The once-bustling house of Morrel & Son now stands hollow and still. Where laughter once echoed through bright corridors and the air smelled of salt, goods, and prosperity, there is only dust and silence. The courtyards are empty, the offices dark, and of all the clerks who once filled this hive of commerce, only two remain.

One is a young man — loyal beyond reason, bound by love to M. Morrel’s daughter and unwilling to abandon the sinking ship. The other is Cocles, the old one-eyed cashier whom the younger clerks once teased as “Cock-eye.” Time and hardship have made him both master and servant — a man who guards the books as faithfully as he guards his employer’s dignity. His world has narrowed to figures and faith; arithmetic is his last certainty in a house where every other value has begun to collapse.

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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.