Chapter 3 The Man Who Asked Too Much Question
552 Words
By the time the security cameras came back online, Isabelle was gone.
She walked through the bustling streets with the ease of someone who belonged there. A few turns into narrow alleys, a ride on the subway, and a quick stop inside a crowded shopping mall were all it took. When she emerged twenty minutes later, Emma no longer existed.
A woman with chestnut hair, green contact lenses, and a tailored navy suit stepped out of the mall.
Her new identity was Claire Donovan-a corporate consultant with an impeccable reputation.
She hailed a taxi.
"Riverside Financial Tower," she said.
The driver nodded and pulled away.
Miles behind, the three agents searched every street surrounding the café.
"She couldn't have disappeared."
"But she did," their commander replied coldly. "Again."
He clenched his jaw. "She's always two steps ahead."
---
Across town, investigative journalist Adrian Hayes stared at a wall covered with photographs.
Different women.
Different names.
Different countries.
Yet something about them refused to let go of his mind.
Victoria Hale.
Emma Brooks.
Claire Donovan.
None of the faces looked exactly alike, yet there was one detail every image shared.
The eyes.
Calm.
Observant.
Almost as if the same woman had been looking through different faces.
Adrian pinned another photograph onto the board and stepped back.
"It has to be you," he murmured.
His editor entered the office carrying a stack of files.
"Still chasing your ghost?"
Adrian smiled faintly.
"She's not a ghost."
"There are no birth records. No fingerprints. No family. No school history. Every agency says she doesn't exist."
"That's exactly why I'm interested."
His editor sighed.
"You're wasting your time."
"Or everyone else is looking in the wrong direction."
---
Meanwhile, Isabelle stood inside the glass-walled conference room on the forty-second floor of Riverside Financial Tower.
Around the polished table sat some of the most influential business leaders in the country.
To them, Claire Donovan was an internationally respected financial strategist.
None of them knew they were speaking to the woman every intelligence agency was hunting.
She listened quietly as the chairman finished his presentation.
"What do you think, Ms. Donovan?"
Isabelle glanced at the financial projections for less than three seconds.
"The numbers have been manipulated."
Silence.
The chairman frowned.
"That's impossible."
She slid the report across the table.
"Page fourteen. Revenue has been inflated through shell companies. By next quarter, you'll lose nearly two billion dollars unless you stop the merger."
The executives hurriedly checked the figures.
Within moments, disbelief spread across their faces.
"She's right..."
"How did we miss this?"
The chairman looked at Isabelle with newfound respect.
"You may have just saved this company."
She simply smiled.
"It was the obvious answer."
Her phone vibrated once beneath the table.
Adrian Hayes is getting closer.
For the first time that day, Isabelle's expression changed.
Not to fear.
To curiosity.
Most people chased her because they wanted to capture her.
This man was chasing the truth.
And sometimes...
The truth was far more dangerous than the lie.
Outside the skyscraper, Adrian looked up at the towering glass building, unaware that the woman he had spent years searching for was only a few floors above him.
Their paths were finally beginning to cross.
Neither of them knew that the meeting would change the course of both their lives.
- Writer
