Chapter 5: The Man in the Darkness
2501 Words
The three knocks echoed through the dark office.
Ava couldn't breathe.
Ethan stood between her and the door, completely still.
The emergency lights had not come on.
The entire floor remained dark.
Outside the office, the footsteps had stopped.
Ava gripped the edge of the desk.
“Ethan…”
“Stay behind me.”
His voice was low.
Calm.
But Ava could hear the tension underneath it.
Another knock came.
This time, slower.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The voice returned.
“Mr. Blackwood.”
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
“Who are you?”
A quiet laugh came from the other side.
“You know exactly who I am.”
Ava looked at Ethan.
His expression had changed.
“You know him.”
Ethan didn't answer.
“Ethan?”
“Stay quiet.”
The voice outside continued.
“You should have listened to your grandmother.”
Ethan's jaw tightened.
“What do you want?”
“The same thing we've always wanted.”
A pause.
“The box.”
Ava's hand went instinctively toward the blue box on the desk.
Ethan noticed.
“Don't touch it.”
The voice outside laughed again.
“You found it.”
Silence.
Then:
“Good.”
Ava's heart raced.
Ethan slowly reached into his jacket.
Ava whispered,
“What are you doing?”
“Getting us out.”
“Through the door?”
“No.”
He pointed toward the far side of the office.
Ava followed his gaze.
A large painting covered part of the wall.
She frowned.
“What?”
Ethan walked toward it.
He pressed his hand against a section of the frame.
A hidden panel opened.
Ava stared.
“You have a secret passage?”
“Most people with enemies do.”
“I've never met anyone who needed one.”
“You're meeting me.”
He grabbed the blue box.
Ava immediately followed.
“Wait.”
Ethan turned.
“What?”
“My mother's letter.”
He held it up.
“I have it.”
“And the photograph?”
“In my pocket.”
Ava nodded.
“Then let's go.”
They stepped into the hidden passage.
Ethan closed the panel behind them.
Darkness surrounded them.
Ava heard the sound of something hitting the office door.
The intruder had forced it open.
Ethan grabbed her hand.
“Move.”
They hurried through the narrow corridor.
Ava could barely see.
“Where does this lead?”
“Parking level.”
“How long has this been here?”
“Decades.”
“Who built it?”
“My grandfather.”
“Why?”
“To protect the family.”
Ava almost laughed nervously.
“Your family has more secrets than I can handle.”
“You haven't seen half of them.”
They reached a staircase.
Ethan went first.
Ava followed.
Halfway down, they heard a sound above them.
Someone had entered the passage.
Ethan stopped.
Ava nearly collided with him.
“What happened?”
“Someone found the entrance.”
Her stomach dropped.
“How?”
“I don't know.”
Footsteps echoed from above.
Ethan looked around.
There was another door nearby.
He opened it.
Inside was a small storage room.
“Get inside.”
They entered.
Ethan closed the door.
Ava pressed her hand over her mouth.
The footsteps came closer.
One step.
Then another.
Then silence.
Ava looked at Ethan.
He raised one finger to his lips.
The footsteps stopped directly outside.
Ava could hear her own heartbeat.
Then the person moved on.
Ethan waited several seconds.
Finally, he opened the door.
They continued.
At the bottom of the stairs was a steel door.
Ethan entered a code.
The door opened.
They emerged into the underground parking garage.
A black SUV waited nearby.
Ethan unlocked it.
“Get in.”
Ava climbed into the passenger seat.
Ethan started the engine.
The garage gates began opening.
Ava looked back.
“Do you think he followed us?”
“Yes.”
“Then where are we going?”
“Somewhere he won't expect.”
The SUV sped into the night.
---
For several minutes, Ava said nothing.
She watched the city lights pass.
Her mind was overwhelmed.
Her mother.
The letter.
The blue box.
The mysterious man.
The hidden passage.
And Ethan.
Especially Ethan.
She turned toward him.
“You knew something like this could happen.”
“Yes.”
“That's why you offered me the contract.”
“No.”
Ava frowned.
“You said you needed a fiancée.”
“I do.”
“But now you're telling me someone is after me because of my mother.”
“Yes.”
