The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 41

Annelise had no time to admire the sickeningly meticulous tidiness of the space.

She walked briskly to the massive mahogany desk and pulled open the first drawer.

Inside were a few recent international medical journals, a stack of blank documents stamped with the hospital's official seal, and a pad of unsigned, blank prescription forms.

Annelise's gaze lingered on the prescription pad for two seconds.

She picked it up and examined it closely.

It was just a standard pad, nothing out of the ordinary.

She pulled open the second drawer.

Inside lay only a small, black metal lockbox.

It was secured with a compact combination lock.

Annelise didn't rashly attempt to pry it open.

Taking out the old-fashioned phone she had kept hidden in her pocket, she snapped several photos of the lockbox from different angles.

She memorized its exact placement and the numbers resting on the combination dials.

This way, if anyone touched it, she would notice immediately.

Once done, she closed the drawer and turned her attention to the three-tier filing cabinet beside the desk.

It wasn't locked.

Annelise pulled open the top drawer, which was filled with various financial statements and investment portfolios, all neatly categorized in different folders.

She flipped through them quickly, scanning for any mention of "the Sargent Group" or "medical."

Nothing.

She opened the second drawer.

This one contained all sorts of contracts.

Real estate deeds, vehicle purchase agreements, and various commercial partnership contracts she couldn't quite decipher.

Just as she was about to close it, the side label of a manila folder caught her eye.

Written in black marker were two words.

"Family Insurance."

Annelise's heart gave a violent jolt.

She pulled the folder out and opened it.

Inside were the insurance policies for all the core members of the Lehman family.

There was life insurance for Barnum, critical illness coverage for Lizzie, and even... an accidental death payout confirmation letter for Elias.

Annelise's fingers turned the pages one by one.

Her movements were incredibly light, terrified of leaving fingerprints on the glossy paper.

Suddenly, her fingers paused.

Sandwiched between a thick stack of receipts was a separate, brand-new policy.

It was infant insurance.

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