Chapter 16
833 Words
Chapter 16
Nadine never thought that her prank that night would open the door to the hell that Axel Anthony had been locked up in.
It was just curiosity at first. She was cleaning Axel's study, as usual, when her eyes caught a strange pattern behind an old Renaissance-style painting hanging on the wall. a small, overly neat metal slit.
Nadine's hand trembled gently as she touched it. There was a small click. The painting shifted automatically, revealing a small panel with an electronic key slot. She bit her lip, remembering the key ring she had found in Axel's coat drawer that had never been used, but never thrown away either.
She tried the key.
It clicked.
The panel opened.
Inside, a small safe was hidden. And when she opened it, Nadine found something she'd never imagined: several USB drives, red-stamped legal documents, and a cell phone.
With trembling hands, Nadine picked up one of the USBs. The contents changed her whole life.
---
Laura's Apartment - Midnight
Laura didn't sleep that night.
The light from her laptop screen highlighted her pale face, puffy eyes, and jaw hardened with anger. Nadine, her eyes red with panic, had just left her apartment after handing over the contents of the safe.
Laura had already watched half of the tape.
There was also a voice recording that contained an order to a lawyer hired to close an internal harassment case at the company.
Laura wiped the tears from her face. She couldn't go back to being Alessia. But tonight, she couldn't be Laura either.
She opened her new folder.
It was titled: Criminal & Civil Lawsuit - Anonymous vs Axel Anthony
---
Midnight Call
02:43.
Laura's cell phone vibrated. An unknown number. She knew who the caller was even before answering.
"Hello?" Her voice sounded cold.
It took a few seconds before the voice on the other end was heard. Heavy. Slow.
"Laura..."
Silence.
"Laura... I've done a lot of bad things. A lot," Axel's voice sounded drunk, but to be honest, I was close to breaking down. "But... that time. I thought you left because you hated me."
Laura held her breath. She didn't answer.
"I looked for you. For years. But not out of spite," she laughed bitterly, "because I felt... empty."
There was silence again.
"I didn't want to admit that I did it. To you. To your life."
Axel was silent. There was only the sound of his heavy breathing.
"If you're hearing this... I apologize."
Click.
The phone disconnected.
Laura stared at the phone screen. Her hands were shaking. But her tears don't fall. Not tonight.
---
Morning at Anthony Group
The sky above the skyscrapers was gray, a sign of impending rain. But the Anthony Group office still stands majestically without a crack, at least physically.
Axel entered the lobby looking impeccable. Neat hair, expensive suit, and a faint smile on his lips, as if last night never happened.
The staff greeted him, and he simply nodded. He didn't remember much from the night before-just the disjointed voices, the bitter laughter, and the tightness in his chest.
Laura stood in front of the elevator as he entered.
They stared at each other for a moment. Axel gave her a small smile. "Morning."
Laura returned the smile, flatly. "Morning."
The elevator opened, and they entered together, standing side by side.
In the reflection of the elevator glass, Axel watched her silently, then said, almost as if muttering, "You've changed."
Laura turned her head. "Everyone changes."
"But you... seem stronger than before."
Laura looked straight ahead, her smile back, but there was something in her eyes - shadows from the past and embers from the future.
"And you," he said calmly, "still think that you can judge people just by what you see."
---
Laura's Apartment - Nighttime
Laura looks back at the screen. The lawsuit is 80% complete. Three independent lawyers were ready to join. One of them is a former prosecutor who now works at a law firm.
But her mind is not focused.
She looked at Galen's room. The boy was fast asleep. Peacefully. Not knowing what storm was waiting for him.
Laura approached and sat on the edge of his bed.
She gazed at the boy with love, but also fear.
"I'm sorry, dear," she whispered, "this will change your life. But the truth is more important than comfort."
She touched Galen's hair gently.
"And you... you deserve to know who you really are."
---
On the laptop screen, the name "Anonymous Plaintiff" was slowly being replaced by a sentence that was not fully finished.
Alessia S. Anthony
Her hand hesitated, but only for a moment.
Click.
Document sent.
Laura rose from her chair. She didn't know if she would win this fight.
But for the first time in five years, she stood not as a shadow, not as a victim, but as a woman who chose to face the fire.
And she will not burn silently anymore.
- Writer
