Never See You Again

Maeve pulled the folding chair out of the box and set it down next to Zion with a cheerful grin. “Alright, Mr. Spencer, show me what you’ve got” 

Seeing her smile, Zion reached out and gave her rosy cheek a playful pinch. “Alright, I’ll try not to keep my wife waiting too long.” 

He tapped the floor tile beneath the column, and with a sharp crack, the tile broke open. Zion chuckled softly and said, “Looks like this place hasn’t seen a renovation in a hundred 

“What?” 

Marve leaned closer and saw the tile shattered effortlessly. After a moment, she remarked, “That tile must have cost a pretty penny.” 

“I’ll cover the cost,” Zion said as he lifted the dirt–covered bricks beside the pillar. Inside, he discovered a sealed mahogany box that looked remarkably antique–like something from a century ago. 

“This mahogany box is exquisitely crafted. It must be valuable,” 

“Definitely a relic from a hundred years ago.” 

Marve noticed the intricately designed lock on the box and frowned. “I doubt even my uncle has the key to this.” 

Maeve had never seen Patrick use such a small key, so it was Hely he didn’t know about this box hidden under the pillar. podging by the dust, it hadn’t been touched in ages. 

“Take care of it.” Zion took the box. He examined the lock and then removed a thin wire from a necklace around his neck. 

Maeve had never noticed the fine wire hidden in Zion’s necklace. He slipped the wire into the lock and, with a few deft twists, the silver lock clicked open. 

Maeve turned wide–eyed and asked, “Do you know how to pick locks? 

“Just a little” 

“Then why didn’t you open the door last time? 

“That lock was more complex. Besides, you had your own reasons for wanting to know.” 

With that, Zion opened the box to reveal several old books that looked like ledgers from the early 20th century, The blue covers had yellowed with age, and the writing was elegant, suggesting a skilled calligrapher. 

“Is this the Scott family’s ledger 

Mave glanced at the other books and said, “This one is from the Hackett family, and these are from the Spencer and Foster families. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Maeve pondered, “Could these.. be the ledgers from back then?” 

“It looks like the Scott family’s patriarch managed the ledgers for all four major families.” 

“But what could these old ledgers possibly be worth?” 

Maeve was confused. While ledgers are important, it seemed excessive to preserve them so meticulously. 

“These books are quite old and need to be handled with care. Let’s take them back and look them over properly.” 

“Alright.” Maeve placed the ledgers back in the box, and they moved to the house to dive into the contents. 

living room, Marve laid out the ledgers. The entries appeared to begin from the time when the four major families first. “This is an old double–entry bookkeeping method. It looks pretty complex.