Just at that moment, I heard the familiar engine sound of Mrs. Celeste’s car in front of the gate. She was back, and I was stuck in her locked room with an even bigger secret I had just uncovered. The faint click of the keychain in front of the gate was clearly audible. Every sound was sharp as a stab in my strained nerves. Mrs. Celeste was back.
My whole body froze. My mind went blank. I was in her room. The suitcase was open on the bed and in my hand was the empty wooden box. Everything was an irrefutable mess being caught. Those two words flashed in my head, cold and frightening. If she discovered me, everything was over. She would not only throw me out of the house again, but perhaps do something worse.
Stay calm. You must stay calm, I told myself, trying to force myself to think. The creaking sound of the iron gate opening, followed by footsteps in the yard. I didn’t have much time left. I hastily and messily stuffed the clothes back into the suitcase, placed the empty box inside, and pushed the heavy suitcase back onto the top of the closet with all my might. Sweat broke out.
My head was wet. As soon as I finished, I jumped down and quickly put the chair back in its old place. But what about the door? I had picked the lock to get in. How could I lock it again from the inside? Just at that moment, I heard Mrs. Celeste talking to someone in the yard. Probably a neighbor.
That gave me a few precious seconds. I rushed to the window and looked out. The height from the second floor wasn’t too great, and there was an old corrugated iron roof below. If I jumped down, it would make noise. No, that wouldn’t work. I looked around the room desperately, and then my gaze fell on the wedding photo of Sterling and me.
The only photo that was in the box. A crazy but unique thought flashed. I took the photo in my trembling hand and turned it over. The backing cardboard had come loose at one corner. I carefully slid my fingernail underneath, and behold, under the thin cardboard was no notebook and no key. It was a tiny micro SD card, a memory card for digital cameras, firmly attached to the back of the photo with a piece of transparent tape.
My heart hammered like crazy. This was it, the clue. Sterling hadn’t tricked me. He had hidden it where no one would suspect. Right behind our happy smiles in the wedding photo, a place that was safe and full of meaning. Mrs. Celeste’s voice was already audible under the stairs. No more time. I quickly ripped off the memory card, put it in my innermost jacket pocket, and put the photo back in the empty box.
I had to stage a false crime scene. I ran to the door and kicked the door frame with all my might. The old wooden door burst open with a loud bang. The lock broke off. Immediately afterward, I let out a frightened scream. Thieves. Thieves. Mama. I stormed out of the room, ran down the stairs, looking panicked, my hair disheveled. Mrs.
Celeste, who was just coming up the stairs, froze when she saw me. What? What are you saying? The room? Mama’s room? There are thieves? I gasped, pointing upstairs. I I heard a noise, ran up, and the door was broken open. The thief just fled through the window. Mama, please. When Mrs.
Celeste heard the two words, “Mama’s room.” Her face changed color. She no longer paid attention to me, but stormed up the stairs. She was afraid for her money and the valuables she had hidden there. I stood at the foot of the stairs, my heart pounding like a drum, but I sighed with relief. The plan was successful for now. Mrs.
Celeste stormed into the room, saw the chaos, and rushed to the bedside table where she knocked everything over. When she saw that her jewelry box and the bundle of cash she had hidden under a pile of clothes were still there, she sighed in relief. Those were probably the most valuable things to her.
She turned around, saw the broken door, and then looked at me with suspicious eyes. Did you see him? What did he steal? No, it was too dark. I couldn’t recognize him. He ran away quickly, I stammered, maintaining my frightened expression. I don’t know if anything is missing either, Mama. I saw that he also rummaged through the old suitcase on the closet. When she heard suitcase, Mrs.
Celeste flinched but quickly calmed down. “What could he have stolen from your old suitcase?” she mumbled, beginning her usual monologue. “This house is truly cursed. As soon as I’m gone, someone breaks in. With this kind of security, how is one supposed to live? This is all your fault, you jinx.” I just lowered my head silently and let her curse.
In my heart at that moment, there was only excitement. The memory card. What secret did it hold? Would it be the key to solving everything? The story is getting more exciting and complicated, isn’t it? Amara was very clever to escape this life-threatening situation. But would the memory card truly be the way out? Or would it reveal an even more terrible secret? If you are as excited as I am, don’t hesitate to share this video with your friends and relatives to watch and discuss together.
Who knows, maybe your friends are also looking for a captivating story to entertain themselves after a busy day at work. I couldn’t sleep that night. I didn’t dare stay in that house for another second. I lied to Mrs. Celeste that I was too scared and wanted to stay at a friend’s house for a few days to calm down.
