Chapter 5
426 Words
The drive back to Valez Corporation was silent.
Too silent.
I sat beside Adrian, staring out the rain-covered window while the same question kept repeating in my head.
Who took my father?
And more importantly...
Why?
The moment we arrived at his office, Adrian led me into a conference room.
Several files were already spread across the table.
As if he had been preparing for this.
I folded my arms.
"You knew something was wrong before the clinic called, didn't you?"
His gaze lifted to mine.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he sighed.
"Three weeks ago, someone broke into one of my archives."
My eyebrows furrowed.
"What were they looking for?"
"Your father's records."
A chill ran down my spine.
My father's records?
Why would anyone want them?
Adrian slid a folder toward me.
"Read it."
I opened it carefully.
Inside were old documents from Vance Shipping Group.
Financial statements.
Property records.
Legal agreements.
Then I found something strange.
Several pages were missing.
I looked up.
"Someone removed these."
Adrian nodded.
"Before the company collapsed."
My pulse quickened.
"What was on them?"
His expression darkened.
"That's what I've been trying to find out."
The room fell silent.
For years, I believed the fall of Vance Shipping was simple.
A hostile takeover.
A powerful billionaire.
A ruined family.
But now it felt like I had only known a tiny part of the story.
There was something bigger hiding beneath the surface.
Something dangerous.
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
Adrian's assistant entered the room carrying a tablet.
"Sir, we found something."
Adrian immediately stood.
"What is it?"
The assistant placed the tablet on the table.
Security footage appeared on the screen.
The image was grainy.
Dark.
Barely visible.
But my breath caught.
The hooded man.
The same one from the clinic.
This time, however, his face was partially visible.
Only for a second.
Only for a frame.
But it was enough.
I knew him.
"No..."
Adrian turned toward me.
"What is it?"
I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.
My hands started trembling.
Because the man staring back at me wasn't a stranger.
It wasn't some mysterious criminal.
It wasn't some forgotten enemy.
It was someone from my past.
Someone I trusted.
Someone who had been part of my family's life for years.
My voice came out as barely a whisper.
"I know him."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"Who is he?"
I swallowed hard.
The answer felt impossible.
Yet there it was.
Right in front of me.
"It's my uncle."
The room fell completely silent.
- Writer