“So how long have you known?”
Ethan's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“About the danger?”
“Yes.”
“A few days.”
Ava stared at him.
“A few days?”
“I discovered someone had been searching for information about your mother.”
“And you still approached me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought I could protect you.”
Ava looked away.
“You don't even know me.”
“I know enough.”
“That isn't enough.”
“Maybe not.”
His voice softened.
“But it's what I had.”
Ava studied his face.
“You could have told me.”
“I didn't want to frighten you.”
“You offered me a fake engagement without telling me that someone might be following me.”
“I didn't know how serious it was.”
“And now?”
Ethan looked at her.
“Now I know.”
Ava swallowed.
“So what happens?”
“You come with me.”
“For how long?”
“Until this is over.”
“And where exactly is 'with you'?”
“My private residence.”
Ava stared.
“The mansion?”
“No.”
“Then where?”
“A place almost no one knows exists.”
She sighed.
“Of course.”
---
The SUV eventually left the main road.
They traveled for nearly an hour before Ethan turned onto a narrow private road.
Ava looked through the windshield.
There were no houses.
No streetlights.
Only trees.
“Where are we?”
“Blackwood property.”
“Another one?”
“Yes.”
“How many properties do you have?”
“Enough.”
Ava rolled her eyes.
“That answer is becoming annoying.”
For the first time, the corner of Ethan's mouth lifted.
It was barely a smile.
But Ava noticed.
The SUV stopped in front of a modern house hidden among the trees.
It wasn't enormous like the mansion.
It was quiet.
Private.
Almost invisible.
Ethan entered a security code.
The doors opened.
Inside, the house was simple but elegant.
Ava looked around.
“This is where you live?”
“Sometimes.”
“Why?”
“Because no one knows about it.”
He locked the door behind them.
Then checked the security system.
Ava placed her bag on a chair.
“What happens now?”
“You sleep.”
“I don't think I can.”
“You should try.”
“Easy for you to say.”
Ethan looked at her.
“You've had a long day.”
“So have you.”
“I've had longer.”
Ava looked away.
Ethan walked toward the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?”
She blinked.
“What?”
“Food.”
“Oh.”
She realized she hadn't eaten since breakfast.
“A little.”
He opened the refrigerator.
Ava watched in surprise.
“You cook?”
“Sometimes.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
“The billionaire?”
He looked at her.
“Billionaires are still human.”
Ava smiled despite herself.
“I'm beginning to question that.”
Ethan prepared something simple.
For a few minutes, the tension eased.
They sat across from each other at the kitchen island.
Ava ate quietly.
Then she remembered the letter.
“Can I see it again?”
Ethan nodded.
He retrieved it.
Ava read the words again.
This time, she noticed something she had missed.
A tiny mark appeared at the bottom of the page.
A circle.
With a line through the center.
She touched it.
“What is this?”
Ethan leaned closer.
His expression changed.
“Where did you see that?”
“Here.”
He stared at the symbol.
“That's my father's old company seal.”
Ava frowned.
“Why would my mother have it?”
“I don't know.”
“Then we're missing something.”
Ethan nodded.
“Probably.”
Ava turned the letter over.
Nothing.
She examined the photograph.
Then the pendant.
Suddenly, the pendant opened.
A tiny compartment appeared.
Ava gasped.
“Ethan.”
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
He carefully removed it.
Ava unfolded it.
There was an address.
Nothing else.
Ethan stared at it.
“Where is this?”
“Do you recognize it?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
His face became serious.
“Rosewood Lane.”
Ava remembered.
The address from the photograph.
“My mother's old home.”
Ethan nodded.
“We're going there tomorrow.”
Ava looked at him.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“What if whoever broke into your building is watching it?”
“They probably are.”
“Then why go?”
“Because whatever your mother left there could tell us what happened.”
Ava hesitated.
“What if we find nothing?”
“Then we'll know where not to look.”
“And if we find something?”
Ethan's gaze met hers.
“Then we find the truth.”
---
Later that night, Ava was shown to a guest bedroom.
She changed into borrowed clothes Ethan's assistant had arranged for her.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
She couldn't sleep.
Every sound made her tense.
