Chapter 5: The Enemy Inside Westbridge
I couldn’t sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the photograph.
Someone had been inside my room.
Someone had stood close enough to take a picture of me while I slept.
The thought made my skin crawl.
Sterling Global security moved me to a private guest apartment near their headquarters temporarily.
They called it a safety measure.
I called it proof that my life had changed forever.
At six in the morning, Ethan found me standing by the window.
“You haven’t slept.””
I shook my head.
“How could I?””
He didn’t argue.
Instead, he placed a cup of coffee on the table.
“Your father used to do the same thing.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
“Stay awake when he was trying to solve a problem.””
I smiled sadly.
“I barely remember him.””
Ethan’s expression softened.
“That’s the part I regret most.””
“What?””
“That he spent so much time protecting you that he lost the chance to be your father.””
The words hurt more than I expected.
Because a part of me had always wanted someone to admit that.
Not excuse him.
Not defend him.
Just admit that I lost something.
A few hours later, we returned to Westbridge.
The entire campus felt different.
Yesterday, people had laughed.
Today, people avoided eye contact.
The video of the incident had spread everywhere.
But now there were two versions.
The original.
And the edited one.
The truth was fighting against a lie.
Professor Lang approached me near the business building.
“Amelia.””
I stopped.
He looked exhausted.
“I owe you an apology.””
I said nothing.
He glanced around.
“I should have acted sooner.””
“Yes.””
My answer surprised him.
But I continued.
“You should have.””
He lowered his head.
“I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
He looked toward the Hale administration building.
“Of losing my position.””
That honesty made me angrier.
Because it was the truth.
People didn’t always hurt you because they hated you.
Sometimes they hurt you because protecting you was inconvenient.
“I understand,” I said.
His eyes lifted.
“You do?””
“Yes.””
I looked at the building.
“But understanding doesn’t mean forgetting.””
He nodded slowly.
Then he reached into his pocket.
“I found something.””
He handed me a small key.
My eyebrows tightened.
“What is this?””
“A storage room key.””
“Where?””
“Old business department archive.””
I stared at him.
“Why are you giving this to me?””
Professor Lang looked nervous.
“Because yesterday, after your incident, I received an email.””
“What kind of email?””
“One sentence.””
He swallowed.
“It said, ‘The Carter problem should have disappeared years ago.’”
My fingers tightened around the key.
“Who sent it?””
“I don’t know.””
“But you have a guess.””
He didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
The old archive room was located beneath the business building.
A place almost nobody visited anymore.
The door opened with a loud creak.
Dust filled the air.
Old boxes covered the shelves.
Ethan’s security team searched the area first.
Then I stepped inside.
I didn’t know what I was looking for.
Only that my father had been here.
Somewhere.
I moved through the boxes.
Financial reports.
Old competition records.
Student files.
Then I found a box with no label.
Inside was one item.
A notebook.
My father’s handwriting was on the first page.
I almost dropped it.
*Amelia, if you are reading this, something happened to me.*
My breathing stopped.
I turned the page.
*Do not trust anyone who tells you they know the whole story.*
Another page.
*Richard Hale is not working alone.*
My heart raced.
I flipped faster.
Then I saw the final entry.
The last thing my father wrote.
*The person closest to Amelia is the one who will betray her.*
I froze.
“Closest to me?””
Ethan stepped closer.
“What did you find?””
I looked up.
I wanted to answer.
But then I heard footsteps outside the archive room.
Slow.
Calm.
Someone wasn’t searching.
Someone knew exactly where we were.
The door handle moved.
Ethan’s security team reached for their radios.
The door opened.
And the person standing there made Ethan go completely silent.
Because it was someone I trusted.
Someone who had been helping me for years.
Someone who should have been on my side.
May you like
My best friend looked at me and whispered:
“Amelia… you weren’t supposed to find that notebook.””
