Episode3-TheSecondLetter
1741 Words
The room fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
It felt as though the air itself had stopped moving.
Isabella stared at the assistant.
Her heart hammered painfully against her chest.
She was certain she had heard him wrong.
Certain.
Because there was no way her father could have written something like that.
No way.
Her father’s death had been ruled an accident.
A tragic accident.
That was what the police had said.
That was what everyone had said.
For three months she had lived with that reality.
Grieved because of that reality.
Accepted that reality.
And now a single sentence threatened to destroy it.
“If you are reading this, then someone has already lied to you about how I died.”
The words echoed inside her mind.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Alexander was the first to recover.
“Where is the letter?”
The assistant swallowed.
“Downstairs.”
“I asked where.”
His voice had become sharper.
Colder.
The assistant shifted nervously.
“Mr. Hale is examining it.”
Alexander immediately turned toward the door.
“Let’s go.”
Isabella blinked.
“Wait.”
He stopped.
She looked at him.
Then at the assistant.
Then back at him.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
“No.”
“It can’t be real.”
“Maybe.”
She stared at him.
His face revealed nothing.
No surprise.
No disbelief.
Only focus.
The expression irritated her.
“How can you be so calm?”
His blue eyes met hers.
“I’m not calm.”
For the first time since meeting him, she saw something different in his gaze.
Concern.
Not for himself.
For the situation.
For what the letter might mean.
“If someone hid that document,” he continued, “I want to know why.”
The answer sent another chill through her.
Because he was right.
The letter had not been discovered immediately.
It had been hidden.
Someone had either missed it…
Or wanted it hidden.
Neither possibility felt comforting.
The assistant cleared his throat.
“Mr. Hale requested that both of you come downstairs immediately.”
Alexander nodded once.
Then he headed toward the door.
After a moment, Isabella followed.
The elevator ride felt endless.
Nobody spoke.
The silence was suffocating.
Isabella stared at the changing floor numbers.
Her thoughts raced.
Her father had never been careless.
Especially when it came to important things.
If he wrote a second letter, there had to be a reason.
And if he hid it…
Then perhaps he never intended for it to be found immediately.
But why?
What was he trying to tell her?
The elevator finally stopped.
The doors opened.
Richard Hale was waiting.
The lawyer looked unusually tense.
That alone worried Isabella.
The man had appeared calm throughout every shocking revelation so far.
Seeing him unsettled made her nervous.
Very nervous.
“Miss Hart.”
“Where is it?”
Her voice came out sharper than intended.
The lawyer held up a hand.
“Please sit.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“I want to see the letter.”
The lawyer hesitated.
Then handed over a folded sheet of paper.
“This was discovered inside a hidden compartment in your father’s personal safe.”
Her hands trembled as she accepted it.
The paper looked old.
The handwriting looked familiar.
Painfully familiar.
It was definitely her father’s.
Taking a deep breath, she unfolded it.
The room disappeared around her.
Only the words remained.
My Isabella,
If you are reading this, then someone has already lied to you about how I died.
I pray I am wrong.
I pray this letter never becomes necessary.
But if it has reached your hands, then you must listen carefully.
There are things I could never tell you while I was alive.
Not because I did not trust you.
Because I was afraid.
For years I have carried a burden that was never mine.
I made mistakes.
Many mistakes.
But the greatest mistake was believing the truth would stay buried forever.
If anything happens to me, do not trust appearances.
Do not trust easy answers.
And most importantly…
Do not trust everyone who claims to be helping you.
The truth about our family is far more dangerous than you realize.
You must find the documents.
Everything depends on them.
And if Alexander Blackwood is involved…
His name should never have appeared in this story.
The letter ended there.
Nothing more.
No explanation.
No signature.
Just silence.
A terrible silence.
Isabella lowered the paper slowly.
Her fingers felt numb.
The room felt distant.
Unreal.
“What does this mean?”
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
Or at least nobody seemed to know.
Richard Hale removed his glasses.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this letter.”
She looked at him sharply.
“My father hid it?”
“It appears so.”
Alexander extended a hand.
“May I?”
For a second Isabella considered refusing.
Then she passed him the letter.
He read it quickly.
His expression never changed.
Yet she noticed something.
His eyes lingered on one particular line.
If Alexander Blackwood is involved…
His name should never have appeared in this story.
When Alexander finished reading, he folded the letter carefully.
Then he looked at Richard Hale.
“What documents?”
The lawyer shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened.
“My father never mentioned Jonathan Hart.”
