Chapter 13: The Trap at Black Harbor

The entire Ford Mansion remained silent after reading the anonymous message.

Sebastian looked at the stolen diary's photograph one last time before locking his phone.

"It's a trap," his assistant warned.

"I know," Sebastian replied calmly.

"But we can't let them keep that diary."

Arthur slowly stood up despite the doctors' protests.

"You mustn't go."

"Black Phoenix never leaves witnesses alive."

"Grandpa," Sebastian answered firmly, "they already know everything about us."

"Running won't protect anyone anymore."

Sabrina quietly stepped beside him.

"I'm going too."

"No," Sebastian said immediately.

"They specifically asked for you," she replied.

"If I don't go, they'll destroy the diary."

"And we'll lose the only complete record of what happened to our families."

Sebastian clenched his fists.

He hated admitting it.

But she was right.

The following evening, a black sedan stopped outside an abandoned shipping dock known as Black Harbor.

Fog covered the sea.

Broken warehouses lined the empty pier.

Not another soul was visible.

"Stay close to me," Sebastian whispered.

Sabrina nodded.

Inside Warehouse No. 9, dozens of candles illuminated the darkness.

The stolen diary rested alone on a wooden table.

"Too easy," Sebastian muttered.

"Don't touch it," Sabrina warned.

Before either of them could move, slow applause echoed through the warehouse.

"Excellent."

"You actually came."

A tall man wearing a black mask stepped onto the platform above them.

Behind him stood nearly twenty armed guards.

"Who are you?" Sebastian demanded.

"Names are meaningless."

"Around here... they call me Raven."

"Leader of Black Phoenix."

Sabrina stared at him.

"Why are you doing this?"

Raven laughed quietly.

"Because your parents made a very expensive mistake years ago."

"They discovered something they were never supposed to see."

"What did they discover?"

"That's a story for another day."

"Tonight... I'm only here to test you."

He pointed toward the diary.

"Take it."

"Go ahead."

Sebastian didn't move.

"It's trapped."

"Very good," Raven smiled.

"At least you're smarter than your father."

Suddenly, the warehouse doors slammed shut.

Heavy chains locked every exit.

"You said this was a test," Sebastian said coldly.

"It is."

"Let's see which one of you is willing to die for the other."

A digital timer lit up on the wall.

10:00

9:59

9:58...

"When the timer reaches zero," Raven explained,

"this entire warehouse explodes."

"There is only one escape tunnel."

"But it only allows one person through before sealing permanently."

Sabrina looked toward Sebastian.

Sebastian looked toward Sabrina.

Neither of them hesitated.

"You take the tunnel," they said at exactly the same time.

Raven burst into laughter.

"How romantic."

"Unfortunately... only one of you can survive."

Sebastian quietly leaned toward Sabrina.

"Listen to me."

"If anything happens... protect Grandpa."

"Absolutely not," she whispered.

"We're leaving together."

"There's no time to argue."

"I'm not leaving you behind again."

Those words caught Sebastian off guard.

"Again?"

"I already lost my mother because I couldn't save her."

"I'm not losing someone else."

For the first time, Sebastian saw tears in her eyes that weren't caused by fear.

They were caused by love.

The timer continued counting down.

06:21...

Suddenly, Sebastian noticed something unusual.

The diary wasn't the only item on the table.

Beneath it was a small remote control.

"It's a trigger," he whispered.

"The explosives are connected to it."

"If we can reach it..."

Before he finished speaking, armed guards opened fire.

Bullets shattered wooden crates around them.

Sebastian immediately pulled Sabrina behind cover.

"Stay down!"

"What about the diary?"

"Forget the diary."

"No," Sabrina replied firmly.

"My parents died protecting that truth."

"I'm finishing what they started."

Ignoring Sebastian's protests, she sprinted toward the table.

"Sabrina!"

Gunfire erupted across the warehouse.

She slid behind the table just as bullets ripped through the wood above her head.

Her fingers reached the diary...

...and the remote.

She pressed the red button without knowing what it would do.

The countdown instantly stopped.

The warehouse lights came back on.

Raven slowly clapped once more.

"Congratulations."

"You passed the first test."

"First test?" Sebastian shouted.

"This wasn't about killing you."

"It was about confirming something."

"What?"

Raven looked directly at Sabrina.

"Whether you're truly your mother's daughter."

He turned and walked into the shadows.

"We'll meet again very soon."

"Next time... the game won't be a simulation."

Within seconds, every Black Phoenix member disappeared.

Only the diary remained.

Sebastian picked it up carefully.

"What exactly are they planning?"

Before Sabrina could answer, the diary suddenly fell open by itself.

A folded map slipped onto the floor.

Across the top, written in Arthur's handwriting, were the chilling words:

"The Final Secret Lies Beneath the Ford Estate."