The Enemy Beside Her
1143 Words
Evelyn couldn't stop staring at the phone.
Especially Kael.
Those two words echoed in her mind.
Kael stood several feet away, watching her carefully.
“You heard him,” Evelyn said.
“Yes.”
“My father told me not to trust you.”
“I heard.”
“And you're not going to deny it?”
Kael shook his head.
“No.”
Evelyn frowned.
“Why?”
“Because your father has every reason to hate my family.”
“That isn't an answer.”
“No. It isn't.”
Kael walked toward the table and picked up the phone.
The screen had already gone dark.
“He's right about one thing.”
“What?”
“You shouldn't trust me.”
Evelyn stared at him.
“Then why should I stay with you?”
“You shouldn't.”
The answer surprised her.
Kael put the phone down.
“You should leave.”
“Leave?”
“Yes.”
“And go where?”
“Anywhere away from me.”
Evelyn studied his face.
“You're letting me walk away?”
“If I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't have spent the last few days keeping you alive.”
“Maybe keeping me alive is part of your plan.”
Something flickered in Kael's eyes.
“Maybe.”
Evelyn stepped back.
“You're not making this easy.”
“I never promised I would.”
Silence settled between them.
Then Evelyn noticed something on the table.
A photograph.
She picked it up.
It showed Kael standing beside her father.
But unlike the photographs she'd seen before, this one had been taken recently.
Evelyn's eyes widened.
“This isn't seven years old.”
Kael's expression changed.
“Where did you find that?”
“Here.”
She turned the photograph over.
A date was written on the back.
Three months ago.
Evelyn looked at him.
“You saw my father three months ago.”
Kael didn't answer.
“You said you didn't know where he was.”
“I said I didn't know where he was now.”
“But you saw him.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because he asked me not to.”
“Why?”
Kael looked away.
“Because he was investigating Victor.”
“My father was investigating your father?”
“Yes.”
“What did they talk about?”
“Your mother.”
Evelyn's heart skipped.
“What about her?”
Kael hesitated.
“He said Elena had been hiding something from both of us.”
“What?”
“I don't know.”
“Kael.”
“I swear.”
Evelyn lowered the photograph.
“Then why does my father hate your family?”
Kael's expression hardened.
“Because he believes Victor ordered your mother's disappearance.”
Evelyn's eyes widened.
“And you?”
“I believe him.”
She stared at Kael.
“You believe your own father is responsible?”
“Yes.”
The honesty in his voice unsettled her.
Before she could respond, the warehouse lights suddenly flickered.
Kael immediately turned toward the entrance.
“What is it?”
“Someone's here.”
A loud metallic sound came from the other side of the door.
Kael moved closer.
“Stay behind me.”
The door opened.
A man walked inside.
Evelyn recognized him immediately.
The messenger from the Vale estate.
He stopped several feet away.
“Adrian wants to see his daughter.”
Evelyn stepped forward.
“Where is he?”
The man looked at Kael.
“Not here.”
“Then take me to him.”
Kael stepped between them.
“No.”
Evelyn frowned.
“You don't get to decide that.”
“He's leading you into a trap.”
The messenger smiled.
“Perhaps.”
Kael's expression hardened.
“Who sent you?”
“Your father.”
Kael froze.
Evelyn looked at him.
“Victor?”
The messenger nodded.
“He wants Evelyn.”
“Why?”
The man looked directly at her.
“Because he knows what your father is planning.”
Evelyn's stomach tightened.
“What is he planning?”
“To destroy the Vale family.”
Kael's eyes narrowed.
“And what does Evelyn have to do with that?”
The messenger reached into his coat and removed another envelope.
He handed it to Evelyn.
“Everything.”
She opened it.
Inside was a document.
Her name appeared at the top.
EVelyn Hart — Beneficiary.
She read the first paragraph.
Then stopped.
“This can't be real.”
Kael took the document.
His eyes moved quickly across the page.
His expression changed.
“What is it?” Evelyn asked.
Kael looked at her.
“Your father transferred ownership of his entire estate to you.”
Evelyn blinked.
“What estate?”
“The Cross Foundation.”
She stared at him.
“I've never heard of it.”
“Because it doesn't exist publicly.”
“What does it own?”
Kael's voice became quieter.
“Several companies. Property. Accounts.”
“How much?”
“Enough to make your father a target.”
Evelyn looked at the document again.
“Why would he leave all of this to me?”
The messenger answered.
“Because he knew they would come after you.”
“Who?”
The messenger's expression darkened.
“Everyone.”
Suddenly, a gunshot echoed outside.
The messenger ducked.
Kael pulled Evelyn behind a concrete pillar.
More shots followed from outside.
“Stay down!” Kael shouted.
The warehouse erupted into chaos.
The messenger rushed toward the back exit.
Kael grabbed Evelyn's hand.
“We're leaving.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere but here.”
They ran through the rear corridor.
Evelyn looked back once.
The messenger was gone.
Then her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
One message appeared.
YOU WANT TO FIND YOUR FATHER?
A second message arrived.
COME TO THE OLD HART HOUSE.
Evelyn's heart raced.
She knew that place.
Her childhood home.
The house she hadn't visited since her father's death.
A final message appeared.
COME BEFORE MIDNIGHT.
Evelyn looked at Kael.
“I know where my father wants me to go.”
Kael's face tightened.
“Where?”
“The Hart house.”
He immediately shook his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because your father wouldn't send you there.”
“How do you know?”
Kael stared at the message.
“Because the Hart house burned down seven years ago.”
Evelyn's blood ran cold.
“What?”
Kael looked at her.
“There's nothing left.”
Her phone vibrated again.
This time, there was a photograph.
The old Hart house.
Standing perfectly intact.
And in the upstairs window stood a woman.
Evelyn zoomed in.
Her breath caught.
It was Elena.
Her mother.
Alive.
Watching from the window.
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