Chapter 10: She Should Have Walked Away
985 Words
Lena Hart stood in the security room staring at the frozen monitor.
Her father's name remained visible on the screen.
DANIEL HART.
For twelve years, she had believed his employee records, identification card, and everything connected to his employment had been archived or destroyed.
Yet someone had just used his keycard.
Someone who shouldn't have had it.
Lena slowly turned toward Alexander.
"What are you not telling me?"
Alexander's expression was unreadable.
"Too much."
She stared at him.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the truth."
The security guard looked between them nervously.
"Mr. Blackwood, should I call the police?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Lena frowned.
"Why not?"
"Because we don't know what we're dealing with yet."
"Someone broke into a restricted floor using my dead father's keycard."
"I know."
"That's enough reason to call them."
Alexander looked at her.
"Do you trust the police?"
Lena hesitated.
"I don't know."
"Exactly."
He turned toward the guard.
"Secure the footage. Nobody accesses these systems without my authorization."
The guard nodded.
Alexander walked out.
Lena followed him.
"You're not seriously suggesting we keep this quiet."
"I'm suggesting we don't give whoever did this a chance to disappear."
"They're already disappearing."
"Not completely."
He stopped near the elevators.
Lena looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Alexander lowered his voice.
"The person who used that card wanted us to see it."
"Why?"
"To frighten you."
Lena's stomach tightened.
"Or to tell me something."
"Either way, they're controlling the situation."
She folded her arms.
"And you're used to controlling everything."
Alexander's eyes met hers.
"Not this."
For the first time, Lena believed him.
They returned to his office.
Alexander shut the door.
Lena remained standing.
"I've been thinking."
"That's usually dangerous."
She ignored the remark.
"I could leave."
Alexander's expression changed.
"Yes."
"I could resign today."
"Yes."
"I could walk away from this company and never look back."
"You could."
Lena stared at him.
"You aren't going to stop me?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because if I forced you to stay, you would never trust me."
She hadn't expected that answer.
Alexander moved toward the window.
"You have every reason to leave."
Lena watched him.
"Then why do I feel like you want me to stay?"
He was silent.
"Alexander."
He finally turned.
"I want the truth too."
Something in his voice made her pause.
Not the powerful CEO.
Not the cold billionaire.
Just a man who had been carrying the same unanswered questions for years.
Lena looked down at her father's file.
She thought about the warnings.
The anonymous messages.
The hidden records.
The threats.
She thought about the people who had abandoned her father when he needed them most.
And then she remembered something her father had once told her.
She had been seventeen.
She'd complained about a difficult mathematics problem.
Her father had smiled and said, "When the numbers don't make sense, don't change the answer. Find the missing number."
Lena closed her eyes.
She had spent twelve years believing she had lost her father.
Now she was beginning to realize she had also lost the truth about him.
She opened her eyes.
"I'm staying."
Alexander studied her.
"You understand what you're agreeing to?"
"Yes."
"No, you don't."
His voice became serious.
"This isn't a normal investigation anymore."
"I know."
"Someone is threatening you."
"I know."
"They have access to this building."
"I know."
"And they may know more about your father's death than either of us."
Lena nodded.
"That's exactly why I'm staying."
Alexander stepped closer.
"You could get hurt."
"I could."
"You could lose your job."
"I've already had worse things taken from me."
His expression softened for the briefest moment.
"What changed your mind?"
Lena looked at him.
"My father."
Alexander said nothing.
"I spent years wondering whether he was guilty. I watched people treat his name like something shameful."
She swallowed.
"If there's even a small chance that he was framed, I'm not walking away."
Alexander nodded slowly.
"Then there are rules."
"Of course there are."
"Don't investigate alone."
"Fine."
"Don't access restricted files without telling me."
Lena raised an eyebrow.
"That one might be difficult."
"Lena."
"Fine."
"And if you receive another message, you tell me immediately."
She hesitated.
"Fine."
Alexander extended his hand.
"For what?"
"An agreement."
Lena looked at his hand.
Then at him.
She shook it.
His grip was firm and warm.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Lena pulled her hand away.
"One more thing."
"What?"
"I want unrestricted access to the financial records related to my father's case."
Alexander considered it.
"You'll have it."
"All of them?"
"All of them."
"Even the restricted ones?"
His gaze sharpened.
"Not all."
She sighed.
"I knew there was a catch."
"There are things I need to verify first."
"Then verify them quickly."
Alexander almost smiled.
"I'll try."
Lena gathered her files.
She had made her decision.
She was staying.
But as she reached the door, Alexander's phone rang.
He answered.
"Blackwood."
He listened.
His expression changed.
Lena stopped.
"What happened?"
Alexander slowly lowered the phone.
"The security team found the person who used your father's keycard."
Lena's heart jumped.
"Who?"
Alexander looked directly at her.
"The footage shows the person entering the restricted archive."
"And?"
"He wasn't alone."
Lena's stomach tightened.
"Who was with him?"
Alexander's face became grim.
"The second person was wearing an employee access badge."
"Whose?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he said,
"Yours."
Lena went completely still.
Her own name appeared on the security report.
LENA HART.
She stared at Alexander.
"I never gave anyone my badge."
"I know."
"Then someone has a copy."
Alexander's eyes hardened.
"Which means this isn't just about your father anymore."
Lena's fingers tightened around her files.
Someone inside Blackwood International had access to her identity.
And they were already using it.
She had chosen to stay.
Now she realized staying meant stepping directly into the trap.
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End of Chapter 10
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