She was too busy dealing with the broken door and her fear of loss to stop me. I quickly left with only one goal in mind, to find a place where I could read the contents of the memory card. I took the last bus and traveled to an old student apartment complex where Jordan was already waiting for me. It was a small, simple room, one of the secret bases she had prepared.
Jordan was already waiting there with a laptop. Are you okay? I was worried. she asked hurriedly when she saw my exhausted appearance. “I’m okay. I made it,” I said, trembling, pulling the memory card out of my jacket pocket. “But it’s not a notebook or keys. It’s this.” Jordan took the memory card in her hand. Her eyes were full of surprise and tension.
She inserted the card into the laptop. The screen lit up, and only a single folder with the name The Truth appeared. My heart seemed to stop. Jordan’s hand trembled as she opened the folder with the mouse. Inside were numerous video files named sequentially, and the first file was recorded exactly 3 days before Sterling’s disappearance. Would the terrible truth soon come to light, and did it have to do with my in-laws, or was there another power behind it? The small room suddenly became strangely oppressive.
The faint light of the laptop illuminated both our faces, which were taught like a stretched wire. Jordan’s index finger trembled, hovering over the mouse, as if she didn’t yet dare to face the truth that was about to be revealed. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heartbeat in my chest.
“Open it,” I said horarssely. Jordan nodded and decisively clicked on the first video file. The video began without sound, only images. It was a hidden recording from a high angle, probably concealed somewhere in Sterling’s study at home. I immediately recognized the familiar room, the wooden table, the bookshelf, and the pose plant I always watered.
Sterling sat across from a strange man. The man was about the age of my father-in-law, elegantly dressed, but his face had something sly about it. They were having a very tense conversation. Sterling repeatedly shook his head. His face was resolute. The other man slammed his hand on the table, pointing his finger at Sterling.
His posture was extremely angry. The argument ended. The strange man walked out annoyed. Sterling sat there alone, leaning his head on the desk, his hands clutching his hair. I could feel his extreme exhaustion and powerlessness in his every gesture. The video ended abruptly. “Who is that?” I asked Jordan. My heart was full of confusion.
“I don’t know,” Jordan said, shaking her head. Her face was confused, too. I never heard our parents talk about him. We quickly opened the next videos. The subsequent video clips were similar, but Sterling’s conversation partners had changed. Sometimes it was a rough-looking man with tattoos, sometimes an elegantly dressed woman.
They all met Sterling secretly, and every conversation ended in tension. Sterling seemed to be cornered by an invisible force. And then we opened the last video. It was recorded only one day before his disappearance. This time, the man sitting across from Sterling was no stranger. It was Mr.
Ellis Vance, my father-in-law. In the video, Mr. Ellis laid a thick folder of documents and a plane ticket on the table. He said something and pushed them toward Sterling. Sterling didn’t look at the documents. He just stared at his father. His gaze was full of pain and disappointment. Then he slowly stood up, knocked over his chair, and shouted something that we couldn’t hear.
His face was red. His hands were clenched into fists. It was the first time I had seen him so angry. Mr. Ellis also jumped up. Father and son stood facing each other. The air was so tense that I could feel it through the screen. Finally, Sterling shook his head desperately and left the study. The door slammed. Mr.
Ellis sank onto the chair, holding his head in his hands. The video ended there, leaving a huge void and thousands of unanswered questions in our hearts. It was clear that Sterling’s disappearance was not only related to Mrs. Celeste and the gambling debt, but was much more complex and dangerous. My father-in-law, the weak, silent man I thought was harmless, was a crucial link in this entire conspiracy.
What had he given Sterling? Where did the plane ticket lead? Why were they arguing so fiercely? Amara, look here. Jordan’s voice trembled. She pointed to a small detail on the screen that I had overlooked. During the argument, part of the document folder that Mr. Ellis had handed over was lifted by the wind.
The camera had managed to record a few faint lines. Jordan zoomed the image in as much as possible. Although it was very difficult to read, we could make out two words. Land conveyance contract. Alpharetta. Alpharetta. That name hit me like lightning. I remembered that shortly before his disappearance, Sterling had told me about a large project his company was pursuing, an ecoousing development project in Alpharetta.
He had poured his heart into it, staying up many nights to finalize the plan. He said that if this project was successful, it would be a major breakthrough in his career. But then he suddenly said that the project had been cancelled due to some legal problems. He was very sad and disappointed then, but I didn’t ask further.
