The First Secret
1833 Words
Elena didn't sleep that night.
Victor Hart's name kept circling through her mind.
For three years, she had believed her uncle was simply another person who had chosen to abandon her.
Now she wasn't so sure.
At six in the morning, Elena stood in front of the large windows of her apartment, holding a cup of untouched coffee.
The city was slowly waking beneath her.
She opened the file Adrian had given her.
Meridian Crest Investments.
The company had appeared in the Hart financial records only months before Elena's downfall.
Then, just before she was accused, it had disappeared.
Too convenient.
Too perfect.
Elena picked up her phone.
“Mia.”
“Good morning.”
“Find everything you can about Meridian Crest.”
“I already started.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes.”
Mia's voice became cautious.
“I found something about Victor.”
Elena straightened.
“What?”
“Three years ago, Victor transferred a large amount of money to a private account.”
“How much?”
“Almost two million.”
Elena's fingers tightened around the phone.
“Where did the money go?”
“That's the strange part. The account belongs to a company registered overseas.”
“Meridian Crest?”
“No.”
Elena frowned.
“What company?”
“Silver Vale Consulting.”
Elena immediately opened her laptop.
“Send me the details.”
“Already sent.”
Elena opened the file.
There was almost nothing.
A company name.
A registration date.
One director.
No photograph.
No public records.
And then she saw the signature.
Her eyes widened.
She knew that handwriting.
It belonged to Victor.
“That's enough.”
Mia went silent.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Elena closed the laptop.
“I know where I'm going.”
---
Victor Hart was having breakfast when Elena arrived.
He was sitting alone in the dining room, reading the newspaper.
The moment he saw her, his expression changed.
“Elena.”
“Good morning, Uncle.”
Victor slowly folded the newspaper.
“You should have called before coming.”
“I didn't want to give you time to prepare.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Prepare for what?”
Elena took the chair opposite him.
“For questions.”
Victor studied her.
“You've been asking a lot of questions lately.”
“Have I?”
“Yes.”
He poured himself more coffee.
“I heard you bought shares in Carter Group.”
“News travels quickly.”
“You're interfering with Daniel's business.”
“I'm investing.”
Victor's expression hardened.
“Don't play games with me.”
Elena smiled.
“You taught me how.”
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
Then Elena placed a document on the table.
Victor's eyes immediately fell on it.
His face changed.
Only for a moment.
But Elena noticed.
“What is this?” he asked.
“Silver Vale Consulting.”
Victor slowly looked at her.
“I don't know that company.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“That's unfortunate.”
“Why?”
“Because your signature is on their financial documents.”
Victor's face became pale.
Elena leaned back.
“Two million dollars.”
Victor stared at the paper.
“You don't understand what you're looking at.”
“Then explain it.”
“It was a business transaction.”
“With a company you supposedly don't know?”
Victor said nothing.
Elena watched him carefully.
There was fear in his eyes.
Not guilt.
Fear.
That was interesting.
“Where did the money come from?” she asked.
Victor's voice became colder.
“Leave this alone.”
“Why?”
“Because you're opening a door you won't be able to close.”
Elena smiled.
“I've spent three years behind closed doors.”
She stood.
“I'm not afraid of what's on the other side anymore.”
Victor suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Elena looked down at his hand.
“Let go.”
He released her.
His voice was quieter now.
“You think Daniel was the reason your life fell apart.”
Elena froze.
Victor continued.
“He wasn't.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”
Victor looked toward the door.
“Someone wanted you out of the way.”
“Who?”
“I can't tell you.”
“Can't?”
“Not yet.”
Elena stepped closer.
“You accused me.”
Victor looked at her.
“And I regret it.”
That was the last answer Elena expected.
“You regret it?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn't you help me?”
Victor's expression became tired.
“Because I was afraid.”
“Of whom?”
Before he could answer, someone entered the dining room.
Sophia.
She stopped when she saw Elena.
Her eyes moved between them.
“What are you doing here?”
Elena looked at her.
“Having breakfast with family.”
Sophia looked uncomfortable.
Victor immediately stood.
“Leave us.”
Sophia hesitated.
Then she walked away.
Elena watched her disappear.
Something about the situation felt wrong.
Very wrong.
---
An hour later, Elena sat inside her car.
She had learned two things.
Victor knew more than he had admitted.
And he was afraid of someone.
But who?
Her phone rang.
Adrian.
Elena stared at his name for a moment before answering.
“What?”
“Good morning to you too.”
“I'm busy.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“I heard you visited Victor.”
Elena's eyes narrowed.
“Are you following me?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know?”
