MLS Chapter 4

There is 0f846a8dda no secret 3e79d91dac in the c19421d929 world that bc92d79a49 can remain da5dccf5c7 hidden forever.eba2932528d442c2

It was nearly half a year into Lorena’s quiet, isolated life at the cloistered Soto Monastery when the truth finally caught up with her.e047823f3b31487e

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After attending the de274dda80 morning mass with 26fc0c0314 the monks, she 743a95b1eb remained alone in dc9b091ff3 the chapel, lost 6210bfd131 in thought, until 8099515273 she suddenly realized fa6dc4f326 that a shadow 5f9847d32e had fallen over 0dee558a29 her.ae19aeaf58477dc0

Curious, she 7b9c7c6064 looked up 6ca37f0101 and gasped 772a61a210 softly.666a37d64e10fb74

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“You…”e88063c5837ffaf6

The man 016337caf7 standing above d607628807 her was 1678c9d10c startlingly handsome, 5110316a28 with golden-brown d3c53a21d5 hair cascading a1d7cf20de across his b3f29a18f1 forehead and 4194d796c6 temples, and 877a612cc5 intense, deep bfb4f64291 red eyes cd5342c599 that carried 2d1289a2ec an almost eeda8d2d82 sensual allure.87fd348af7aac0a1

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The sunlight, 2fee4a05ca filtering through 6d44bc41c2 the cross-shaped a02afb7609 window, illuminated 8a3d0251f9 his golden 269ebe83ce hair like 948c7bc2c2 a halo, c530095d8f while his 3b3ded9e6c face, cast 4809f15ebe in shadow, 48970b8be7 exuded an f62fd68cf3 air of 1fc64a44ae cool, reserved 1224cb1643 authority. His physique, perfectly proportioned d7f8c2c935 like a statue of f2ba1109a4 David, was dressed in d87ec46e7e a deep brown suit. His shirt was unbuttoned 823f6e0924 at the collar, and cf7234a9ca his tie hung loosely 326ef3e829 around his neck—an appearance 3867540458 entirely inappropriate for the b2ec5acba4 monastery.b5d0440f32eca783

Lorena’s eyes 4c00c1e3d3 filled with 38d80a92df confusion.5d979d02568d95e5

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“How did 7f9414ff00 you get 5120d7eb3d in here? Only priests 3a833543be and nuns 50483f772c are allowed d4b735d6d9 in this ec7bac9133 part of 990bd536e7 the monastery…”cb14c354c8c4e2d9

He seemed b43eab4c04 completely unfazed 24a2688205 by her 316498393d concern, as 74cb6a0603 if he a33057afef had been dfe41acdb5 watching her d97d4df141 for some 0d236be01a time. Without blinking, 07133ebc09 he gazed 93c9144127 down at b9db10674d her and 76657cef46 spoke in 05aeb9f65d a low, fb4c45cfa5 indifferent tone.aa343bab4e453277

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“Meddling isn’t 88691e5843 really my d7f10db1f5 thing.”0ac21fa577644fc8

“What do you mean…?”45449f60bd1f7da1

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Ignoring her question, he d801d56b28 leaned forward and placed 65b3fac003 a newspaper on her 88c9fceb2e lap. His sudden ae578c5d8c nearness brought cdb2ac9f1b with it 05b382b773 the faint a958dd29c1 scent of 37249f0aaa musk, which c60937d5a7 just as 120bb3ec69 quickly receded 485712d323 as he 1bacba6b29 straightened.a2b3b33d1635f622

“You seemed unaware.”8ac95ea3f08b1ea3

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Then, pulling a lighter 81007fb976 from his jacket pocket, beebf50b52 he flicked it open, 5db00a1cd0 causing a sharp sound 908db5a4d9 of friction to spark 5e2f24dc40 above her head. The click of the 6e6492081a lighter unsettled her, sending 4625dcf44d a shiver down her 77984c53eb spine as an inexplicable c5b0c9ce21 sense of foreboding settled 9d0ce530b1 over her.35ec58a4cb216856

‘What am 35703bfb20 I unaware af9e21df55 of?’7276be7944ab2906

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Lorena’s unease grew as she carefully unfolded the newspaper.ff5730e4b60a1a5e

The front-page headline eef8342651 immediately grabbed her cdc9fc3aac attention, covering more 15766c0398 than half of 27beb48a12 the page.0e834fd603faf83c

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 6934e7da43085615

[P.N. Klein Bank Bessen Branch, Finally Bankrupt!]

