The drive to the Carter estate was a blur of high-speed maneuvers and silent tension. Arthur's private security had finally intercepted the Onyx Group's sedan, allowing them to slip away into the winding roads of the hills. But the safety of the mansion no longer felt absolute.
As they burst through the front doors, Eleanor Carter was sitting in the drawing room, calmly sipping tea. She looked up, her eyes landing first on Arthur's frantic expression and then on the weathered blueprint tube in Alicia's hand. She didn't look surprised. She looked relieved.
"So," Eleanor said, her voice soft but steady. "The foundation has finally been uncovered."
"Mother, no more games," Arthur demanded, stepping into the center of the room. "We were followed by the Onyx Group. Alicia's father left a note. It said the Carters weren't the only ones watching, and then I find out your name is on a shell company with her parents. What is 'Everglow' really?"
Eleanor set her teacup down with a delicate clink. She stood up and walked toward a portrait of the Carter family that hung over the fireplace. With a practiced motion, she pressed a hidden catch on the frame, and the painting swung forward to reveal a small, fireproof safe.
"Henry thought he was the one in control," Eleanor began, her back to them. "He thought he was protecting the family legacy by silencing Alicia's parents. But Henry was a blunt instrument. He didn't understand that the blueprints Alicia's parents drew weren't just for buildings. They were for a new type of clean energy technology—something that would make the Onyx Group's oil and gas empires obsolete."
Alicia gasped, clutching the table for support. "My parents... they discovered a way to change the world?"
"They did," Eleanor turned around, her eyes misty. "And I was the one who funded them. I used my family's old money, hidden from Henry's accountants. We were going to launch it the week of the crash. But Onyx found out. They didn't just want it buried; they wanted the patent. Your parents died to keep that technology out of the wrong hands, Alicia."
Arthur stepped toward his mother, his voice a mix of shock and betrayal. "You let me believe for ten years that it was just a tragic accident. You let Alicia suffer in poverty while you sat on this secret?"
"I had to keep you both alive, Arthur!" Eleanor's voice finally cracked. "If Onyx knew I had the other half of the key, they would have killed you too. I had to wait until you were powerful enough, and until Alicia was brave enough, to find the coordinates."
Eleanor reached into the safe and pulled out a small, metallic cylinder—a twin to the one Alicia had found. "One tube holds the map. The other holds the digital key to the vault in the mountains. Together, they are the 'Everglow'. And now that Onyx knows you have the map, the clock is ticking."
A sudden sound of breaking glass echoed from the foyer. The security alarms began to blare a continuous, piercing tone.
"They're here," Arthur growled, pulling Alicia behind him. "Mother, get to the safe room. Alicia, stay with me. It's time to see if this foundation is as strong as we think."