Chapter 4: Beneath the Surface
1095 Words
Lila walked the perimeter of Elias' flat, arms firmly wrapped about herself, every muscle tensed. "That message wasn't merely a scare tactic, Elias. Someone wants me gone.”
Elias stood near the window, his jaw tight. “I’m aware.”
She spun to face him. "And you’re this calm? Someone threatened my life during a public event in front of hundreds of people."
His cold gaze fixed on hers. "That is precisely why you are staying here. No arguments."
Her stomach constricted. "I can't just remain hidden like some damsel in suffering."
Elias took slow, measured steps toward her. “This isn’t about control, Lila. It’s about keeping you alive.”
She despised the way her body reacted to him, her heart beating against her will. "I don't need your protection"
He gave a nod and smiled. "You're welcome to try. But don't act like you don't enjoy having me protect you."
Lila scoffed. "I don't need you fighting for me."
He laughed low and disgusting. "That's wonderful."
Before she could react, Marcus entered the room, his face serious. “We have an update.”
Elias straightened. “Go on.”
Marcus hesitated. “The security footage from the gala was tampered with "Whoever left the message understood precisely what they were doing."
Lila's pulse accelerated. “So we have nothing?”
Marcus shook his head. “Not exactly. The security team retrieved partial footage before the system was wiped. And you’ll want to see this.”
He placed a tablet on the table and pressed play. The grainy video showed the grand staircase, guests milling around, and then—
Lila gasped. “That’s Charlotte.”
Elias’s expression darkened. “Damn it.”
Charlotte was standing near the crime scene, seconds before the message appeared. She looked around, her lips shaking, before disappearing from view.
Lila's stomach lurched. “She was there. Right before it happened.”
Elias exhaled sharply. “It could be a coincidence.”
Lila shot him a glare. “Do you really believe that?”
“No,” he admitted. “But I also don’t make baseless accusations.”
Lila crossed her arms. “Well, I do.”
He smirked. “I noticed.”
Marcus cleared his throat. “Should I have someone bring her in?”
Elias hesitated. “Not yet. We need more.”
Lila arched a brow. “More? She was practically standing in front of a crime scene like a villain in a bad movie.”
Elias’s lips twitched. “A dramatic one.”
She threw her hands up. “Unbelievable.”
Elias grabbed her wrist before she could rush away. His grasp was tight yet not rough. “We will handle this.”
She caught his stare, her chest rising and dropping too rapidly. "You keep saying that."
“Because I mean it.”
Lila exhaled slowly. “Fine. But I want to be involved.”
Elias’s smirk returned. "I'd like to have you manage to stay out of it."
Marcus' phone buzzed before she could argue. He took a quick look at it before looking up. "You're likely to want glance at this."
Lila and Elias stood in the dimly lighted security room, watching Marcus bring up another feed.
“This is from the penthouse lobby,” Marcus explained. "A few hours before to the gala."
The camera flashed to see a lady entering the premises, her face partially covered by a huge hat and sunglasses.
Lila's eyes raised. "Who is that?"
Marcus zoomed in. The figure turned slightly, and Lila sucked in a breath.
It was her mother.
Elias stiffened beside her. “That’s impossible.”
Lila’s throat went dry. “She’s dead.”
Marcus frowned. “Then someone wants you to think otherwise.”
Lila stumbled back, her mind spinning. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Her mother had died years ago. There had been a funeral. A grave.
Elias caught her before she could collapse. “Lila.”
She pushed a hand against her chest. "This makes no sense."
He held her steady. "We'll work it out."
She caught his stare, looking for certainty and confidence. "And if we can't?"
Elias’s grip on her tightened. “We will.”
Lila urged herself to take slow breaths and calm herself. She shook her head. “No. No, this has to be some kind of trick.”
Marcus adjusted the footage. "Look how she moves. If this is a play, it's a particularly good one."
Elias' jaw constricted. “Who else has access to this footage?”
Marcus shook his head. “No one outside our security team.”
Lila stroked her temples. "There are only two explanations—either the unthinkable occurred or someone is playing a risky game."
Elias nodded. “We’ll run facial recognition. If it’s an impostor, we’ll know.”
Lila exhaled sharply. “And if it’s not?”
Elias held her gaze. “Then we have bigger problems than we thought.”
Marcus cleared his throat. “One more thing.”
Lila let out a nervous laugh. “Oh good. Because we needed more surprises.”
Marcus pulled out his phone, showing them a zoomed-in image. “She wasn’t alone.”
Lila and Elias leaned in. The woman—her mother or whoever was impersonating her—was speaking to someone. A man's face is partially covered by darkness.
Lila's stomach sank. "Who the heck is that?"
Marcus tapped the screen. “Facial recognition came up empty.”
Elias’s eyes darkened. “Then find out.”
Lila placed her arms close to her chest, every part of her body clenched with tension. "I'm not pleased with this."
Elias' voice was soft and steady. “Neither do I.”
For the first time, Lila saw something different in his expression. Not just control or calculation—but something personal.
She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “Elias. What aren’t you telling me?”
He hesitated. Just for a second. Then, his voice dropped even lower. “I think this goes deeper than we realized.”
Lila’s breath hitched. “How deep?”
Elias' fingers trembled at his side. "Deep enough that if we don't figure it out soon—" His gaze clouded. "We won't have the chance."
His words weighed heavily on her, suffocating her.
Lila got back to the computer, amazed at the bizarre picture of the woman who nurtured her. A terrible notion struck her.
What if the biggest lie she had ever been told wasn’t about her inheritance?
What if it was about her entire past?
- Writer