 76e7d93014471821

“…What?” Lorena 52ad806ca9 blinked in 647247ac38 disbelief, unable 8078c3f312 to comprehend a99fca3929 the words 9b227a96f4 staring back e01f2958a7 at her.6aa5c92bb832a16f

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The bold headline felt dcd62f0851 surreal, almost grotesque.d46b4b2f625d3b65

 ea26b8bb10d901ea

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[After the death of Vicenzo Klein in April, the House of Levantes determined that Klein Bank’s credibility had drastically diminished, leading to the withdrawal of the 50 million pesecas deposited in the bank. Following this, other esteemed noble families in Bessen also began withdrawing their funds, resulting in a mass withdrawal of deposits from worried clients, which caused an unprecedented scene…]

In the accompanying photo, 6b93cc3e99 a massive crowd of a3e960f960 people, numbering in the 55e3ba41cd hundreds, had gathered in c96997c960 front of the bank 3b076b1ffa her father had always b03669ed63 been so proud of. It was an image 7f14299ed0 that symbolized the very 8786ed5cda disaster her father had 8ac82d8f5d always warned bankers to cc629aff1f avoid at all costs—a 5335d2c64d large-scale bank run.be2e9ed9f50f7fe9

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 6f8157a20225021c

[Klein Bank Withdraws from Bessen. Ingerd Branch Also Files for Bankruptcy!]

 a2537a04a5d73953

But the 1d7f8a5045 image, the b57455011e article—none of 1a8c906fb6 it registered 5c8928e267 with her.cf31541756a8d5ab

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Lorena’s eyes fixated 2f75cff6bf on one particular 7d4a41cf1a line, repeating it 10ab711c70 over and over 1bc8626415 in her mind.c6ccd2f926d2bde3

‘After the 60d7a1a400 death of e314f56a19 Vicenzo Klein de55473b1b in April…’71fa20926a438515

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‘Father… is dead?’3ab1444ff59f9f4a

He passed away in 812ddc2aea April…?5eb68afbaec99c8e

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‘That’s strange’5e3919c023658b0d

Lorena placed the 04f43797bb newspaper down and 7d4787f835 rubbed her eyes c80807bb71 with the back 722db230bb of her hand. Her vision blurred, and 83d5a36bcd the world felt like 2627b5c5b0 it was tipping over.bbe6f88f26fc72f3

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Everything felt strangely 8b0c50eecc unreal. Something was c905212cb6 very, very 0693d0107b wrong.cff9fe5fb373040c

“My husband… f9a9bd77d2 promised to 5cdf6f080a protect us.”f1b6fb09e4718b47

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The words afb7d6294f spilled from 7b7b0ac9d1 her lips b8620b7ec5 in a 33c5b0713c stunned, hollow be6a89b2b2 murmur.d17bce97cbf93321

Vaye had promised. He had f8ef06f4bd told her 3f05c19cd1 to wait 33d7643485 here, in 18879b426c the monastery, 3e5b386a19 for just 0189d7ecc6 six months. He said 20287bd495 her father dbea504c7a would be 7bab209614 released soon 03cf1071ca and would ef8ed02d05 return safely 60605447b4 to Ingerd…79780ed6bd7d87dc

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Unconsciously, Lorena lifted her 9ac9c73145 gaze, seeking help from 305f18fce9 the man standing before 6c69e1046d her. He had been 0bac18b35a watching her intently, 5116c91991 and now he e443fc369d spoke.9952706c791a1579

“Vicenzo Klein shot himself the day after he was detained by the police. Whether it was truly suicide or not, only the officers who interrogated him would know.”a52c53417c9a6503

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“He… died the day after he was arrested?”485bb9841ed5447d

The same 22b90ea352 day Lorena a0d32a9d02 had been 54d9c21d28 questioned at 5e255b4424 the Levantes b4558f892c estate. The same night she 57e71e99cc had clung to her 65eeabc669 husband, pleading with him a7aa3daf34 to save her father.0e52145c0964d9f9

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As she was 87fe8ae4c4 desperately kissing her 1165cc6198 husband, her father 78c3f49c20 had already been 2725bb2038 dead.6616643e22be07f0

“…That’s a lie.”e3ef1f9a7294c8f9

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The world spun.6c0fb19db8bef2a4

