The Memory Card
1763 Words
“Or Adrian’s mother dies for real this time.”
The words echoed through the room.
My fingers tightened around the memory card.
Evelyn stood behind Adrian, pale and trembling.
My father looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
And the stranger—the man we'd believed was dead—stood in the doorway with a gun pointed directly at us.
Adrian slowly moved in front of me.
“Put the gun down.”
The man's mouth curved.
“Still playing the hero, Adrian?”
“Who are you?”
“You know exactly who I am.”
“No,” Adrian said coldly. “I don't.”
The man's smile disappeared.
“That's unfortunate.”
He raised the gun slightly.
“Because your father certainly does.”
Adrian's father looked away.
Adrian turned toward him.
“Dad?”
His father said nothing.
“Who is he?”
Still nothing.
I looked at my father.
“Dad?”
His eyes were fixed on the stranger.
“His name is Victor.”
The stranger smiled.
“Good to know you haven't forgotten me, Thomas.”
My stomach tightened.
“Victor who?”
“Victor Hale.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“Hale?”
Victor laughed.
“Your mother never told you about my family?”
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
“Marcus Hale.”
Victor nodded.
“The detective who investigated my mother's death,” Adrian whispered.
I looked at him.
“Your father said Detective Marcus Hale was involved.”
Victor smiled.
“Your father's finally learning to tell the truth.”
My father stepped forward.
“Don't.”
Victor pointed the gun toward him.
My father stopped.
“You've caused enough damage, Thomas.”
“You're the one who started this.”
Victor's eyes turned cold.
“No. Your wife started it.”
My breath caught.
“My mother?”
Victor looked at me.
“Your mother discovered what we were doing.”
“What were you doing?”
“Building an empire.”
“By stealing money?”
His expression hardened.
“By doing what powerful men have always done. Moving money where it needed to go.”
“So yes,” I said. “Stealing.”
Victor's jaw tightened.
“You have your mother's mouth.”
“Don't talk about my mother.”
“Why? She talked about you constantly.”
My heart stopped.
“You knew her?”
“Better than your father did.”
My father flinched.
I stared at Victor.
“Where is she?”
Victor smiled.
“That's what the card is for.”
Adrian's voice was dangerously low.
“Leave her out of this.”
Victor looked at him.
“She's already in it.”
Adrian stepped forward.
Victor immediately aimed the gun at him.
“Don't.”
I grabbed Adrian's arm.
He looked back at me.
“Don't give him a reason.”
His jaw clenched.
Victor smiled.
“Smart girl.”
“I'll give you the card.”
Adrian turned sharply.
“No.”
I ignored him.
“But first, I want proof my mother is alive.”
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“You're in no position to negotiate.”
“Then shoot me.”
Adrian's face changed.
“Elena.”
I continued staring at Victor.
“If the card is so important, you won't shoot me.”
Victor stared at me.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then he laughed.
“Your mother taught you well.”
My heart hammered.
“Where is she?”
Victor lowered the gun slightly.
“Alive.”
“Proof.”
He pulled out his phone.
A video appeared.
My breath caught.
My mother.
She was sitting in a dim room.
Older.
Her hair longer.
But it was her.
My mother.
Alive.
I stepped forward.
“Mom?”
She lifted her head.
Her eyes widened.
“Elena?”
Tears immediately filled my eyes.
“Mom.”
Adrian looked at me.
I barely noticed.
My entire world had narrowed to that screen.
My mother stared into the camera.
“Baby, if you're watching this—”
Victor ended the video.
“No!”
I rushed toward him.
Adrian caught me around the waist.
“Stop.”
“Let me go!”
“Elena.”
“I saw her!”
“I know.”
“She called me baby.”
My voice broke.
“She knows me.”
Adrian tightened his arms around me.
“I know.”
I turned toward Victor.
“Where is she?”
“Safe.”
“Where?”
“You'll find out when you give me the card.”
I looked down at my hand.
The memory card was tiny.
But apparently, it contained enough information to destroy powerful people.
I glanced at Adrian.
He shook his head.
Absolutely not.
Then Evelyn spoke.
“Give it to him.”
Everyone turned.
Adrian stared at his mother.
“Mom?”
Evelyn looked at me.
“Give him the card.”
“Why?”
“Because your mother is alive.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“You're telling her to trust him?”
“No.”
Evelyn looked at Victor.
“I'm telling her to survive.”
Victor smiled.
But Evelyn wasn't finished.
“However, Victor doesn't know one thing.”
His smile disappeared.
“What?”