Could it be? Jordan and I looked at each other, the same thought in our heads. Could it be that the project hadn’t been cancelled at all, but stolen by his own parents? And who were these strangers in this chain of intrigue? My head spun. The truth was not a straight line, but a tangled web of lies and crimes. I felt like a moth.
The more I searched for the light, the greater the danger of being burned. We must find the first strange man, Jordan said, her voice full of determination. He’s the only one who can tell us the whole truth about the Alpharetta project. But how are we supposed to find him? We only had a faint video clip. No sound, no further information.
Our investigation hit another dead end. While Jordan and I felt helpless, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. Jordan, look at the last video again. When Sterling knocked over the chair, did you notice if there was anything unusual on his desk? Jordan rewound the video and we both stared at the screen and then we saw it.
In the brief moment the chair fell, it revealed a small object that was very well hidden under the desk. A black USB flash drive fastened with tape. The black USB stick, a small, ordinary object, appeared in an unusual way. It was like a last glimmer of hope, lighting up in the dense darkness of intrigue and lies. Jordans and my heart started racing again.
Sterling, he had foreseen everything. He hadn’t left the clue in the wooden box, but in a place that Mrs. Celeste would never suspect, right under the desk where she often sat. “It must still be there.” “Absolutely,” Jordan cried softly. Her voice was full of excitement. “My mother is meticulous, but she would never bend down under the desk to clean.
She would only send the cleaning lady and she wouldn’t notice such a small object. But how are we going to get it? I asked. The worry returned. If you go back now, your mother will surely not leave you alone. She’s probably still suspicious because of the last breakin. True. Returning to that house again was extremely dangerous.
After the staged breakin, Mrs. Celeste had certainly increased her vigilance. My plan to play the poor woman couldn’t work a second time. We needed another plan. bolder, more surprising. Or, Jordan thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. Or we stage a real break-in. I looked at her confused, not understanding her intention.
Jordan winked at me, a rare, mischievous smile on her lips. We won’t do it ourselves. We’ll have someone else do it. Have you forgotten? My parents are deeply in debt. They have many enemies. I understood what she meant. Jordan’s plan was extremely risky, but not unreasonable. What are you planning? Among the lone sharks my parents owe money to, there’s a notorious gangster named Scarface S.
He is known for his ruthlessness and audacity. My parents have put him off several times. I will try to feed him a hint that my parents have just sold some property and are hiding a large amount of cash at home. With his greed, he won’t miss this opportunity. He will send people to break into the house and collect debts, and in the chaos, we will have our chance.
This plan made me shudder. Isn’t that too dangerous? What if they harm your parents? Jordan’s eyes were sad for a moment, but quickly turned cold. Don’t worry. People like Scarfaced S only need money. They aren’t stupid enough to commit murder and get into more trouble. Besides, that’s the price they have to pay for what they did to Sterling.
They cornered us, so they shouldn’t blame us for resorting to drastic measures. Jordan’s determination convinced me. I knew that to take on old foxes, we sometimes had to be cruer than them. In the following days, we began to act. Jordan used her contacts in the underworld to feed information to Scarface S. Just as she had said, Scarface S’s crew began to observe my in-laws house only one day later.
Everything was going according to plan. My task was to prepare for our own break-in. I couldn’t go alone. I needed someone who could distract and provide backup. And the person I thought of was Sterling’s close friend who’d been helping Jordan all this time. His name was Elias Monroe, a talented engineer who was also very quick and brave.
After hearing Jordan’s entire story, Elias immediately agreed to help. He said he owed Sterling a lifelong debt. Finally, the decisive night came. It was a night without a moon or stars. The whole street was plunged into darkness and silence. According to Jordan’s information, Scarface S would strike that night. Around 1:00 a.m.
, a small unmarked van quietly stopped at the end of the alley. Two masked men in black clothing jumped out, quickly climbed over the fence, and disappeared into Mrs. Celeste Vance’s yard. They’re inside,” Elias whispered through the small walkie-talkie we had prepared. He was sitting in a car on the opposite side of the street, observing every movement. “We are ready,” I replied.
My heart was pounding wildly. Jordan and I hid in a small alley behind the house, directly under the study window. Only a few minutes later, we heard the loud sound of breaking glass from the front, followed by Mrs. Celeste’s panicked screaming, “Thieves! Robbers! Help me! The plan had begun.
Elias immediately called the local police and reported a robbery. At the same time, Jordan called Mrs. Celeste’s landline with another cell phone. Mrs. Celeste, who was panicking, answered the phone, hoping someone was calling to help. Hello. Help me. Shut your mouth, old woman. Jordan’s voice, which was modified by a voice changer software, sounded threatening.
