Chapter 65 THE UNDERGROUND (2)

Chapter 65 THE UNDERGROUND (2)
EVENING, BACK AT THE LAKE

The evening had deepened into night. The lake reflected a silver sheen under the soft glow of the moon. Aurora sat on the blanket, the cushions beneath her slightly rumpled from Nicholas’ earlier antics.

Nicholas, swaying slightly on his seat, held a half-empty bottle of wine. His normally composed demeanor had melted into a carefree, drunken blur.

"Nicholas, I don’t think you like me" Aurora said gently, feigning concern as she leaned closer, keeping her tone light.

He blinked slowly, a lazy grin spreading across his face. "Like you? Oh… I like you… a lot" he slurred, his words heavy with wine.

She smiled faintly, letting the moment linger. "Then… why won’t you tell me your dad’s favorite number?"

Nicholas laughed, a deep, slightly hiccupping sound. "My dad… boring man… favorite number? Uh… 4, 8… maybe 6? No… wait, 2… and… 9!" He waved his hands in the air, nearly tipping his wine bottle.

Aurora stiffened slightly, her mind racing. Is that the code to the secret room? she thought, heart skipping a beat.

She leaned in, voice barely a whisper, "Nicholas… is that the code to the secret room?"

He froze mid-laugh, then blinked at her, eyes slightly unfocused but playful. "What? No… no, silly. That’s not it" he said, waving his hand dismissively.

Aurora exhaled slowly, trying to mask her panic. Her fingers tightened slightly around the blanket, thinking quickly.

Nicholas tilted his head, still grinning drunkenly. "But… I can give you a hint… hmm…" He leaned back, squinting at her. "It’s… like… two of my numbers… the ones I told you about earlier. That’s all I’ll say. Keep thinking, love"

Aurora’s mind raced. 'Two of his numbers… from earlier… Number 1 and number 7…' She nodded subtly, a flicker of relief hidden behind her calm expression.

"Thank you… I’ll keep that in mind" she said, keeping her voice even, all while mentally noting the sequence.

Nicholas chuckled again, his head tilting back as he swayed slightly, then muttered, "Now… you look too serious… let’s enjoy the night, hmm?"

Aurora relaxed just enough, letting him enjoy the illusion of drunken camaraderie while keeping her mind sharp. She silently thanked the wine for buying her a little more time.

She exhaled softly, glancing at Nicholas who had slumped a little more to the picnic blanket, his drunken haze evident in the way his head lolled to the side. She reached out, sliding an arm beneath his shoulders and another under his knees with surprising ease.

"Come on… let’s get you home" she murmured, lifting him with the calm precision of someone accustomed to handling heavy burdens.

The walk back to the car was quiet, the only sound the soft rustle of his breathing and the distant lap of water against the dock. Aurora maneuvered him into the passenger seat, settling him carefully before slipping into the driver’s seat herself.

The engine purred to life, and she guided the car along the winding roads. He muttered something incoherent behind her, and she only smiled faintly, focusing on the road.

The drive back to the DeLuca estate was smooth. By the time they arrived, the late-night streets were nearly empty. She opened the car door and lifted him with ease again, his arms draped loosely around her neck in a careless imitation of affection.

Inside the mansion, silence greeted them. Antonio was nowhere to be seen... likely out, which suited her perfectly.

Aurora set Nicholas down gently on the sitting room couch, arranging him so he looked comfortably asleep. His wine-scented, careless form was the perfect distraction for anyone who might pass by.

From her bag, she retrieved her phone... she had switched it off earlier that morning. She typed quickly:

"I’m progressing. Will update you later"

A small tap sent the message to Matteo, and with a soft click, she turned off the phone, slipping it back into her bag.

Her eyes immediately turned to the heavy metallic door at the far end of the hall. Her pulse quickened slightly as she approached it.

Aurora crouched briefly to examine the keypad, her fingers brushing lightly over the cool metal.

"Let’s see what you’re hiding" she whispered, almost to herself, before preparing to enter the code.

Aurora’s fingers trembled slightly as she stared at the metallic door. She had tried so many times, her mind calculating every hint Nicholas had given, every number she had observed, but the door refused to yield.

First attempt. Nothing.

Second, third. Each failure tightened the knot in her chest. The quiet of the mansion was almost oppressive now, and the soft hum of the keypad seemed to mock her.

By the seventh attempt, her breath came in shallow, controlled bursts. She pressed the final sequence, "1-7-9-5" and held her breath.

A single, metallic click shattered the silence. The door creaked open slowly, the shadows inside swallowing her whole.

The darkness was immediate, thick, and suffocating, but just as she stepped inside, harsh white lights flickered on, illuminating a narrow stairwell plunging deep underground. The door slammed shut behind her with a bone-jarring "thud," sealing her in.

Aurora’s pulse thundered in her ears as she descended. Each step echoed, a ghostly drumbeat in the silence. The air grew colder, damper, carrying a faint metallic tang that made her stomach churn.

Finally, the stairwell ended. Aurora’s legs wobbled as she stepped on cold stone, the vast underground chamber spreading before her like a nightmare. Ten doors lined the walls, each with a padlock glinting ominously under the stark fluorescent light.

And then she saw the walls.

Portraits of naked girls stared down at her, their eyes hollow. Smears of dark crimson streaked the plaster, painting grotesque shapes that made her stomach lurch.

Paintings, sketches, photographs, everywhere, the evidence of obsession and cruelty. Her fingers itched to turn away, but she could not. She had to find the truth.

She moved cautiously toward the nearest door. The cold stone pressed against her palms as she reached for the handle. Then a faint, trembling sound cut through the silence.

"Please… help me…"

Her breath caught as she froze. The voice was so weak, so desperate.

Aurora’s instincts screamed at her to run, but she could not leave. Not now.

Her fingers tightened around the cold metal handle, and she leaned in, straining to hear the faint voice again.

"Please… help me…"

She took a cautious step forward, and then, without warning, something hard and heavy struck the side of her head. Pain exploded through her skull, and the world tipped violently. She stumbled, tried to catch herself, but her legs gave way. She collapsed flatly on the cold stone floor.

The underground chamber seemed to exhale around her, the fluorescent lights flickering as if struggling against the darkness. Shadows danced on the walls, distorted and menacing. Her vision blurred, and the metallic tang in the air filled her senses.

As she lay there, barely conscious, the voice came again but closer this time, dripping with desperation.

"Save me… please…"

Her eyelids fluttered, the words echoing in the cavernous silence, chilling her to the bone. Every nerve in her body screamed in alarm, but she could do nothing but listen as the room seemed to pulse with unseen life...

The lights flickered one final time before plunging her into darkness. Silence swallowed everything, leaving only the faint, desperate whisper.

"Save me…"