Chapter 17 - THE NOTEBOOK OF MARTIN CROSS
The leather cover of the notebook had cracked with age, yet every page inside had been carefully preserved.
Daniel opened it slowly.
Instead of technical drawings, the first pages contained daily notes.
Day 14: Edward says every design must be understandable by the youngest apprentice in the room.
Day 29: Complexity impresses investors. Simplicity changes industries.
Daniel smiled faintly.
"That sounds exactly like him."
Richard nodded.
"Edward Reeves believed knowledge only mattered if other people could use it."
As Daniel continued reading, the entries became more personal.
His father described long evenings in the workshop, disagreements with investors, and growing concern that financial pressure was beginning to outweigh engineering principles.
Samuel noticed one sentence underlined twice.
> Never let ownership become more important than integrity.
Samuel folded his arms.
"Your father wasn't only building machines."
Daniel looked up.
"He was trying to protect the people building them."
Ryan searched another shelf and discovered several rolled blueprints sealed inside metal tubes.
"The drawings are still here."
Richard examined the seals.
"Untouched."
Daniel carefully closed the notebook.
"My father always believed someone would eventually come looking for the truth."
Samuel answered quietly.
"Maybe he wasn't waiting for the right lawyer."
He looked around the underground archive.
"Maybe he was waiting for the right people."
The room suddenly felt less like a hiding place...
May you like
...and more like a message left for the future.
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