I’m from Scarface S. Your husband owes us money. We came today to get our money back. If you scream again, I’ll let you meet your son.” When Mrs. Celeste heard the two words, “Your son,” she fell silent. She stammered fearfully. “How much do you want? All the cash and all the valuables in the house.
Cooperate or it will be bad.” Jordan growled and hung up. Jordan’s distraction maneuver was successful, drawing all the attention of Mrs. Celeste and the robbers to the front. Meanwhile, on the back of the house, I quickly climbed onto the second floor balcony with a small rope ladder that Elias had prepared.
I slipped through the study window, which I had cautiously left slightly a jar. The room was pitch dark, but I knew my way around. I didn’t turn on the light, but only used the faint light of my mini flashlight and quickly went to the desk. I knelt down, reached my hand under the desk, and my heart stopped. He was still there.
The small, cold USB stick lay in my palm. I was close to tears of joy. But this was not the moment. I had to get out of here immediately. But just as I prepared to climb out, a faint click sounded from the door. Someone was opening the door to the room. The dry click of the lock echoed in the silence, sharp as a stab in my nerve-wracking thoughts.
My whole body froze. My breathing seemed to stop. Someone entered the room. I was on the second floor. The only exit was through the window, but climbing out now would be tantamount to confessing to breaking in. And who opened the door? One of the two robbers or Mr. Ellis? No matter who it was, being discovered at that moment would have meant that everything would fail.
In this life-threatening moment, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I rushed under the desk, rolled myself into the most hidden corner. The heavy wooden table was covered with a long cloth that reached the floor, which fortunately concealed my body. I held my breath. My heart hammered in my chest and I just begged that the person would not discover me. The door opened slowly.
The light from the hallway poured in, revealing a tall silhouette. It wasn’t the robbers. It wasn’t Mr. Ellis, either. It was a completely strange man. Exactly the one who had appeared in the first video, the sly man who had argued with Sterling. Why was he here at this exact moment? He didn’t come alone. Behind him was one of Scarface Sal’s robbers.
“Boss, everything is going according to plan,” the robber said as he closed the door. His voice was respectful. “The old woman is scared to death and is showing us where she hid the money under the sink.” “Boss!” I froze. This strange man was the mastermind behind everything, not Scarface S. It turned out that Jordan and I had inadvertently poked a bigger hornet’s nest than we thought.
Our plan to use someone else had been exploited by another and had turned into a game within a game. “Good,” said the man, who was called the boss. His voice was deep and radiated power and cruelty. “The money is secondary. Did you find what I need?” “Yes, not yet, boss. I searched the old woman’s bedroom, but found nothing but money and gold.
” “Fool! What do I care about her money and gold? The man snarled. It must be in this room. Sterling was clever. He hid the evidence somewhere here. Search thoroughly. If you don’t find it, I’ll make your life hell. Evidence. Evidence. So, this man was also looking for the evidence Sterling had left behind. Our goal was the same. I lay under the desk.
Cold sweat ran down my back. I held the USB stick tightly in my palm. The thing they were desperately searching for was right here, separated from them only by a thin layer of wood. The robber began to ransack the room. He pulled out the drawers, threw papers and notebooks onto the floor. The loud noise made me flinch.
Boss, there’s nothing here, just old papers, the robber said after a while. The boss cursed. He paced back and forth in the room. The sound of his leather shoes on the wooden floor sounded heavy. Damn it. Where did that guy hide it? It can’t just vanish. If that comes to light, we’re all dead.
He stopped right in front of the desk, separated from me only by the long tablecloth. I could smell the scent of his expensive cigar smoke. My heart threatened to jump out of my chest. Suddenly, the whale of police siren sounded from a distance. It was getting closer and closer. Damn it, the police. The robber panicked.
Boss, what do we do now? The boss also looked confused. What is Scarface S doing? Why did he betray us? Fine, we’ll retreat for now. We didn’t find anything today. Go downstairs and tell the other guy to escape through the back exit. Hurry. The robber hastily opened the door and disappeared.
The boss didn’t leave immediately. He stayed put. His gaze, sharp as a knife, scanned the room one more time. He looked at the bookshelf, at the pictures on the wall, and then he bent down and looked under the desk. His gaze and mine met through the small gap in the tablecloth. For a moment, the whole world seemed to stand still.