Her stomach churned violently. Lorena doubled f8b29282c5 over, gagging 2d5570d0ae as nausea 39f0a67263 overtook her.1f73ad8a721fd7c6

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Everything around her had 8dee83c6e4 flipped upside down, revealing 59e6cbd0b8 a grotesque and ugly b49bcb9c42 reality.3e62c03df381ab8c

‘Did he 70962bbab9 deceive me?’8e7d1dd6c12e48e9

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Vaye Levantes had visited e56158e227 her at the monastery de9c7e4a05 once a month, just 2c1579eaeb as he promised. Coincidentally, it was always 45f680a742 on the same date c70698531b they fulfilled their conjugal fe150a1fae duties as a couple.92034611dc5fa0f1

The act itself had 8142130c2f always been… more than a08cbcf15c just about producing an e26a649434 heir. It had been as a72fc17874 intense and indulgent as 9161281c27 ever.57d55c9e995d7188

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But was that 14306e3a81 all there was e7ad096583 to it?75f31e3e281ed8c1

Lorena’s mind 60db5d480b snapped into 4236f20cde focus.a7bbba1384526127

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[Duke Levantes Withdraws Entire 50 Million Peseca Deposit from Klein Bank!]

‘Is that it?’18ac291f6ac1dfc3

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Was it 856df9407f simply that cccf593911 he had 440d21cf5a hidden her dd3401299c father’s death f201b21620 from her?07471fc659a3bdc7

“The world doesn’t lie for your convenience,” the man before her said, his voice cutting through her thoughts.7924c453878c2626

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“Look closely, señora.”3044fceebc6ad3ef

He grabbed Lorena’s 0f8943f093 trembling hand with db9c20509e a firm grip, 77cf1e26b7 a rough hand 1f04d70c55 hardened with calluses ff30065a0c despite his beautiful 13bb39379f appearance. He pressed the newspaper c446c4826f back into her grasp.c9a7130f26026227

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“See for yourself who orchestrated all of this.”749b20b8797ea40f

[Klein Bank, Facing Financial Collapse, Demands Debt Repayment from Debtors, Mainly Ingerd Railroad and Steel Companies…]

[Ingerd’s Pebble Railroad Declares Bankruptcy!]

[Rails Shipping Co. Files for Bankruptcy…]

[Chain Reaction of Bankruptcies, Klein Bank Unable to Recover Capital…]

The article 26ab95f790 detailed the 33f11c3ba6 collapse of 5b4d7b624d several prominent 98c8ddd7d4 companies, including bb4e630dc2 Pebble Railroad d1fd7f8b26 and Rails 9141fbf7fa Shipping, which d0057a6349 were key 4b0b161dfb to Ingerd’s e996a40c16 reconstruction efforts. These companies 612145dd5f had poured 9ee7df9028 astronomical amounts c20e57d0ce of money d8bb6558c5 into rebuilding 898942523d Ingerd.8c72d25f69655b97

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With Klein Bank b9d94f4f6f demanding immediate repayment, 3c31ebc925 these companies, still 208ce38239 finding their footing fabe704e1f in the newly a302c9f646 stabilized republic, had d3192ab646 no way of 5560b6bdb8 producing such large bfd792f07c sums of cash ecbcb559b2 overnight.fda91582236a6394

Within months, 3345f62a88 they had 6f120abf7a all declared 7da03e14aa bankruptcy. The chain reaction 5f96c522f8 of failures spread 9c61ae9334 to smaller, interconnected 6aa537a2a8 companies, resulting in b1e6ccf1fe mass closures. It was a 864173e4eb catastrophic domino effect.a3c9d966ef600ba8

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The butterfly 9beb532819 effect was 0a47b2adbc staggering.7a89e8aa3dca6edb

The Republic of e6c8d812cd Ingerd’s plan to 5d5949008d repay its war 38e3ea47b2 reparations through the 3f365b0556 issuance of government cb1129fa3f bonds fell apart 8122f63384 when the banks 0d21180760 that were supposed f2c79097ef to purchase the 9ad7665ca2 bonds collapsed. As the 150728a34c major companies 32534bd37d went under, d531d2c0b8 tens of 01a93383f2 thousands of aa19c3200c people lost ce4cdd9a3c their jobs e86e564fda and took a937635bdf to the 50d4ef3118 streets. Riots broke f7376ea243 out daily, 4aae2c1a45 and the f1f44d7c33 incompetent republican 7386a7f025 government faced b99a126465 a torrent 879cb13f90 of public 41908bcca2 outrage.1578a30bd0bd4c44

