Chapter 10 - The Alliance ShiftWhen Nora returned to the estate, she found Lila waiting for her on the front steps, holding a cardboard box filled with old documents, laboratory notebooks, and flash drives.
"What is this?" Nora asked, stepping out of the car.
"It's Mother’s true legacy," Lila said, her voice low and determined. "After you left this morning, I went down into the old root cellar beneath the main house. I remembered there was a hidden wall panel behind the wine racks—Mother used to go down there late at night during the months before the fire."
Nora took the box, looking through the contents. Her eyes caught a leather-bound journal with her grandmother's distinct handwriting.
"She kept a duplicate set of the original deep-sea flora extraction methods," Lila explained, looking at her sister with an expression that was no longer proud, but deeply apologetic. "Grandmother Evelyn didn't just develop a skincare compound, Nora. The original formula was meant to be a medical-grade tissue regenerator—a cure for severe burn victims. Mother stole the research and diluted it to make a high-profit cosmetic cream, hiding the true healing properties because the clinical trials would have taken too long and cost too much money."
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Nora’s breath hitched as she turned the pages of the journal. She saw diagrams of skin structures, chemical balances, and notes written in her grandmother's elegant cursive: For my sweet Nora, so that she may one day look in the mirror and see the future, not the past.
"Grandmother built the company for you, Nora," Lila said quietly. "She knew what Mother did to you. She spent her final years trying to fix it. Let me help you finish her work."
