5 The Final Letter

"This is the second time I've discovered you where you don't belong, young Isabella," her uncle spoke with an eerie calmness.

She tried to form a response, but her voice failed her. Fear and shock held her in a trance as she locked eyes with her uncle. The two guests he had ushered into the drawing room loitered behind him, emanating an unsettling and sinister aura.

"You should have asked permission before venturing here," he continued, unperturbed. "Otherwise, you might misconstrue the purpose of my endeavors. You see, I have been engrossed in achieving great things."

"Is that Olivia?" Isabella blurted out abruptly, interrupting him and provoking a look of unabashed contempt on her uncle's face.

"You came to my house because your mother is a spineless coward in Paris, and so I took you in," he spat, his anger escalating into an unrestrained rant. "It was a favor to my deceased brother. If he hadn't been so determined to meet his end on the other side of the bloody world, you would never have been here, and you would have never served your purpose." She couldn't comprehend his cryptic words, and as he bellowed with bitter conviction, she retreated deeper into the cold heart of the machine, which seemed to awaken in response to his voice.

"You are incapable of grasping the magnitude of my work, its significance. You know nothing of the world, the laws that govern its machinations, true greatness," he approached, seizing the top of her dress. "Yes, that is your dear cousin, my daughter. It's a pity you two never had the chance to meet—I believe you would have been great friends. She, too, was curious, always wandering into forbidden places. But she possessed spirit, determination. It took considerable effort to confine her within that tank, I assure you," he grinned malevolently.

"I want to go home," Isabella sobbed.

"Fret not," her uncle replied, a sinister glint in his eyes. "You can go home. But first, I need you to complete my little project." She didn't notice the knife in his hand until it plunged cold and unyielding into her chest.

...

"Dear Frances,

It is with the utmost regret that I write to inform you that Isabella seems to have vanished from the estate. Search parties have been dispatched, and the local authorities have been notified, but after two days, there is no sign of her. I will keep you informed if there are any developments, but it appears she is lost to us. I can hardly express the depth of my sorrow.

With deepest sympathy and warmest regards,

Your brother-in-law, Edward."