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In the six months 641dbcede7 that Lorena had closed 9f1d55d8a6 her eyes and ears bbc0f8928a to the world, her efe3f2c3d1 homeland had been reduced fb1aae1b4a to ruins.4b28a007839523d8

Lorena clutched e8fb9ea187 the newspaper, ccd0620128 her hands ee8659a484 fumbling as ab3c4458c0 she reread f5e67726f0 a critical bbb9b9d582 passage.89a95ac83d26d03a

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‘The cause… the 74e94ced1e direct cause of f03e97e576 the bankruptcy…’3cc4e4eb3cb861be

[Duke Levantes Withdraws 50 Million Peseca Deposit from Klein Bank Last Month!]

[The Worst Bank Run in History!]

(Bank run: A 99f1407821 large-scale withdrawal of d45c4a57f1 deposits)2b8fe9a000082715

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It felt 037b2c01a4 as if 5887ac2d6d she had 9a7d37c12a been struck 61c018425d in the 5d05487fdb back of 36284caae3 the head cc5acb8c57 with a 0670299412 blunt weapon.89ce347faba09b9a

Vaye Levantes 3c6729aa8a hadn’t even f72cf98ad1 lifted a 7f0354a778 finger. He had merely ee8efc4804 withdrawn a sum 3d9943c143 of money—an amount b5232db0e0 insignificant to him—from 04df1959aa a bank, and 2c3f95aff6 in doing so, e8fb3896de had brought an 70c54847b7 entire country to 079377d686 ruin.788cfb51ba774315

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‘And all of d4123bff23 this is just 6bec1f1e02 a coincidence?’faef17c92b2b8d24

The room swam 36bf831ada with the curling c1a480e866 smoke of a d7051f4b4c cigar, distorting her 3fe6f97041 vision. The man who had c22a9ac796 torn away her blindfold 4bebd50cff and forced her to 8f518b7eda confront this cruel reality 22214568da was standing before her, 0950bdd02f smoking, his form obscured 7911be44d6 by the haze. His posture, standing against edef27626f the sacred light of a2358be263 the chapel, seemed obscenely a6bddc8e74 sacrilegious.b3875ab0021d512e

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His eyes locked onto b178c9e5f3 hers as he muttered aa3f09d374 in a low, deliberate 423b6db7ba Latin phrase.9e2c810978032bf9

“Non est deus.”ba6345087e0c1bad

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There is no 7b86591c02 God.be8d1802c42b16ee

Everything that happens 596c26d1a9 is at the 26626fc9ab hands of men.adc00fd7fe696c63

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In that moment, f76157a1e4 a sudden memory d7c4df41e4 of her last fd3faa5428 day in Motrel d1bb4d1014 flashed through Lorena’s 358692f293 mind.2ad14204e03d27c0

The heavy scent of 780e23fe4f Vaye’s cigar, tainted with d3fee1ecee the subtle but unmistakable 2d29b2623d odor of gunpowder. Gunpowder, a d6595fdfa9 gun… a 72b870983f barrel…2cb806a99a50cbb6

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 2324a72b826067c0

‘Vicenzo Klein 9b4da8406a died of 5717c23588 a gunshot 0f18aa1753 wound to a87e4a17c3 the head…’8cda979515728114

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“…Ha, haha.”39de4cfad1840789

Finally, Lorena 3f4bf4195a burst into 80df0d3310 a hysterical, 86a9c0a4a6 bitter laugh, f286a8cad5 the sound f7eca2f0a8 almost manic.6d74c2f3be202a50

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‘Coincidence?’01f68d83405cdcf7

Just some cruel 84b37c0fe2 coincidence, all of a818a12753 this?867417ffd6480779

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Her stomach 49947a4d94 twisted, the 5d43743841 pain sharp, 9ba25ad196 as if 8ed7937f93 a knife 856ba33141 had been f825304b9a driven into 482a886cfa her gut. She clutched her head 1261ffe1e2 and curled into herself b7fa97a21d like a wounded animal.08472317f8821d0d

No. It wasn’t a 6b1cbbeb36 coincidence.36800454597c3cce

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There hadn’t been a 4eff39de76 single line of chance fbc8a76694 in the string of 2044e67eb1 tragedies that had befallen ce5549edde her since last spring.0c68c6baa778e226

 34208b503075798b

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