthur's expression changed.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I believe it may contain evidence about what happened to my family."
Arthur slowly removed his glasses.
"I was hoping you wouldn't have to deal with this."
"Why?"
"Because your father spent his final weeks trying to protect you from it."
Davis stepped closer.
"Arthur, you knew something was wrong?"
The old man looked toward the staircase.
"I knew your father was frightened. I had never seen him that way before."
"What did he tell you?"
"Very little. He asked me to ensure that the estate documents remained secure and that certain rooms were not opened without the proper authorization."
"Which rooms?"
Arthur hesitated.
Then he pointed toward the eastern wing.
"There is an old archive room beyond your father's study. It was sealed after his death."
Davis's pulse quickened.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Because I was instructed not to open it until the Blackwood heir was ready."
"And you decided I wasn't ready?"
"I decided that a grieving child deserved time to grow up before being burdened with his father's enemies."
Davis couldn't argue with that.
He had been young when his parents died. He had spent years moving between relatives and struggling to understand why his family's fortune had disappeared.
Arthur had protected the estate as best he could.
Perhaps he had also been protecting Davis from the truth.
"Show me," Davis said.
They walked down the eastern corridor.
At the end stood a tall wooden door, its brass handle tarnished with age. A small silver plate was fixed above the lock.
BLACKWOOD FAMILY ARCHIVES.
Davis removed the silver key he had discovered in his father's desk.
It fit.
The lock clicked.
The door opened with a low groan.
Inside was a long room lined with shelves. Old boxes filled the cabinets, and several metal filing drawers stood beneath a wide table.
A layer of dust covered everything.
Arthur switched on the lights.
"Your father came here often," he said. "Sometimes he would remain inside for hours."
Davis walked toward the table.
There were folders marked with dates, company names, and project titles.
He recognized several of them from the documents Victoria had given him.
Then he found a small wooden box.
It bore the Blackwood family crest.
Davis opened it.
The second man was tall and thin, with silver hair and a distinctive scar running from his left temple toward his cheek.
On the back of the photograph, his father had written four words.
The Four Founding Partners.
Davis turned the photograph toward Arthur.
"Who is the fourth man?"
Arthur examined it carefully.
His face lost its color.
"That is Malcolm Voss."
"Meridian's Malcolm Voss?"
"The same man."
Davis placed the photograph on the table.
"Then the four of them built something together."
Arthur nodded reluctantly.
"Your father, Victor Ashford, Malcolm Voss, and a fourth partner whose name was rarely spoken in this house."
"Who?"
"I never learned his full name. Your father referred to him as Mr. Vale."
Davis searched the nearby shelves.
A thick file caught his attention.
PROJECT ECLIPSE — CONFIDENTIAL.
He opened it.
Most of the pages were missing. The remaining documents contained financial projections, ownership structures, and references to a series of offshore companies.
One page included a handwritten note from his father.
If Eclipse proceeds without safeguards, the entire structure will be compromised. I will not allow the Blackwood name to be used as a shield.
Davis read it twice.
"What was Project Eclipse?"
Arthur shook his head.
"I don't know."
The system chimed.
[BLACKWOOD STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE SUITE ACTIVATED.]
[DOCUMENT ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS.]
[RESULT: PROJECT ECLIPSE APPEARS TO HAVE INVOLVED A MULTI-COMPANY FINANCIAL STRUCTURE.]
[POSSIBLE PURPOSES: ASSET CONSOLIDATION, OWNERSHIP TRANSFER, OR DEBT RESTRUCTURING.]
[WARNING: INSUFFICIENT DOCUMENTATION FOR A DEFINITIVE CONCLUSION.]
Davis frowned.
Even the system could not tell him everything.
He continued searching.
At the bottom of the wooden box, he found a folded sheet of paper.
It contained a list of dates, each accompanied by a set of initials.
The final entry was dated three days before his parents' fatal accident.
Beside it, his father had written:
Meeting confirmed. Vale insists on attending personally.
Davis felt a chill move down his spine.
His parents' deaths had officially been attributed to a road accident.
But what if the accident had occurred because of something that happened during that meeting?
He forced himself to remain calm.
A suspicion was not proof.
He would not condemn anyone without evidence.
"Arthur, did my father travel anywhere three days before the accident?"
"Yes. He went to a private business meeting outside Aurelion City."
"With whom?"
"Mr. Ashford, I believe. And another gentleman whose face I didn't recognize."
"Did he seem worried when he returned?"
Arthur lowered his head.
"Very."
Davis closed the file.
"We need to find the original ledger."
Arthur nodded.
"I will help you."
A sound from the entrance hall interrupted them.
Arthur turned.
"Someone has arrived."
Davis checked his phone.
He had not invited anyone.
A moment later, Elena's voice came from the corridor.
"Mr. Blackwood?"
Davis stepped outside.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said.
"Not at all. What brings you here?"
"I brought the preliminary report on Ardencrest Holdings. I also thought you might need an updated security assessment after the incident at the penthouse."
Davis accepted the tablet.
"You're becoming very thorough."
"It's my job to make sure your decisions are supported by accurate information."
He smiled.
"Then you're doing well."
Elena glanced past him at the open archive room.
"What is that?"
"My family's old archive."
Her expression softened.
"Have you found anything useful?"
"More questions than answers."
"Sometimes that's how investigations begin."
Davis studied her.
"You sound as though you've investigated something like this before."
"Not something involving family secrets and mysterious financial consortia," she replied. "But I have learned that the truth usually hides in the details people assume nobody will examine."
He laughed quietly.
"Perhaps I should let you lead the investigation."
"Only if you promise not to make reckless decisions while I'm doing it."
"No promises."
"Then I'll have to keep a close eye on you."
For the first time that evening, Davis felt the weight on his shoulders ease slightly.
He invited Elena to join him for tea in the drawing room.
As they spoke, a message arrived on his phone.
It was from Isabella.
Isabella: I hope your investigation is going well. I have a feeling you're carrying too much alone. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here.
Davis read the message twice.
Then he typed a reply.
Davis: I might take you up on that. Would you like to visit the estate tomorrow? There's something I think you should see.
Her response came almost immediately.
Isabella: Only if you promise not to show me another mysterious box filled with family secrets.
Davis laughed.
Davis: No promises.
Isabella: Then I'll bring my own detective skills.
He put the phone down.
Elena raised an eyebrow.
"Miss Sterling?"
"Yes."
"She seems to make you smile."
Davis looked at her.
"Is that a problem?"
"Not at all. I'm simply observing."
"You're very observant."
"That's why you hired me."
As the evening progressed, Davis returned once more to the archive room.
He examined the photograph of the four founding partners.
Three faces were now known to him.
Alexander Blackwood.
Victor Ashford.
Malcolm Voss.
The fourth remained a mystery.
Mr. Vale.
Davis stared at the image for a long time.
Then he noticed something he had overlooked earlier.
The fourth man's wristwatch bore a distinctive symbol: a silver circle divided by a diagonal line.
The same symbol appeared faintly on the corner of the encrypted storage device he had recovered from his father's desk.
His breath caught.
The device wasn't merely part of the Blackwood archives.
It might have been connected to Project Eclipse.
And whoever was trying to access it might be searching for the same thing he was.
The truth.
Or the power that the truth could destroy.