The Heiress's Comeback
Chapter 366: [ Volume 1] Chaper 366 - who are you ?

Chapter 366: [ Volume 1] Chaper 366 - who are you ?

Ray’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, the steady hum of the laptop’s fan filling the silence of the room. He’d opened the files Aron had sent, at first skimming through the information. The dates, the places Esme and Cain had visited, the subtle details—none of it seemed that extraordinary. Just the usual, it seemed, pieces of a life that Ray hadn’t paid attention to until now. The mundane moments that might have once seemed insignificant now weighed heavily on his shoulders.

But then he turned to the later pages. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes widened, his hand faltering over the mouse. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

The next few pages were unsettling. There were photos of Cain’s lifeless body, taken in what appeared to be a hotel room. The images weren’t just candid shots, they were methodically captured, with clear detail of every grim detail. Ray’s fingers trembled as he scrolled through them, his stomach twisting in discomfort. The reality of it was jarring—seeing a person he had once known, someone who had been a part of Esme’s life, reduced to an image in a cold, sterile room.

Ray’s heart pounded in his chest as he stared at Cain’s body. It wasn’t just the physical death that hit him; it was the sense of violence, of a life suddenly and violently cut short. Whoever had taken these photos had clearly been there when it happened.

The image lingered, each angle showing the same cold, still figure on the floor. Ray felt a cold shiver creep up his spine, his eyes scanning the room, noting the details of the hotel room. But something didn’t sit right with him. He leaned closer to the screen, zooming in. His breath hitched as he noticed something strange.

"Wait a minute..." he muttered under his breath, his frown deepening.

He zoomed in on another angle, and then another, until the images filled the screen. Each photo, despite being taken from different perspectives, had one thing in common. The door number. It was visible in the reflection of a mirror, in the background, and even in the edges of the photos where it shouldn’t have been. The number was clear and repeated in every picture. Ray blinked, his mind racing.

Normally, he thought, if such a detail appeared in one or two photos, it might just be a coincidence. But here, in every single shot? It was no longer a coincidence. The same door number appeared in every frame. But how? How could it be possible that a door number—one so ordinary—could be seen from so many angles? Even from a reflection, it seemed unlikely that it would appear so consistently in each image.

Ray’s pulse quickened. Something was off about this. His eyes narrowed as he analyzed the photos further. There was something important about this door number, but why would it be captured so meticulously? What did it mean?

Ray’s fingers trembled as they hovered over the keyboard, each keystroke feeling like a decision that could change everything. The weight of the moment pressed down on him, suffocating and urgent. He typed in the room number, his mind racing through a thousand possibilities, none of them good.

The laptop whirred, the screen flickered, and then it happened. A cartoon tiger, the kind that belonged in childhood memories, suddenly popped up on the screen with an unexpected jolt. It bounced around, grinning wide with an almost unnervingly cheerful expression, its fluffy tail flicking back and forth as if it had no idea what kind of dark path it had just opened.

"Hey, welcome, Esme!" the tiger cheered, its voice far too innocent for what Ray had just uncovered. His hand faltered above the mouse, his heart pounding in his chest. "Esme?" he muttered, the word hanging in the air like a ghost, the echo of it taunting him.

He stared at the animated creature for a moment, as if waiting for some kind of logical explanation to materialize. But all it did was hop around, as if this were the most casual of greetings, unaware of the storm it was stirring in Ray’s gut. His fingers clenched the edge of the table, trying to steady himself. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be a coincidence.

The screen changed again, shifting the focus to a simple line of text below the tiger, "You’ve unlocked the door, Ray." The words seemed to glow, their meaning settling into his bones with an eerie finality. Ray’s breath hitched in his throat. This was no ordinary message. Esme had left this for him—she’d planned this. She had been preparing him for something.

When the screen finally opened, Ray was met with a picture of Esme, Ryan, Ray, Kai, and Jay together on a picnic. It was one of those rare moments frozen in time, a moment that hit Ray harder than he anticipated. He paused, his eyes misting over with tears as the scene in front of him took him back to that day.

They were sitting on a soft blanket, spread out on the green grass in a park with towering trees casting long shadows as the sun began to set. The warm light filtered through the leaves, giving everything a golden glow. Plates of food—sandwiches, fresh fruit, and a pitcher of lemonade—were scattered across the blanket. But what struck Ray the most were the smiles on everyone’s faces.

Esme was sitting on the blanket, her hair loose and flowing in the breeze. She wore a simple yet beautiful blue dress, her laughter filling the air. Her hand was resting on Ryan’s arm as he leaned in close, his eyes filled with a playful spark as he teased her. Kai and Jay sat next to them, both in relaxed clothes, looking genuinely happy, their faces full of light. Ray couldn’t help but smile at the memory, remembering how Jay had insisted they go on this picnic, pulling Esme away from their busy lives. Even Ryan, despite his usual serious demeanor, had joined in, allowing himself to be part of something simple and joyous.