CHAPTER FOUR
934 Words
The File
Lucas didn’t sleep.
That wasn’t unusual.
Sleep had always been optional in his line of work.
But tonight it wasn’t discipline keeping him awake.
It was curiosity.
The small office room inside Adrian’s penthouse had become his temporary workspace. The lights were dim, the glow of his laptop screen the only thing illuminating the quiet room.
Outside the window, the city had fallen silent.
Rain still tapped lightly against the glass.
Lucas sat at the desk, scrolling through information on his screen.
Adrian Vale.
The internet had plenty to say about him.
Most of it useless.
Articles about the scandal of his birth.
Speculation about the founder’s hidden affair.
Rumors about tension within the Vale family.
But none of it explained what Lucas had seen tonight.
People who nearly died didn’t behave the way Adrian had.
Lucas leaned back slightly in his chair.
Too calm.
Too prepared.
It felt less like Adrian had survived an attack.
And more like he had expected one.
Lucas opened another search database—one that didn’t rely on public information.
Private security networks.
Background files.
Corporate intelligence reports.
He typed Adrian’s name again.
This time, more results appeared.
Lucas began reading.
Early education.
Private schools.
University records.
A brief attempt at entering the business world.
Then… silence.
A gap.
Lucas frowned slightly.
There were three years of Adrian Vale’s life that had almost no records attached to them.
That alone wasn’t unusual.
But something else caught his attention.
One file stood out.
A name attached to an old investigation.
Daniel Cross
Lucas clicked it.
The report opened.
Daniel Cross had once been a financial consultant connected to Vale Corporation nearly ten years ago.
According to the file, Cross had been involved in a private investment project with Adrian.
The project ended abruptly.
Lucas scrolled further down the report.
Daniel Cross had been found dead six months later.
Cause of death: undetermined.
Official ruling: accident.
Lucas’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Accidents happened.
But in his experience, accidents rarely involved financial consultants connected to powerful corporations.
He kept reading.
Police reports.
Witness statements.
Minimal details.
Almost as if someone had worked hard to keep the investigation quiet.
Lucas leaned forward.
One line caught his attention.
Last known contact before death: Adrian Vale
Lucas tapped the desk lightly with his finger.
Interesting.
He opened another document attached to the file.
Phone records.
Meeting logs.
A timeline.
Then Lucas saw the date.
He froze.
Because the timeline showed something strange.
The night Daniel Cross died…
Adrian Vale had disappeared for six hours.
No records.
No location data.
Nothing.
Lucas leaned back slowly in his chair.
Six hours wasn’t much.
But for someone like Adrian someone constantly surrounded by staff, drivers, assistants it was unusual to vanish completely.
Lucas stared at the screen for a long moment.
Then he closed the file.
Because the quiet apartment suddenly felt less quiet.
Footsteps approached from the hallway.
Lucas turned his laptop screen slightly away just as Adrian appeared in the doorway.
Adrian looked like he had just woken up.
His hair slightly messy.
His expression calm.
“You work late,” Adrian said.
Lucas shut the laptop halfway.
“Part of the job.”
Adrian walked into the room slowly.
His eyes flicked briefly toward the computer.
“Researching me?”
Lucas didn’t deny it.
“You’re my responsibility.”
Adrian leaned against the doorframe.
“And what have you discovered?”
Lucas studied him carefully.
“You had a business partner once.”
Adrian didn’t react.
Lucas continued.
“Daniel Cross.”
For the first time, Adrian’s eyes sharpened slightly.
Just for a second.
Then the expression vanished.
“That was years ago.”
Lucas held his gaze.
“He died.”
“Yes.”
The calm answer made Lucas pause.
“You don’t seem surprised.”
Adrian shrugged lightly.
“People die.”
Lucas watched him closely.
“Police questioned you.”
Adrian walked over to the desk.
“They question everyone connected to a case.”
“Your name was the last one on his call record.”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
“That doesn’t make me responsible.”
Lucas leaned back in his chair.
“No.”
A short silence filled the room.
Then Lucas spoke again.
“You disappeared that night.”
Adrian’s eyes met his.
For a moment neither man spoke.
Rain tapped against the windows again.
Lucas waited.
Finally Adrian smiled faintly.
“You’re very thorough.”
Lucas didn’t return the smile.
“What happened that night?”
Adrian pushed away from the desk.
“That,” he said calmly, “is a long story.”
Lucas watched him walk toward the door.
Then Adrian stopped and glanced back.
“You’re trying to figure out if I’m dangerous.”
Lucas didn’t answer.
Adrian’s smile deepened slightly.
“Let me save you some time.”
Lucas waited.
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
“You’re asking the wrong question.”
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
“What’s the right one?”
Adrian opened the door.
“The right question,” he said quietly,
“is whether I’m the most dangerous person in the room… or the only one telling the truth.”
Then he left.
Lucas sat alone in the dim office.
The rain outside grew heavier.
Slowly, he reopened the laptop.
The file on Daniel Cross stared back at him.
Lucas looked at the date again.
Because something about the timeline didn’t make sense.
And the more he looked at it…
the more it felt like Adrian Vale wasn’t just hiding the past.
He might be hiding a body.
- Writer
