SWNOVELS Chapter MISTAKE 134
Chapter 134: Evidence
His looked casual and was slightly disheveled; she was not sure why, but she suddenly wanted to ask about Mercy. She had heard that Justin had her in hiding. But as the thought crossed her mind, she threw it away. "You are back," Justin greeted Daniel when he saw them enter. "I heard you were in a bit of a pinch."
Daniel sighed as he entered. "a little one. The president made his move, but nothing special," Daniel said.
eeves flickered at Anya. "I also heard someone
capture a few heirs and torture them."
Anya looked away but said nothing.
"It seems I should be careful not to provoke her, Daniel said with a fond smile at Anya.
Anya knew that after that incident, she was never going to live it down.
"Of course." Justin produced a small leather file from his briefcase. "I retrieved from her mother's safe, as requested. I haven't opened it yet."
Daniel took the file, feeling its weight in his hands. Such a small thing actually caused so much trouble. "Let's take this to my study. Whatever's in here, I have a feeling we'll want privacy."
The three of them made their way through the mansion up the stairs to Daniel's private study. As the heavy oak door closed behind them, shutting out the rest of the world, Daniel placed the file on his desk. For a moment, they all stared at it in silence. This leather container potentially held the key to the president's secrets. People had died for this. Many had fought to get it and had nearly cost Daniel his life. "Well," Anya said softly, "shall we?"
This was the reason her father had died. She had wanted to know so badly why.
Daniel nodded, carefully opening the file. As he began to remove its contents, a look of confusion crossed his face. "What the hell...?"
Spread out on the polished surface of the desk were a collection of items that, at first glance, seemed utterly simple: several sheets of paper with hand-drawn sketches, an old, leather-bound diary, and a small stack of photographs. Justin leaned in, examining the sketches. "These appear to be technical drawings. This one... I think it's a ring of some kind. And this larger one looks like architectural plans. A building. What building is it?"
Daniel's attention was focused on the diary. He opened it carefully, mindful of its age. "This is in your father's handwriting, Anya," he said.
Anya took the small diary and started reading. It said;
'April 15, 1985: Another meeting with M. He's getting nervous, wants assurances. I told him as long as he plays ball, the evidence stays hidden. The ring is the key-as long as I have it, we're all safe. Or so I thought..."" Anya's eyes widened. "My father was a businessman, right? What's all this talk of evidence and meetings?"
At this point, Anya felt she was deceiving herself somewhat. From what she had seen, heard, and experienced just by being her father's daughter, she knew there was no way he was a businessman. Chaptó: 134 Evidenc
"I don't think he was just a businessman, love," Daniel said gently. "These entries... they read like the journal of a spy. Whether he was a corporate or government spy is what we don't know yet."
He flipped through more pages, scanning quickly. "There's more. References to secret meetings, coded messages. And the ring keeps coming up. Is it the same ring in the drawing? Listen: "The microdot technology is a miracle. All that damning evidence, hidden in plain sight. As long as the ring is safe, M's secrets are safe. And as long as his secrets are safe, our arrangement continues."
pour
Justin whistled low. "Microdot technology? That's some serious government-issue spyware. Microscopic dots containing text or images, often hidden on or in seemingly ordinary objects, because of how small they are."
"Like a ring," Daniel mused. He picked up the sketch, studying it closely. "This must be it. The evidence against the President-the president must be the 'M' in the diary-is hidden in this ring. No wonder he's so desperate to find it, but could not."
Anya, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly gasped. "Daniel," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I... I think I've seen this ring before."
Both men turned to look at her, surprise evident on their faces.
"What do you mean, you've seen it?" Daniel asked.
apo now. I
Anya's brow furrowed in concentration. "It was... God, it must have been a while was at the organization; I don't quite remember when. A man dropped it. I thought he was odd, and it looked like he had dropped the ring on purpose. When I got home, I just kept it. I wasn't sure, but the encounter has been stuck in my head. I kept feeling it was on purpose, but I could never find the owner because I never saw him again."
Daniel and Justin exchanged incredulous looks.
"Baby," Daniel said slowly, "are you saying you have this ring? The one we've been searching for, the one people have died over, in this house
All this while? After all the searching, she had it all along?
Anya nodded, a mix of excitement and tension on her face. "I think so. It's upstairs, in my jewelry box. I kept meaning to have it appraised, but with everything that's been happening"
Without another word, she turned and rushed out of the study. Daniel and Justin were left in stunned silence, trying to process this unexpected turn of events.
"Daniel," Justin said after a moment, "if this is true. If we have the ring"
"Then we have the president by the balls," Daniel finished, a predatory grin spreading across his face. "And he doesn't even know it."
The sound of hurried footsteps announced Anya's return. She burst back into the study, slightly out of breath, clutching something small in her hand.
"Is this it?" she asked, holding out a ring for their inspection.
Daniel took it carefully, comparing it to the sketch. The resemblance was undeniable-the same intricate design, the same unusual setting for the central stone. He looked up at Justin, who nodded in confirmation
"This is it," Daniel said, his voice filled with a mixture of awe and triumph. "The key to everything. Right here in our hands."
As the three of them stared at the odd-looking piece of jewelry, the full weight of their discovery settled over the room.
Chapter 134 Evidence
In this small ring lay the power to topple a president, to reshape the balance of power in Italy.
Daniel closed his fist around the ring, feeling its cool metal against his palm. He looked at Anya, then at Justin. It was really it. All this time, it was in Anya's possession.
"What now?" Anya asked. Daniel handed the ring to Justin. He had some history with
government spyware.
"Lend me a laptop," Justin said, and Daniel pulled out his second laptop and handed it to him.
Justin used a razor to detach the stone from the ring to get to the chip inside.
Soon, they had access on the laptop. It was a very large file. Before opening, Justin immediately started copying it.
When they opened it. Three of them gathered to have a look. When the files started displaying/ on the screen, they were shocked speechless.
What they had in their hands was priceless. The president was one thing. The entire government and the secrets they tried to hide were all there.
The more they opened, the more speechless they were. Each file was worse than the last.
"Oh my," Anya muttered as a smile worked its way up Daniel's face.
"Oh, this is bad," Daniel said. "The country is about to get very hot."