THE WRONG QUESTION
1010 Words
Olivia spent the next two days trying to forget the routing sheet.
She failed.
Every time she sat down at her desk, her father's name resurfaced.
Harold Adeyemi.
Why had William Lawson requested his file?
Why were the records missing?
And why did everyone seem determined to avoid the subject?
The questions followed her everywhere.
Even into work.
---
"You're distracted."
Olivia looked up.
Adrian stood beside her desk.
She hadn't heard him approach.
"I'm working."
"You're staring at the same email."
Her eyes dropped to the screen.
He was right.
Again.
Embarrassing.
"I was thinking."
"I noticed."
For a moment, his expression softened.
"Everything okay?"
The concern surprised her.
So did the disappointment she felt when she remembered she couldn't tell him the truth.
"I'm fine."
Adrian studied her for a moment.
Then nodded.
"If that changes, let me know."
Before she could respond, he walked away.
Leaving her strangely unsettled.
---
Later that afternoon, Adrian asked her to accompany him to a joint industry presentation.
The event was being hosted by Vanguard Holdings.
Which meant Damien Cole.
---
The conference room overlooked the city.
Executives from several major corporations occupied the long table.
Conversations filled the room.
Then the doors opened.
Damien entered.
Confident.
Relaxed.
Entirely too comfortable in every room he entered.
"Lawson."
"Cole."
The two men exchanged a handshake that looked more like a challenge.
Then Damien noticed Olivia.
His grin widened.
"Miss Adeyemi."
Olivia raised an eyebrow.
"You remember my name?"
"I remember interesting people."
The answer came too easily.
Adrian rolled his eyes.
Damien looked delighted.
---
The meeting began.
For the first twenty minutes, everything proceeded normally.
Until Damien casually turned a page in his presentation.
Then paused.
"Hmm."
Several people looked up.
Damien tapped the document.
"Interesting."
"What is?" someone asked.
"The name."
His eyes swept the room.
Then settled briefly on Olivia.
"Adeyemi."
The room went silent.
Instantly.
Olivia felt it.
The shift.
The tension.
The discomfort.
Across the table, one executive nearly dropped his pen.
Another suddenly became fascinated by his notes.
Beside her, Adrian straightened.
"What about it?" Olivia asked.
Nobody answered.
Damien frowned.
"You don't know?"
The silence deepened.
For the first time, Damien looked genuinely surprised.
Then thoughtful.
Very thoughtful.
Adrian intervened.
"Damien."
A warning.
Clear.
Sharp.
Damien leaned back.
His expression changed.
The teasing disappeared.
"I heard stories."
Olivia's pulse quickened.
"What stories?"
A pause.
Then:
"My father used to mention your father occasionally."
The room became even quieter.
"If you're going somewhere with this, get there," Adrian said.
Damien ignored him.
"They said Harold Adeyemi asked the wrong questions."
Olivia stared.
"Questions about what?"
Damien held her gaze.
For several seconds.
Then shook his head.
"That's the problem."
"What?"
"No one ever seemed to agree."
---
The meeting ended shortly afterward.
Nobody explained anything.
Nobody volunteered information.
And that told Olivia more than words ever could.
Something had happened.
Something important.
And everyone in that room knew it.
---
As people filed out, Olivia hurried after Damien.
"Wait."
He turned.
The amusement was gone from his face.
"You knew my father?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"But my father did."
Olivia's heart sank.
"Then what do you know?"
Damien hesitated.
For the first time since she'd met him, he seemed unsure.
"I know the official story."
"And?"
His jaw tightened.
"And I never believed it."
Before she could ask another question, Adrian appeared.
"Olivia."
She turned.
The look on his face ended the conversation immediately.
Damien sighed.
"Eventually you'll find answers."
Then he glanced toward Adrian.
"Whether certain people want you to or not."
With that, he walked away.
---
The drive back to Sterling Dynamics was quiet.
Too quiet.
Finally, Olivia spoke.
"Did you know about the investigation?"
Adrian kept his eyes on the road.
"No."
She frowned.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"No."
His answer surprised her.
"But it's the truth."
For several moments, neither spoke.
Then Adrian added quietly:
"My father handled a lot of things personally before I became CEO."
The statement seemed innocent.
But something about it stayed with Olivia.
---
That evening, William Lawson sat alone in his office.
Harold Adeyemi's file rested open before him.
He had read it dozens of times over the years.
Yet the conclusion never changed.
Harold had been innocent.
The evidence had never made sense.
The accusations had never fully added up.
Somewhere along the way, the truth had been buried.
And William had allowed it to stay buried.
A knock sounded.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Victor Harrington stepped inside.
For over twenty years, Victor had been one of William's most trusted executives.
Loyal.
Reliable.
Dependable.
At least, that's what everyone believed.
"Damien mentioned the investigation today," Victor said.
William sighed.
"I heard."
Victor approached the desk.
His eyes briefly landed on Harold's file.
A reaction flashed across his face.
Gone so quickly most people would've missed it.
William didn't.
But he misunderstood it.
Guilt.
Regret.
The same emotions William felt.
"The more I read this file," William said quietly, "the more convinced I become that Harold was framed."
Victor remained silent.
"He wasn't guilty."
"No."
William looked up.
"I should have investigated further."
For the briefest moment, something cold appeared in Victor's eyes.
Then it vanished.
"The past can't be changed."
William nodded slowly.
"No."
He closed the file.
"But perhaps it should have been understood."
Victor forced a smile.
A perfectly convincing one.
The kind he'd spent years perfecting.
"Goodnight, William."
"Goodnight."
Victor left the office.
The moment the door closed behind him, his smile disappeared.
Completely.
He pulled out his phone.
Dialed a number.
Waited.
When the call connected, his voice was calm.
Controlled.
Dangerously calm.
"Keep an eye on Olivia Adeyemi."
A pause.
Then:
"And if she starts asking questions about her father..."
His gaze drifted toward William's office.
"...I want to know immediately."
The line went dead.
And for the first time in years, Victor Harrington felt something dangerously close to fear.
Because the past he had worked so hard to bury...
was beginning to resurface.
- Writer
