Blurb：
Ayla Redding thought her grandfather Walter Redding’s will left her with nothing—until she discovered the codicil granting her The Echo Exchange, a mysterious general store deep in the mountains of Haven's Hollow. Her cousin Derek Redding laughed, claiming it was just a crazy story, but Ayla remembered her father's tragic death and Walter's whispered promise: "I will leave the Exchange only to Ayla." Now, with her mother Carol sobbing and Derek threatening eviction, Ayla must navigate treacherous Appalachian roads to claim her inheritance. But as lightning reveals a flicker of movement in the second-story window, she realizes The Echo Exchange holds more than dusty shelves—it holds the key to her family's dark secrets and her own survival.
Content：
§PROLOGUEThe GPS had died an hour ago, surrendering to the Appalachian rain with a final, pathetic beep.
Now, Ayla Redding was navigating by myth and a dying flashlight beam on a map her grandfather had apparently drawn on a cocktail napkin.
The road, a ribbon of mud and betrayal, finally ended not at a destination, but at a dare.
The building slumped against the mountainside, more shadow than structure.
Lightning split the sky, and for a single, heart-stopping second, the sign became horribly clear, swinging on a single rusted chain like a hanged man: THE ECHO EXCHANGE.
And in that same flash, Ayla saw it—a flicker of movement in a second-story window.
She wasn't alone.
§01
Hours earlier, her grandfather Walter Redding's will had been read, and the world had ended.
All of the liquid assets, the family home, everything of tangible value, went to her cousin, Derek.
The relatives had smirked, their whispers sharp as broken glass.
“Who ever heard of a granddaughter inheriting anything? Daydreaming! The old man wasn’t senile! Of course it all goes to the grandson!”
Derek, his face flushed with victory, had immediately stormed the small house Ayla shared with her mother.
“Grandpa gave me the house,” he’d snarled, dangling a set of keys. “You have until sundown to get out.”
Her mother, Carol, had pleaded with him, her voice cracking. But Ayla had pulled out Walter's codicil, a single, handwritten page.
“Who says Grandpa left me nothing?” she’d retorted, her voice shaking but defiant.
“He left me the old general store up in Haven's Hollow. The Echo Exchange.”
Derek had thrown his head back and laughed, a cruel, barking sound.
He’d leaned in, his eyes, small and mean, boring into hers. “That's just some crazy story the old man made up to keep us in line! He tricked everyone, and you were the only fool who fell for it!”
But Ayla remembered.
Ten years ago, her father had stumbled home, his body a canvas of blood and bruises, collapsing on the living room floor.
Walter had been the only one who seemed to understand, cradling his son's head. "Why were you so foolish? Didn't I tell you not to meddle? Why... why didn't you listen?"
Her father, unable to speak through the pain, had just looked at Ayla and her mother, tears streaming down his face, refusing to close his eyes.
Walter, his own face a mask of grief, had pulled Ayla close and made a promise to his dying son.
"I will leave the Exchange only to Ayla. I see it in her... she has a good heart. She's the right choice... You can rest now. I'll take care of her."
Her father had let out a soft sigh, and the agony on his face had finally smoothed into a peaceful stillness.
Download the Novellia app, Search 【 564091 】reads the whole book.
The End