Chapter 4: Who Are You?
999 Words
Adrian Vale had never met a problem he couldn't solve.
People lied.
Evidence didn't.
Yet the woman who had walked into his boardroom and proposed marriage had shattered everything he believed about certainty.
For the third time that morning, Adrian picked up the photograph Sophia had left behind.
His father stood beside another man, one arm resting casually over his friend's shoulder. Between them stood a little girl, barely seven or eight years old.
The girl's face was turned away from the camera.
On the back of the photograph were six words.
Protect Adrian Vale at all costs.
Below it was his father's signature.
Adrian had already verified it.
It was genuine.
Which meant one thing.
Sophia knew something about his father.
Something no one else did.
"Sir."
Adrian looked up.
Clara stood by the door.
"The investigators are here."
"Send them in."
Two men entered his office.
The older of the two, Marcus Hale, looked unusually uncomfortable.
That immediately put Adrian on edge.
"What did you find?"
Marcus exchanged a glance with his partner before sliding a file across Adrian's desk.
"We found nothing."
Adrian frowned.
"Define nothing."
"No birth certificate."
Another file landed on the desk.
"No school records."
Another.
"No employment history."
Another.
"No driver's license issued before five years ago."
Marcus hesitated before placing down the final folder.
"And no trace of Sophia existing before that."
Silence settled over the office.
Adrian stared at the folders.
"That's impossible."
Marcus nodded grimly.
"We thought so too."
Adrian opened the first file.
Empty.
The second.
Empty.
Every document led to dead ends.
It was as though Sophia had appeared from thin air five years ago.
"Keep digging," Adrian ordered.
"We've exhausted every database—"
"I don't care."
Marcus immediately straightened.
"I want to know who she is."
"Yes, sir."
Once they left, Clara lingered.
"Do you think she's dangerous?"
Adrian glanced toward the photograph again.
The mysterious woman who had predicted his brake failure.
The woman who had warned him about future attacks.
The woman who wanted to marry him.
"I don't know," Adrian admitted.
And that uncertainty irritated him more than he cared to admit.
That evening, Adrian stepped into Vale Manor.
The estate had belonged to his family for generations.
Elegant.
Imposing.
Cold.
His grandmother sat in the drawing room.
"You've been distracted."
Adrian loosened his tie.
"I've been busy."
Eleanor Vale set down her teacup.
"It has something to do with the woman."
Adrian paused.
His grandmother rarely missed anything.
"What woman?"
"The one who caused a scene at your company."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Who is she?"
Adrian thought about Sophia's unreadable expression.
About the way she'd looked directly into his eyes and said:
If you want to survive, marry me.
"I don't know."
Eleanor stiffened.
"Then find out."
"I intend to."
"Good."
She rose gracefully.
"Because strangers don't walk into the Vale family's life without consequences."
Later that night, Adrian sat alone in his study.
The photograph remained on his desk.
His father's smile stared back at him.
Adrian hadn't thought much about his father in years.
The memories were distant.
Faded.
Complicated.
But one thing remained true.
His father had never done anything without reason.
Which meant he'd trusted Sophia's family enough to write that message.
Why?
A vibration interrupted his thoughts.
His phone lit up.
Unknown Number.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
He opened the message.
Stop investigating me.
His expression darkened.
He typed back immediately.
Who are you?
The reply came seconds later.
Someone trying to save your life.
Adrian stood abruptly.
Then stop hiding.
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally—
You're running out of time.
Adrian's frustration spiked.
If you know who's after me, tell me.
A pause.
Then:
I can't.
Why?
This time, the response took longer.
When it arrived, Adrian felt an unfamiliar chill.
Because if I tell you the truth, you'll never agree to marry me.
Adrian stared at the screen.
For the first time since meeting Sophia, curiosity eclipsed suspicion.
What truth?
Who exactly was she?
And why did she believe marriage was the answer?
His phone vibrated again.
Another message.
This one contained an address.
No explanation.
Just a location.
Adrian hesitated.
Then grabbed his car keys.
Thirty minutes later, he arrived outside a quiet church on the outskirts of the city.
Rain drizzled softly.
The cemetery behind the church was empty.
Except for one figure.
Sophia.
She stood before a gravestone, dressed in black.
Her shoulders were rigid.
Adrian approached cautiously.
"You wanted me here."
Sophia didn't turn around.
"No."
"Then why send me the address?"
Silence.
Finally, she faced him.
For the first time since meeting her, Sophia looked tired.
Human.
"What do you want from me?" Adrian demanded.
Her gaze searched his face.
"To keep you alive."
"At what cost?"
She looked away.
"You ask too many questions."
Adrian laughed bitterly.
"You asked me to marry you."
"I know."
"Without telling me who you are."
Sophia finally met his eyes.
"I can't."
"Why?"
A flicker of pain crossed her face.
"Because the truth changes everything."
Adrian stepped closer.
"Try me."
Sophia's fingers curled at her sides.
Then she whispered—
"Do you trust your memories?"
Adrian frowned.
"What?"
"Do you remember everything from your childhood?"
His pulse quickened unexpectedly.
"What does that have to do with this?"
Sophia's expression tightened.
"Nothing."
"Then answer my question."
Her eyes glistened with something he couldn't identify.
Regret.
Fear.
Guilt.
"I'm sorry."
Before Adrian could stop her, Sophia walked away.
"That's not an answer."
She paused.
Without turning back, she said quietly—
"If you keep looking for the truth..."
Her voice faltered.
"...you're going to hate me."
Then she disappeared into the rain.
Leaving Adrian standing alone among the graves.
More confused than ever.
And more determined.
Because one thing had become painfully clear.
Sophia wasn't lying about being afraid.
The question was—
What terrified her more?
The people trying to kill him?
Or the truth about who she really was?
- Writer
