Chapter 3 — The Locked Studio
Chapter 3 — The Locked Studio
The next morning, Lena led Adrian across the oldest part of the city.
The key had lived inside a cracked wooden jewelry box for as long as she could remember.
Her father had made her promise one thing.
"Only use it when someone recognizes the mark."
She had never understood why.
Until now.
The address written beneath the box led them to a forgotten brick warehouse scheduled for demolition.
Dust coated every window.
Chains wrapped around the front entrance.
Adrian stared at the building.
"I've searched for this place for twenty years."
Lena slid the old brass key into the rusted lock.
It turned effortlessly.
Inside, sunlight filtered through broken skylights onto dozens of canvases hidden beneath white sheets.
Lena slowly pulled one cover away.
Then another.
Then another.
Every canvas revealed breathtaking paintings unlike anything displayed in the world's greatest museums.
Original works.
Finished works.
Signed only with the same spiral symbol.
Adrian stood speechless.
"Oh my God..."
Daniel Carter hadn't disappeared after creating a single masterpiece.
He had created hundreds.
On a nearby worktable rested a leather journal.
Lena opened it carefully.
The final page was dated three days before her father's disappearance.
"If anything happens to me, never trust Evelyn Monroe."
Lena looked up.
"Evelyn Monroe..."
Adrian slowly turned toward the warehouse door.
"The gallery owner."
At that exact moment...
The sound of engines echoed outside.
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Black SUVs surrounded the building.
Someone had followed them.
