The Investigation
441 Words
Chapter 6 — The Investigation
Adrian sat alone in his office, staring at the old photograph on his desk.
It was a picture of him and Elena from five years ago.
Back then, he had believed they were happy.
Now, he wasn't sure what had been real.
He picked up his phone.
“Find everything about what happened five years ago,” he ordered his assistant. “I want every detail about Elena, my mother, and the marriage arrangement.”
“Yes, sir.”
Adrian ended the call.
A small knock came at the door.
He looked up.
Lily stood there.
“Daddy?”
Adrian's heart softened immediately.
“Come in.”
She walked over and climbed onto the chair beside him.
“Are you angry with Mommy?”
Adrian hesitated.
“I don't know.”
“She cries when you're angry.”
He looked at her.
“Does she?”
Lily nodded.
“Sometimes at night.”
Adrian's chest tightened.
He had spent years thinking Elena had forgotten him.
Meanwhile, she had apparently been carrying their past alone.
“Lily,” he said gently, “did Mommy ever tell you about me?”
“She said you were someone important.”
Adrian smiled sadly.
“Just important?”
Lily nodded.
“She never said you were my daddy.”
Adrian looked away.
That hurt more than he expected.
Meanwhile, Elena stood outside the office, listening.
She had come to take Lily home.
But hearing their conversation made her stop.
She knew Adrian was changing.
And that frightened her.
Because if he discovered the entire truth, he might never forgive her.
Suddenly, Adrian's assistant appeared at the end of the hallway.
“Sir,” he called.
Adrian stepped outside.
The assistant handed him a folder.
“I found something.”
Adrian opened it.
His eyes scanned the first page.
Then his expression turned cold.
“There was an agreement?”
“Yes. Your mother arranged the marriage before Elena disappeared.”
Adrian turned another page.
“And this?”
The assistant hesitated.
“We found a payment made to someone close to Elena shortly before she left.”
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
“Who received it?”
The assistant looked at Elena standing behind him.
“Her father.”
Elena froze.
Adrian slowly turned toward her.
“Your father was paid to make you leave me?”
Elena's eyes filled with tears.
“I didn't know.”
Adrian stared at her.
For the first time, he realized Elena might have been trapped just as much as he had been.
But one question remained.
Who had been controlling their lives five years ago?
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD