Chapter 10 – Shadows at the Door
1037 Words
The air in the penthouse felt different.
No longer a sanctuary, it had transformed into a waiting chamber—like a storm was gathering just outside, waiting for someone to open a window. Amelia sat at the foot of the bed, the envelope on the nightstand beside her. It had been opened. Its contents had been spread out across the duvet hours ago, but the silence between her and Liam hadn’t yet been broken.
The images. The screenshots. The wire transfers.
The truth.
Elena.
Aiden.
Evelyn.
And now, the word that none of them wanted to say aloud, but that haunted every breath in the room:
Murder.
Liam finally broke the silence. “I want to know who sent this. And why.”
Amelia looked up. “You think Aiden’s behind it?”
“No,” he said after a moment. “This isn’t his style. But someone knows. And they’re trying to warn us—or control us.”
Amelia stood, walked to the window, and wrapped her arms around herself. “Or bait us into doing something stupid.”
Liam’s jaw clenched. “If someone killed Elena, they’re not going to get away with it.”
---
The following morning, Liam reached out to his private investigator, Markus. “I need surveillance footage from the night Elena died. Everything—street cams, garage security, traffic footage. Cross-check it all.”
Amelia listened quietly as Liam barked orders and passed off encrypted file locations. She saw a different version of him now—not just a cold CEO, but a strategist. A man who’d learned to play chess with people’s lives.
And now, he was ready to sacrifice everything for justice.
---
Later, Amelia visited the archives in the lower floor of the Blackwood estate, escorted by Claire. There, she requested Elena’s legal files, digital records, and handwritten journals.
Claire hesitated. “You’re sure Mr. Blackwood knows?”
“I’m not just his wife anymore,” Amelia said softly. “I’m his partner.”
After a long pause, Claire nodded and handed over a locked file case.
Amelia took it to the guest room and opened it.
The prenup was harsh.
If Elena left Liam, she forfeited custody. Zero claim to assets. Silence was expected. Discretion, mandatory.
And then came the journals. One was marked with a faded flower sticker.
Amelia flipped through and found a page written two days before Elena’s death:
> I’m suffocating. I can’t trust anyone. Liam’s tracking me, and Aiden’s become too… intense. He says he loves me. That he’ll take me away. I don’t know what’s worse—being locked in or being chased.
Amelia’s throat closed.
Elena had been afraid.
And she’d had every reason to be.
---
That night, Liam received a call from Markus.
“We found a grainy clip from a security garage. Two men. They forced Elena into her car. Then one stayed behind and made a call. We got a partial on the license plate.”
“Did you identify them?”
“One of them wears a ring with the Blackwood crest.”
Liam stared at the wall. “Harold. My mother’s head of security.”
---
Around midnight, Amelia and Liam were both startled by a knock at the penthouse door.
It was Aiden.
Uninvited.
His expression was grim.
“I know I shouldn’t be here,” he began, “but you need the rest of the truth.”
Liam folded his arms. “Start talking.”
Aiden hesitated. “Elena called me the night she died. She was terrified. She found out Evelyn was preparing to cut her out of the family. Not just from the business, but from the baby. She told me she didn’t feel safe anymore.”
Amelia stepped forward. “Why would Evelyn do that?”
“Because Elena found out about the offshore accounts. The shell companies used to hide Evelyn’s assets from the board. Elena confronted her.”
Liam’s eyes darkened. “And?”
“She was going to go public. That night.”
Amelia gasped. “So Evelyn silenced her.”
“She sent Harold and another man to intercept her. Elena was unconscious before the crash happened. That wasn’t an accident—it was staged.”
Liam turned to the bar and poured himself a drink, hands shaking.
“You knew this and said nothing?” he asked.
“I was paid to keep the witness quiet. Back then, I was scared. I was selfish.”
“Who was the witness?” Amelia asked.
“A valet. He disappeared a month later. Went back to Brazil. Or that’s what we were told.”
Liam slammed the glass down. “And now Evelyn’s still pulling strings.”
“I came tonight because someone contacted me too,” Aiden added. “A message. A threat. They’re not done.”
Amelia met his eyes. “Who’s next?”
He looked at her.
“You.”
---
The next morning, Evelyn requested a meeting.
Privately.
Amelia agreed.
They met in a secluded rooftop lounge. Evelyn wore crimson. Her smile was a mask.
“You’ve become quite the problem,” she said casually.
“I’m not a problem. I’m a reckoning,” Amelia replied.
Evelyn laughed. “Do you think marrying Liam makes you untouchable?”
“No,” Amelia said. “But exposing a murderer might.”
“You have no proof.”
“We have more than you think. And your arrogance is going to bury you.”
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. “Be careful, dear. You’re playing with fire.”
Amelia smiled. “I didn’t come to play.”
---
That night, Liam and Amelia sat in the study, reviewing everything. The footage. The documents. The recordings.
“We need to go public,” Liam said.
“Not yet,” Amelia replied. “Let her think she’s winning. The higher she climbs, the harder she’ll fall.”
Liam nodded slowly. “Then we make our move at the next shareholder gala.”
“What happens then?”
“We burn down the empire she built on blood.”
Amelia rested her head on his shoulder. “Together.”
“Yes,” Liam said. “Together.”
- Writer
