CHAPTER 16
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Chapter 16: The Letter
The room above Sunflower Café was silent.
Thomas sat at the small wooden table, staring at the envelope in front of him.
To My Grandson, Thomas. Read Only When You Are Ready.
His grandfather’s familiar handwriting brought back memories he had spent months trying to forget.
Slowly, he broke the seal.
Inside was a single handwritten letter.
⸻
Thomas,
If you are reading this, then Samuel has found you… and I fear he may have paid the ultimate price.
Thomas’s hands trembled.
He continued reading.
First, I need you to know this: none of what has happened is your fault. You uncovered the truth when others chose to remain silent. I’m proud of the man you’ve become.
A lump formed in his throat.
The people hunting you are more dangerous than you realize. They are not just criminals—they have powerful allies inside Ashcroft Group. Even those you think are loyal may have betrayed us. Trust no one until you know the whole truth.
Thomas frowned.
Someone inside the company…
Someone close to his grandfather…
⸻
A knock at the door interrupted him.
“Thomas?”
It was Lena.
He quickly folded the letter.
“Come in.”
She stepped inside, carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and fresh bread.
“I… wasn’t sure if you’d eaten.”
Thomas looked at the tray.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“I know.”
She placed it on the table.
“But you were shot today.”
“It was only a graze.”
She crossed her arms.
“You’re still impossible.”
For the first time since the station…
A small smile appeared on both their faces.
⸻
The silence between them felt different now.
Not comfortable.
But no longer filled with anger.
Lena looked around the tiny room.
“So…”
She said quietly.
“Thomas.”
He looked up.
“It feels strange calling you that.”
“I know.”
She smiled faintly.
“I might accidentally call you Daniel for a while.”
“I’ll answer to both.”
They shared a brief laugh before the silence returned.
⸻
Lena’s expression grew serious.
“I’ve been thinking.”
Thomas waited.
“I was angry because you lied.”
He lowered his eyes.
“I deserved that.”
“But…”
She took a deep breath.
“I also know why you did it.”
Thomas looked at her in surprise.
“I don’t forgive the lies.”
“Not yet.”
“But…”
She met his gaze.
“I don’t believe the man I met here was fake.”
Her words lifted a weight from his chest.
“The Thomas standing in front of me…”
She smiled softly.
“…still burns toast.”
“And still doesn’t know how much cinnamon to put in the rolls.”
Thomas chuckled.
“I’ve improved.”
“Barely.”
For the first time in days…
The room felt warm again.
⸻
After Lena returned downstairs, Thomas unfolded the letter once more.
His eyes fell on the final paragraph.
Inside the file is the evidence you collected. Inside the flash drive is something even more important.
But there is one truth I never told you.
Your parents’ deaths were not an accident.
Thomas’s eyes widened.
His breathing stopped.
He read the sentence again.
Your parents were murdered.
The letter slipped from his hand.
“No…”
Everything he had believed for years…
Was a lie.
⸻
Downstairs, Lena was closing the café for the night when she heard something crash upstairs.
“Thomas?”
She hurried toward the staircase.
Before she could reach the top—
The lights suddenly went out.
The entire café was plunged into darkness.
Outside…
A black van rolled silently to a stop across the street.
Its doors slowly opened.
Four masked figures stepped out.
One of them pointed toward the café.
“This is the place.”
Another checked his weapon.
“The boss wants Thomas alive.”
“And the girl?”
The leader’s expression turned cold.
“If she gets in the way…”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
He didn’t have to.
Hidden in the darkness, the men began moving toward Sunflower Café, unaware that the quiet little café was about to become the center of a deadly siege.
- Writer
