Sophie nudged Gordon into the elevator, and he casually pressed the button for B2.


    When it came to a halt on the second basement level, Gordon simply said, "Let''s head out."


    "Alright." Sophie replied, pushing Gordon out of the lift and into the basement corridor.


    Sophie had never ventured to the Aldridge family''s second basement before. She imagined it''d be a parking lot or maybe a wine cer. But to her surprise, the elevator doors opened to reveal an archive room. The space was lined with cabs that looked like they belonged in a history museum, eachbeled with Roman numerals. It was clear this ce didn''t see much foot traffic.


    Taking it all in, Sophie asked, "Mr. Gordon, is this the Aldridge family''s old intelligence hub?"


    "Indeed," Gordon replied with a hint of nostalgia. "This used to be the intelligence archive, but... it''s been out ofmission for years now."


    In this age of digital information, ces like this had be relics. A singleputer could store all the data from this entire floor, making such manual archiving a thing of the past.


    As Sophie pushed him further in, she asked, "So, are we waiting for someone here?"


    Gordon shot her a knowing smile, "You catch on quick. We just need to wait here; someone should show up shortly. But before they do... we''ve gotta hide."


    Sophie was taken aback by this. "Hide?" she echoed.


    Gordon gestured towards the back of the room, "Over there."This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    They moved to the back, maneuvering through rows of filing cabs. Gordon stopped at one, turned a key, and the entire cab slid to the side revealing a secret room. "Is this our hiding spot?" Sophie asked, intrigued.


    "Yes, it is."


    "Alright then."


    Once inside, Sophie pushed Gordon


    in, and the cab door slid shut behind them. Seeing the door close gave Sophie a brief moment of. unease, but Gordon reassured her,


    "No Worries, I can open it from here."


    "Okay," Sophie nodded, flipping on the light switch. The room was dimly lit, with only a few pieces of furniture suggesting its use as a hideout.


    The light flickered, casting an


    awkward glow over the room.


    Sophie nced at Gordon, who sat quietly, eyes closed, leaning back in his wheelchair, his expression calm andposed.


    Meanwhile, over at the Burke family estate-


    The news of the Aldridge family arranging Sophie''s funeral spread like wildfire through Devonport. James Watched the reporters gathering outside his window,


    eager for a scoop on how he felt


    about his ex-wife''s sudden passing.


    Unfazed, James drew the curtains, shutting out the chaos. Joseph entered the room, asking, "Is everything set?"


    "Yes," James replied coolly. "We can head out now."


    Joseph was eagerly anticipating uncovering the treasure''s whereabouts. He turned to James, saying, "Soon, our little family will be back together."


    James, however, remained stoic, his face betraying no emotion as he looked at Joseph.