“Because Victor called someone immediately after you left.”
Elena sat straighter.
“Who?”
“We're trying to find out.”
“Where is he now?”
“Not at home.”
Elena looked through the windshield.
“Where?”
“An old warehouse near the river.”
Her expression changed.
“Why would Victor go there?”
“That is what I intend to find out.”
Elena grabbed her bag.
“Send me the location.”
There was silence.
Then Adrian said, “Don't go alone.”
“I didn't ask for permission.”
“Elena.”
She smiled faintly.
“You're starting to sound worried.”
“I am.”
She paused.
That answer caught her off guard.
“Send the location.”
The call ended.
---
The warehouse stood near the river, surrounded by abandoned buildings.
Elena parked several streets away.
She approached on foot.
The building looked empty.
But a black SUV stood outside.
She recognized it.
Victor's car.
Elena quietly entered through a side door.
Inside, the warehouse was dark.
She heard voices.
She moved closer.
Victor was speaking to a man she couldn't see clearly.
“I told you she wouldn't stop.”
The stranger replied, “Then you should have stopped her.”
“I tried.”
“You failed.”
Elena's heartbeat increased.
The stranger continued.
“She has Adrian Black helping her.”
Victor sounded frightened.
“Adrian doesn't know everything.”
“He knows enough.”
Elena moved closer.
A loose piece of metal fell from a shelf.
Clang.
The voices stopped.
Elena immediately stepped backward.
“Who's there?” Victor shouted.
She ran.
Footsteps followed.
She reached the side door and pushed it open.
Someone grabbed her shoulder.
Elena spun around.
But before the stranger could pull her back, another hand seized his arm.
Adrian.
He shoved the man away.
“Run.”
Elena didn't argue.
They escaped through the alley.
When they reached the car, Elena turned toward Adrian.
“You followed me.”
“Yes.”
“I told you I didn't need protection.”
“And yet you nearly got yourself caught.”
“I had everything under control.”
Adrian gave her a look.
“You were standing inside an abandoned warehouse listening to two men discussing your disappearance.”
Elena crossed her arms.
“I was being careful.”
“You call that careful?”
“Yes.”
Adrian shook his head.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Elena asked, “Who was the man?”
“I don't know.”
“You're lying.”
“I'm not.”
“He knew Victor.”
“Yes.”
“And he knew about you.”
Adrian's expression became serious.
“That concerns me.”
Elena looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because I never told anyone I was investigating your case.”
Elena went still.
“So how did he know?”
Adrian didn't answer.
That silence said enough.
Someone powerful was involved.
Someone who had access to information they shouldn't have.
---
That evening, Elena returned home.
She entered her office and opened her laptop.
The security footage from the warehouse was already waiting.
She watched the recording carefully.
Victor.
The unknown man.
Then she paused the video.
The man's face was partly visible.
Elena zoomed in.
Her heart stopped.
She knew him.
Not personally.
But she had seen his photograph before.
He had worked for her father.
His name was Richard Hale.
Three years ago, Richard had been one of the people who testified against Elena.
She opened another file.
His name appeared there too.
Meridian Crest.
Elena stared at the screen.
The pieces were beginning to connect.
Victor.
Richard.
Meridian Crest.
The financial scandal.
Daniel.
But one question remained.
Why had they needed Elena gone?
Her phone suddenly buzzed.
A message appeared.
Unknown: You found Richard.
Elena's blood ran cold.
Another message followed.
Unknown: Now ask yourself why he testified against you.
Then a final message.
Unknown: And remember—Daniel wasn't the only person who betrayed you.
Elena slowly lowered her phone.
Three years ago, she had thought she knew exactly who had destroyed her life.
Now she understood the truth was much darker.
Daniel had betrayed her.
Sophia had betrayed her.
Victor had lied to her.
But someone else had been pulling the strings from the shadows.
And Elena was getting dangerously close.
She looked at the photograph of her family on the desk.
Her eyes hardened.
“If you wanted me gone,” she whispered, “you should have made sure I never came back.”
Her phone rang.
Adrian.
She answered.
“I know who Richard Hale is.”
“I know.”
Elena frowned.
“How?”
“I've been investigating him.”
She stared into the darkness outside her window.
“Then we have a problem.”
“What?”
“Richard isn't the person who scares me.”
“Who does?”
Elena looked at the message on her phone.
“The person who knows everything we're doing.”
There was silence on the other end.
Then Adrian said quietly:
“I'm afraid you're right.”
Elena ended the call.
For the first time since returning, she realized something.
She wasn't hunting the enemy anymore.
The enemy was hunting her.
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