“And Jonathan Hart never mentioned your father.”
The lawyer spread his hands.
“This is as confusing for me as it is for you.”
Something about that statement bothered Isabella.
Confusing?
No.
This was beyond confusing.
This was terrifying.
Because if her father had not died in an accident…
Then what had happened?
And why?
A sudden thought struck her.
She turned toward the lawyer.
“My father’s safe.”
Richard Hale frowned.
“What about it?”
“Who found the hidden compartment?”
The lawyer blinked.
“One of my staff members.”
“Who?”
The hesitation was brief.
But she noticed it.
Alexander noticed it too.
The billionaire’s eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
The lawyer cleared his throat.
“A junior archivist.”
“Name?”
The lawyer looked uncomfortable.
“Emily Carter.”
Alexander pulled out his phone immediately.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m having someone verify that.”
The casual response surprised everyone.
Including Isabella.
“You can do that?”
Alexander looked at her.
“I can verify whether she exists.”
The reminder of his power irritated her.
Yet at that moment she was strangely grateful for it.
A few seconds later his phone rang.
He answered immediately.
“Yes?”
Silence.
Then his expression hardened.
“What do you mean?”
The room grew still.
Everyone watched him.
Listened.
Waited.
Finally Alexander lowered the phone.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
His face looked colder than before.
Dangerously cold.
“What happened?” Isabella asked.
Alexander’s gaze shifted to Richard Hale.
Then back to her.
“There is no Emily Carter employed here.”
The words landed like a hammer.
“What?”
“There never was.”
The lawyer’s face turned pale.
“That’s impossible.”
“No.”
Alexander slipped the phone into his pocket.
“It isn’t.”
Fear crawled through Isabella.
A cold unpleasant fear.
Someone had supposedly discovered the letter.
But that person did not exist.
Which meant one thing.
Someone had lied.
Again.
The realization settled heavily over the room.
Her father had warned her.
Do not trust everyone who claims to be helping you.
The words suddenly felt much more important.
Much more real.
Richard Hale sat down heavily.
“This makes no sense.”
Alexander disagreed.
“It makes perfect sense.”
The lawyer looked up.
“What?”
“Someone wanted this letter found.”
Silence.
Nobody argued.
Because it was true.
If the fake employee did not exist, then somebody had planted the discovery.
The question was why.
Why now?
Why after three months?
Why wait until the day Isabella learned about the marriage contract?
A horrible possibility entered Isabella’s mind.
“What if they’re connected?”
Alexander looked at her.
“The contract.”
She pointed toward the file on the desk.
“And the letter.”
Understanding flashed briefly across his face.
“You think whoever wanted the contract revealed also wanted the letter revealed.”
“Yes.”
The room became quiet again.
Because the theory made sense.
Too much sense.
Richard Hale suddenly stood.
“We need security footage.”
Alexander nodded immediately.
“Agreed.”
The lawyer grabbed his phone.
A few minutes later he returned.
His face was pale.
Much paler than before.
“What is it?” Isabella asked.
He swallowed.
“The footage is gone.”
A chill swept through the room.
“What?”
“The recordings from yesterday evening have been erased.”
Nobody spoke.
Because now there was no denying it.
This was not an accident.
Someone had entered the building.
Someone had hidden their identity.
Someone had arranged for the letter to be found.
And someone had erased the evidence.
The realization settled heavily over Isabella.
She suddenly felt exposed.
Watched.
As though invisible eyes had been observing her life.
Waiting.
Planning.
Her phone vibrated suddenly.
The sound startled everyone.
She frowned.
Unknown number.
Normally she would ignore it.
Today she answered.
“Hello?”
Silence.
A strange static sound filled the line.
Then a voice spoke.
A man’s voice.
Low.
Calm.
Unfamiliar.
“You found the letter.”
Every muscle in Isabella’s body froze.
Her heart stopped.
“Who is this?”
The caller ignored the question.
“Your father wanted you to know the truth.”
Fear tightened around her chest.
Alexander was already watching her carefully.
“What truth?”
A soft laugh came through the line.
Not a pleasant laugh.
A frightening one.
Then the man spoke again.
“Ask yourself one question, Isabella.”
She could barely breathe.
“What question?”
The answer came immediately.
“If your father’s death was truly an accident…”
The voice paused.
Long enough to make her stomach twist.
Then came the final words.
“…why was he trying to run the night he died?”
The call disconnected.
The phone slipped from Isabella’s hand.
And crashed onto the floor.
- Writer
