CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FOUR - A Leader Rises from the Shadows

One morning, as Ella collected the mail, she found an unmarked envelope among the bills and advertisements. Inside was a single sheet of paper with a message in typed letters: "Stop digging, or face the consequences." Her hands shaking, she showed it to Lucas. "This is getting out of hand," she said, her voice trembling. "We need to go to the authorities." Lucas examined the note, his jaw clenching. "And tell them what? That we're being threatened by a secret society we can't prove exists? They'll think we're crazy." "So we just do nothing?" Ella asked, frustration evident in her voice. Lucas shook his head. "No, we become more careful. We don't let them know we're onto them." But it was becoming clear that whoever was behind the threats was always one step ahead. Their home security system began picking up strange noises in the middle of the night - footsteps on the porch, whispered conversations just out of the camera's range. One night, Ella woke with a start, her heart poundi