You never meant to find anything. All you wanted was to help Nate clean out his late grandfather’s study at the Van der Bilt estate—a maze of mahogany shelves, cigar smoke, and old secrets.

But when you pulled out a dusty leather-bound journal from the back of a locked drawer, everything changed.

Nate was sitting cross-legged on the floor, sorting through papers. “What’s that?”

You held up the book. “It has your grandfather’s initials. Looks ancient.”

He frowned, standing and taking it carefully from your hands. “I’ve never seen this before.”

The lock was old, rusted. You used a paperclip, and with a quiet click, it opened.

Inside were pages of neat handwriting, dates, and names— but the deeper you read, the stranger it became.

Donations to political campaigns no one had ever heard of. Meetings with people who didn’t officially exist. Mentions of “preserving the Archibald name” and “keeping the truth buried.”

You looked up at Nate, your voice trembling. “This… this isn’t just family business, Nate. It’s a cover-up.”

He stared down at the pages, expression darkening. “My family’s built everything on legacy, reputation, money—” he swallowed, “but I never thought it meant this.”

That night, the two of you sat together on the floor, piecing through letters and documents. The air smelled of old ink and betrayal.

The more you uncovered, the clearer it became: the Archibald empire wasn’t built on honor—it was built on secrets, deals, and silence.

At one point, you reached for another envelope and brushed his hand. He didn’t pull away. “You shouldn’t be part of this,” he whispered.

You met his gaze. “Then stop thinking I’m part of your family’s mess. I’m part of yours.”

His eyes softened, the tension fading for a moment. “You always say things that make me want to kiss you.”

“Then maybe stop talking and do it.”

He did—right there, between the shelves and shadows of his family’s history, his lips brushing yours like an act of rebellion.

When you pulled apart, the journal lay open on the floor, a single line underlined in red ink:

“The truth will always belong to those brave enough to find it.”

You looked at Nate. “So what now?”

He took a deep breath, eyes steady. “Now… we tell the truth.”