Chapter 9: The Secret Beneath The Company
The words followed me long after Lauren said them.
He was going to make sure you could never come back.
I stared at Ethan.
Waiting for him to deny it.
Waiting for him to laugh.
Waiting for him to say she was lying.
But he didn’t.
That was the answer.
Victor moved toward him.
“What does that mean?””
Ethan looked furious now.
Not guilty.
Angry that the truth was escaping.
“Lauren doesn’t know what she’s talking about.””
Lauren laughed bitterly.
“I know more than you think.””
I looked at her.
“Then tell me.””
She hesitated.
For the first time, I saw something human in her expression.
Regret.
“He told me you would never cooperate.””
My chest tightened.
“So?””
“So he said there were other ways.””
The room became silent.
Victor’s voice lowered.
“Other ways?””
Lauren nodded.
“He said once the company was stable, you would no longer be a problem.””
I felt sick.
I looked at Ethan.
“Did you plan to ruin me?””
“No.””
His answer came instantly.
But this time, I heard something different.
Not confidence.
Desperation.
“I was trying to prevent a disaster.””
“A disaster?””
I stepped closer.
“You keep using that word.””
My eyes filled with tears.
“But the only disaster I see is the person standing in front of me.””
Ethan looked away.
Victor opened the laptop again.
“We need to find this archive.””
I nodded.
“I want to.””
Ethan immediately said:
“No.””
Everyone looked at him.
Victor’s expression hardened.
“Again?””
Ethan took a breath.
“You don’t understand what you’re looking for.””
“Then explain.””
He said nothing.
I smiled sadly.
“Of course.””
I picked up my purse.
“Where is it?””
Ethan stared.
“Claire.””
“Where is my father’s office?””
He didn’t answer.
Victor stepped closer.
“Ethan.””
Finally, Ethan whispered:
“Brooklyn.””
My heart stopped.
Because I knew the address.
It was my childhood home.
The house my father sold after his death.
Or at least, that was what I believed.
An hour later, we arrived.
The old building looked abandoned.
Dust covered the windows.
The sign outside was faded.
But when Ethan unlocked the door, I knew.
Someone had been there recently.
The air smelled different.
Fresh.
Used.
Not abandoned.
Victor noticed too.
“Someone has been inside.””
Ethan said nothing.
We walked through the dark hallway.
My memories came rushing back.
My father laughing in the kitchen.
My mother planting flowers outside.
The life I thought I had lost.
Then Ethan stopped near the old study.
“There.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He pointed toward the wall.
“There was a hidden compartment.””
Victor examined it.
A small panel was almost invisible behind an old bookshelf.
He opened it.
Inside was a metal box.
My hands shook as I pulled it out.
The lock was already broken.
Someone had opened it before.
Inside were documents.
Photos.
A small recorder.
And one envelope.
My name was written on it.
Again.
But this time, the handwriting was not my mother’s.
It was my father’s.
I opened it.
Only one sentence was written inside.
Claire, if Ethan is standing beside you when you read this, do not trust him.
I looked up slowly.
Ethan went pale.
Because behind us, a voice spoke from the darkness.
“You finally found it.””
We turned.
A man stepped into the room.
A man I recognized from old family photos.
My father’s former business partner.
And the person everyone believed had disappeared fifteen years ago.
He smiled.
“Hello, Claire.””
May you like
He looked at Ethan.
“Looks like you failed after all.””
