The Secret Behind His Silence.

Chapter 4 — The File That Shouldn't Exist

Chapter 4 — The File That Shouldn't Exist

Ava barely slept that night. Every time she closed her eyes, Adrian's warning returned to her, accompanied by the image of Victor standing beside his father's photograph. She had come to Cross Holdings believing Adrian was the person she needed to investigate, but after everything that had happened, she was beginning to wonder whether the company itself was hiding something much larger than she had imagined.

She arrived at the office earlier than usual the next morning, hoping that the quiet would give her time to think. Instead, the first thing she noticed on the day's schedule was Victor Hale's name. He was meeting Adrian privately at ten, despite having already tried to have lunch with him the previous day.

Ava stared at the appointment for a moment before forcing herself to look away. She had promised herself she wouldn't become distracted by every suspicious detail, but something about Victor bothered her. His charm felt effortless, almost too effortless, and the way Adrian's expression changed whenever Victor appeared suggested there was a history between them that neither man intended to share.

At exactly ten, Victor arrived.

Ava watched him enter Adrian's office through the glass walls before returning to her computer. She tried to concentrate on her work, but after several minutes, voices drifted through the glass. The words were muffled, yet Adrian's tone suddenly became sharp enough for her to recognize.

"I told you never to bring that up again."

Ava's fingers stopped moving.

A moment later, Victor replied, but his voice was too low for her to understand.

Adrian's response was clearer.

"He's dead."

Ava's heart skipped.

Who was he talking about?

Before she could think any further, the office door opened. Victor stepped out with the same calm expression he had worn when he arrived, as though nothing unusual had happened inside.

He noticed Ava looking at him and smiled. "Busy morning?"

"It seems that way," she replied.

Victor adjusted his cuff and glanced toward Adrian's office. "Adrian has always had a habit of making simple things complicated."

Ava gave him a polite smile. "I've noticed."

Victor's eyes remained on her for a second longer than necessary. "Be careful who you trust, Ava."

The elevator doors opened, and he stepped inside. Just before they closed, his eyes met hers again.

Then he was gone.

Ava sat quietly for a moment, thinking about his words. It was the second warning she had received in less than two days, and neither Adrian nor Victor seemed willing to tell her what exactly she was supposed to be afraid of.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Adrian called her into his office.

He was standing beside the window when she entered, one hand resting casually in his pocket.

"You need to retrieve an old acquisition file for me," he said.

"Which one?"

"Halcyon Technologies. The original acquisition records from 2019."

Ava entered the details into her tablet. "Those should be in the basement archive."

"They are."

She looked up. "You want me to get them?"

"Yes."

There was something about his expression that made her pause.

Adrian noticed immediately. "Is there a problem?"

"No."

"You've been to the basement before."

Ava forced a smile. "I've been organizing old files. That's part of my job."

His gaze remained fixed on her. "Find the file."

She turned toward the door, but Adrian spoke again.

"And Ava?"

She looked back.

"Don't open anything that doesn't belong to you."

Her heartbeat quickened, but she kept her expression neutral.

"I wouldn't."

Adrian watched her for another moment before saying, "Good."

The basement archive was colder than Ava remembered. Rows of metal shelves stretched across the room, each section labeled with company names and dates. She found Section C and began searching for the Halcyon file, but after several minutes, she realized it wasn't where the records indicated it should be.

She checked the shelf again and noticed a thin gap between two folders. Something dark had been pushed behind them.

Ava carefully pulled it out.

It was an old black folder with no label.

She glanced toward the archive entrance before opening it.

Inside were financial records, internal correspondence and security reports from three years earlier. Most of them concerned Cross Holdings subsidiaries, but one document immediately caught her attention.

She read the name at the top.

Ethan Bennett.

Ava's breath caught.

She stared at it, reading the name again as though there might be some mistake. There wasn't. Her brother's full name was printed across the document, followed by a date she knew all too well.

October 17.