Evelyn looked at me.
“The card isn't the only copy.”
Victor went still.
My heart jumped.
“What?”
Evelyn looked at me.
“Your mother made a copy.”
Victor's eyes darkened.
“Where?”
Evelyn smiled faintly.
“I don't know.”
Victor raised the gun.
“Don't lie to me.”
“I'm not.”
He stepped closer.
“Where is it?”
Evelyn looked at me.
Then at Adrian.
“Your mother trusted only three people.”
My father whispered, “Evelyn…”
“She trusted me.”
She looked at my father.
“Thomas.”
Then she looked at Adrian.
“And you.”
Adrian frowned.
“I've never seen it.”
“You don't remember.”
“Remember what?”
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
“The night before I disappeared, I gave you something.”
Adrian went completely still.
“What?”
“A box.”
His expression changed.
“I don't remember.”
“You were twenty-one.”
“Where is it?”
Evelyn smiled sadly.
“You gave it to Elena.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
Adrian stared at me.
I stared back.
“You gave me a box?”
“I don't remember.”
Victor suddenly stepped forward.
“Enough.”
He pointed the gun toward me.
“Give me the card.”
I looked down.
Then something clicked.
My mother's necklace.
The pendant.
The memory card had been hidden inside it.
But there was another piece inside.
A tiny metal fragment.
I had assumed it was part of the pendant.
I pulled it out.
Adrian noticed.
“What is that?”
“I don't know.”
Victor's expression changed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely afraid.
“Give me that.”
I closed my fist.
“No.”
Victor raised the gun.
Adrian moved in front of me.
“Touch her and I swear—”
A gunshot exploded.
I screamed.
Adrian staggered.
“Adrian!”
He fell against me.
I caught him.
“Adrian!”
Blood spread across his shirt.
My heart stopped.
“No, no, no.”
I pressed my hands against the wound.
“Look at me.”
His eyes opened.
“I'm okay.”
“You've been shot!”
“It's my shoulder.”
“That's not okay!”
Victor stepped backward.
Suddenly, another gunshot came from the hallway.
Victor turned.
Security rushed into the room.
He disappeared through a side door.
“Don't let him escape!” Adrian shouted.
Several guards ran after him.
I didn't care.
I was staring at Adrian.
Blood covered my hands.
“Stay with me.”
His mouth curved slightly.
“Bossy.”
I almost cried.
“Shut up.”
He reached for my face.
His fingers touched my cheek.
“Are you hurt?”
I stared at him.
“You've been shot and you're asking if I'm hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
His eyes held mine.
“Because I can't lose you.”
Everything inside me stopped.
“Adrian…”
His hand fell.
His eyes closed.
“Adrian!”
I shook him.
“Adrian!”
His eyes opened again.
“I'm here.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
“You scared me.”
“I know.”
“You could have died.”
“But I didn't.”
“That's not the point.”
His gaze dropped to my lips.
Even now.
Even bleeding.
He still looked at me like that.
“Then what's the point?”
I couldn't answer.
His fingers brushed away a tear.
“Tell me.”
I stared into his eyes.
And before I could stop myself, I whispered:
“You.”
His expression changed.
The air between us became heavy.
Adrian's eyes dropped to my mouth.
He leaned closer.
I didn't move.
His lips were almost touching mine when Evelyn suddenly gasped.
“Stop.”
We both pulled apart.
She was staring at the tiny metal piece in my hand.
Her face had gone white.
“Where did you get that?”
I looked down.
“This was inside the pendant.”
Evelyn shook her head.
“That isn't part of the pendant.”
“Then what is it?”
She stared at me.
“It's a key.”
Adrian frowned.
“A key to what?”
Evelyn's voice dropped.
“To the Blackwood vault.”
My father went pale.
Adrian stared at her.
“What vault?”
Evelyn looked at me.
“The one your father spent ten years trying to find.”
I swallowed.
“And what's inside?”
Evelyn's expression was haunted.
“Proof.”
“Proof of what?”
She looked toward the door Victor had escaped through.
“Who really killed Evelyn Blackwood.”
My blood ran cold.
“But you're Evelyn.”
She nodded.
“Exactly.”
Silence.
Then she whispered:
“The woman they killed wasn't me.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
Evelyn looked at Adrian.
“The woman buried ten years ago…”
Her voice broke.
“Was your mother's sister.”
Adrian stared at her.
I stared at the woman who had just shattered everything we thought we knew.
Then the lights went out again.
And from somewhere in the darkness, Victor laughed.
“Now you finally understand.”
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