Eventually, she got up.
She walked into the hallway.
A faint light came from Ethan's office.
She approached.
The door was slightly open.
Ethan was inside.
He stood beside his desk, staring at an old photograph.
Ava recognized it.
His mother.
She knocked softly.
He looked up.
“Can't sleep?”
“No.”
He nodded.
“Neither can I.”
Ava entered.
She looked at the photograph.
“She was beautiful.”
“She was.”
“You miss her.”
“Every day.”
Ava hesitated.
“I'm sorry.”
Ethan looked at her.
“You don't have to be.”
“My mother disappeared too.”
“I know.”
“Maybe that's why this feels so strange.”
“What?”
“Our mothers knew each other.”
Ethan nodded.
Ava looked at him.
“Do you think they were friends?”
“Yes.”
“Or something more?”
Ethan's expression changed.
“My grandmother believes they were hiding something together.”
“What?”
“I don't know.”
Ava took a breath.
“Ethan.”
“Yes?”
“If we find out my mother was involved in something dangerous…”
He waited.
“What happens to me?”
His answer came without hesitation.
“I protect you.”
Ava stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because I made a promise.”
“You never promised me anything.”
“I promised myself.”
Something about the answer made her chest tighten.
She quickly looked away.
“This is still just a contract, right?”
Ethan's eyes remained on her.
“Yes.”
“Nothing else?”
“Nothing else.”
Neither of them spoke.
Then Ava turned toward the door.
“Good night.”
“Good night, Ava.”
She walked away.
But neither of them noticed the tiny red light blinking beneath the desk.
A hidden camera.
---
Across the city, inside a dark room, a man watched the live footage.
He leaned closer to the screen.
Ava appeared on camera.
Ethan stood behind her.
The man smiled.
“So he took her there.”
Another figure stood behind him.
“What should we do?”
The man looked at the screen.
“Nothing.”
“For now?”
“Yes.”
He picked up a photograph.
It showed Ava's mother.
On the back was a handwritten message:
If Ava ever discovers the truth, bring her to me.
The man folded the photograph.
“Let them find the house.”
The other person looked confused.
“You're letting them walk into the trap?”
The man smiled.
“They won't find what they're looking for.”
He looked at another screen.
This one showed a live image of Ethan's private residence.
“They'll find me.”
---
The next morning, Ava woke before sunrise.
For a few seconds, she forgot where she was.
Then everything returned.
The contract.
The letter.
Her mother.
Ethan.
The danger.
She got dressed and walked downstairs.
Ethan was already waiting.
A black folder sat on the table.
Ava approached.
“What's that?”
“The contract.”
She stopped.
“I thought we were going to investigate my mother's past.”
“We are.”
“Then why bring this?”
“Because I need you to understand something.”
He opened the folder.
“I don't want you signing this because you're desperate.”
Ava stared at him.
“I need you to sign it because you understand what you're agreeing to.”
“So you're giving me another chance to say no?”
“Yes.”
Ava looked at the contract.
Then at him.
“Why?”
“Because last night changed things.”
“How?”
“The arrangement was supposed to solve a family problem.”
He paused.
“Now it may be protecting you from someone who wants something your mother left behind.”
Ava slowly sat.
“What happens if I refuse?”
“I'll still help you.”
She looked surprised.
“You will?”
“Yes.”
“Even without the contract?”
“Yes.”
Ava studied him.
For the first time, she wondered if there was more to Ethan Blackwood than the cold billionaire she had met.
She picked up the pen.
But before she could sign, Ethan's phone rang.
He answered.
His face went completely still.
Ava watched him.
“What happened?”
Ethan lowered the phone.
“Rosewood Lane.”
“What about it?”
“Someone is already there.”
Ava stood.
“Who?”
Ethan looked at her.
“Your mother's house was supposed to be abandoned.”
He paused.
“But someone just turned on the lights.”
Ava's blood ran cold.
“Then let's go.”
Ethan grabbed the keys.
They headed for the door.
Neither of them noticed the small envelope that had been slipped underneath it.
Inside was a single photograph.
A photograph of Ava as a child.
And written across the back were six words:
Your mother never stopped protecting you.
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