He saw me. His eyes widened in shock and then immediately changed to a deadly, cruel expression. “You.” He hadn’t finished the sentence. I kicked the desk leg with all my strength. The heavy wooden table was shoved forward and slammed hard against his shin. He screamed in pain, staggering back. I seized the opportunity, crawled out of the hiding place under the desk, didn’t think for a second, and rushed straight to the window. “Stop!” he roared behind me.
I had no other choice. I climbed onto the windowsill, closed my eyes, and jumped. The impact on the corrugated iron roof below hurt like hell, but I dared not stop. I crawled over the roof, slid down the incline, and then jumped into the small alley behind. I didn’t know if I was injured.
I only knew I had to run as fast as I could. The police sirens were very close. Behind me, I could still hear the furious cursing of the man. Whenever I remember the moment I stood across from that mysterious man, a chill runs down my spine. Do you feel the same way? A powerful stranger was also hunting for Sterling’s secret and seemed even cruer than my in-laws.
Everything is becoming very dangerous. If you also have a bad feeling and want to cheer Amara on this arduous journey, please subscribe to the Kas Stories channel. Your subscription is free, but it is an invaluable support that lets us know you are still there accompanying our heroine. I ran like a mad woman, not daring to look back.
My whole body achd, but fear drowned everything out. I ran to our meeting point where Jordan and Elias were waiting in the car. Amara, are you all right? Jordan was horrified when she saw me. Drive, drive fast, I gasped, clutching the USB stick tightly. The car sped through the night, leaving behind the chaotic house and a partially revealed secret.
Who was this man? Why did he know about the evidence Sterling had left behind? And did he have something to do with my husband’s disappearance? The USB stick in my hand was now not only hope, but also deadly evidence. The car sped through the night, taking us away from the turbulent street. I sat in the back seat, leaning against the back rest, trying to calm my gasping breath.
My whole body was still trembling, not from cold, but from shock and extreme fear. The image of the foreign man’s cruel eyes haunted me, cold and deadly. “Amara, are you okay? Are you hurt?” Elias asked anxiously through the rear view mirror as he drove. I shook my head, my voice. No, just a few scrapes. I pushed up my sleeve.
A long scratch was bleeding slightly from the friction with the corrugated iron roof, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the panic in my soul. Who are they? Who was that man? We were tricked, said Jordan, sitting in the passenger seat. Her face was extremely tense. Our plan was exploited by someone else. This man is much more dangerous than my parents.
We returned to Jordan’s safe apartment. As soon as we were inside, Elias immediately checked the security system. Jordan got the first aid kit to carefully disinfect and bandage my wounds. When I saw her concern and kindness, a warm feeling flowed through me. Amidst the misfortune, I was not alone.
“Tell us what happened in there,” Jordan asked. After making sure I was all right, I took a deep breath and told the entire story. From the moment I broke into the study, discovered the empty box and the memory card to the moment of confrontation with the strange man and my last minute escape. When I told them how the man ordered the robber to look for evidence, both Elias’s and Jordan’s faces changed color.
“So this man is also looking for it,” Elias said, holding the USB stick I had given him in his hand. His eyes were full of thought. That proves that the content in here is extremely important. Maybe it’s the key to the lives of many people. Without hesitation, he plugged the USB stick into the laptop.
This time, we were not excited or eager, but tense and anxious. We knew that what we were about to see could be a terrible secret. The USB stick didn’t contain many files, only a single audio file and an encrypted text file. Elias opened the audio file first. Again, a dialogue sounded, but this time the sound was much clearer, probably recorded with a professional device.
I immediately recognized the voices of three people: Sterling, Mr. Ellis, and the strange man. Sterling, don’t be so stubborn, Mr. Ellis said pleadingly, mixed with fear. Give the original plans and all the documents back to Uncle Victor. You can’t win against him. Uncle Victor? Who is that?” I asked Jordan, but she shook her head, too.
“I won’t give them up,” Sterling’s voice said sharply and full of indignation. “Dad, this is not just a project. It’s my life’s work. Why are you betraying me? Why are you selling it to someone like him?” “What do you know?” The voice of the man named Victor rang out, condescending and arrogant. “Business means you have to use dirty tricks.
You are talented, but you are too naive. This project will become a golden goose in my hands. In your hands, it’s just a pile of worthless papers. Listen to your father. Take this money and disappear with your wife and son. Consider it a way to save your life. I don’t need your money. I will report you. And dad, too.
Fraud, embezzlement, moneyaundering, all the things you have done, Sterling shouted. A long silence followed. Then Victor’s voice sounded icy cold and terrifying. Do you think you have a chance? Don’t you know who I am? Fine. If you want to die, I will grant you that wish. Ellis, I’m giving you one week to handle your son.
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