My hands were trembling as Mr. Weiss’s grip tightened on the pendant, his eyes wide with disbelief. For a moment, he didn’t even seem like the kind, eccentric millionaire I’d been working for. He was a stranger—intense, almost unrecognizable.
“Answer me!” he demanded, his voice echoing off the walls of the study.
“I—I don’t know,” I stammered. “It was my mom’s. She gave it to me before she died.”
His grip loosened slightly, but he didn’t let go. “Your mother?” he asked, his voice trembling now. “What was her name?”
“Lillian,” I replied, confused and scared. “Why does it matter?”
His face paled, and he staggered back, releasing the pendant. For a moment, he just stared at me, his mouth opening and closing as if he were trying to say something but couldn’t find the words.
“Lillian,” he finally whispered. “It can’t be. She’s… she’s gone.”
“Yeah,” I said, still clutching the pendant protectively. “She died years ago. What does she have to do with this?”
Mr. Weiss ran a hand through his gray hair, pacing the room like a man trying to solve a puzzle that didn’t make sense. Then he stopped abruptly, his gaze locking onto mine.
“Your mother,” he said slowly, “was the love of my life.”
I blinked, stunned. “What?”
He gestured to the conspiracy board behind me, filled with photos and scribbled notes. “I’ve spent decades looking for her—or rather, for what she took from me.”
“*Took?*” I echoed, my voice rising. “What are you talking about? My mom didn’t steal anything!”
He shook his head. “She didn’t steal it. She protected it. That pendant around your neck isn’t just jewelry—it’s the key to something much bigger. Something dangerous.”
I took a step back, clutching the pendant tightly. “You’re not making any sense.”
He sighed heavily, as if the weight of years had just settled on his shoulders. “The pendant holds the location of a hidden treasure, one that people would kill to find. Your mother knew that. That’s why she disappeared—why she never told you.”
My heart was pounding. Could this be true? My mom had always been private, almost secretive, but I thought it was just her personality.
“You’re lying,” I said, but even I didn’t sound convinced.
“I wish I were,” he said, his voice softening. “But now that you’ve walked into this, you’re in danger too.”
Before I could respond, the sound of glass shattering from another part of the mansion made us both jump.
“They’ve found us,” Mr. Weiss said grimly. He grabbed my arm, pulling me toward a hidden door behind a bookshelf. “We don’t have much time. If you want to live, you’ll have to trust me.”
I hesitated for a split second, but the urgency in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. Whoever “they” were, they weren’t here for tea and biscuits.
Gripping the pendant tightly, I followed him into the hidden passage, my mind racing. Whatever my mom had been hiding, I was about to uncover the truth—and it was far more terrifying than I’d ever imagined.