Three years ago.

Her hands began to tremble as she continued reading. According to the report, Ethan had accessed a restricted server belonging to one of Cross Holdings' subsidiaries shortly before his disappearance.

Ava's mind raced.

Why would Ethan have access to a Cross Holdings server?

She turned the page and found another name.

Jonathan Cross.

Her eyes moved down to a handwritten authorization at the bottom of the document.

J.C.

The date beside it was October 19, two days after Ethan had supposedly accessed the server and only two days before he disappeared.

Ava felt a chill run through her.

There was something else.

A security log showed that the restricted server had been accessed again at 11:43 p.m. The username had been partially erased, leaving only a fragment behind.

A.CROSS.

Ava stared at it.

Adrian Cross

.

Before she could examine the document further, footsteps sounded outside the archive.

She quickly placed everything back inside the folder and pushed it behind the other files. Then she grabbed the Halcyon folder from the shelf and turned just as the archive door opened.

Adrian stood in the doorway.

His eyes immediately went to the file in her hands.

"You found it," he said.

"Yes."

He walked toward her, his gaze briefly moving across the shelves.

Ava tried to keep her breathing steady.

"Was anyone else down here?" he asked.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

She looked directly at him. "Yes."

Adrian stopped in front of her. His expression was unreadable, but Ava could feel that he was studying her more carefully than before.

Then he reached past her for another file.

His arm brushed against hers.

The contact was brief, but the sudden closeness made Ava lose her train of thought. She caught the faint scent of his cologne and became painfully aware of how little space remained between them.

When she looked up, Adrian was already looking at her.

His eyes dropped briefly to her lips before returning to hers.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

"You seem distracted," he murmured.

"I'm fine."

"You keep saying that."

Ava swallowed and forced herself to step back. "Maybe you should keep asking questions."

A small smile appeared on Adrian's face.

"Maybe I do."

He took the file from her hand and started toward the door.

"Bring the rest upstairs."

Ava watched him leave, then looked toward the shelf where the black folder remained hidden.

She waited until his footsteps disappeared before taking it with her.

That afternoon, Adrian left for a board meeting, giving Ava the opportunity she needed.

She locked the office door before placing the black folder on his desk. Her heart was pounding as she opened it again and removed the document containing Ethan's name.

She read every line carefully.

The more she read, the more questions appeared.

Ethan hadn't simply accessed a Cross Holdings server. According to the report, he had been searching for something hidden within the company's financial network.

Ava turned the page.

A handwritten note had been added to the bottom.

TRANSFER APPROVED BY J.C.

Jonathan Cross had authorized something involving Ethan.

But what?

Ava reached for another document when she heard the elevator doors open outside.

She quickly gathered the papers, but the footsteps were already approaching the office.

The handle began to turn.

The door opened.

Adrian stood there.

His eyes moved from Ava to the documents scattered across his desk. For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then his gaze landed on the page in her hand.

His expression changed.

It was the first time Ava had seen Adrian genuinely lose control of his composure.

She slowly raised the document.

"Why is my brother's name in your father's files?"

Adrian didn't answer.

Ava stepped closer. "What happened to Ethan?"

His jaw tightened as his eyes remained fixed on the document.

"You shouldn't have found this."

"Why?"

Adrian finally looked at her.

There was something in his eyes that Ava couldn't decipher. It wasn't anger. It wasn't fear.

It was something much worse.

"Because now," he said quietly, "Victor knows you're looking."

Ava stared at him. "What does Victor have to do with my brother?"

Adrian's expression hardened. He walked toward the desk, took the document from her hand and looked at the date one more time before meeting her eyes.

"You still think you're looking for Ethan," he said quietly. "You have no idea what you're actually looking for."

Ava's heart began to pound. "Then tell me."

Adrian was silent for a moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Victor Hale was the last person my father trusted."

He paused, his eyes holding hers.

"And three days before Ethan disappeared, my father tried to expose him."