The Silver Watch
312 Words
Ethan sat at his desk long after midnight, the donor file open in front of him. The Vale Industries logo gleamed faintly at the top of the page. He traced the embossed letter V with his thumb, his mind racing.
His father’s company had funded Lila’s scholarship.
Had it been generosity—or guilt?
Unable to shake the unease, Ethan opened the secure archives using his old access credentials. The system still recognized him. He typed Victor Halden.
The screen filled with incident reports—employee misconduct, offshore contracts, unapproved security operations in Nigeria. And one redacted line that chilled him:
“Subject involved in Lagos operation—Hart family incident.”
He leaned back, blood draining from his face.
The next morning, he found Lila in the library, curled up in a corner surrounded by books. Sunlight fell across her face, peaceful and unaware of the storm he’d just uncovered.
“Hey,” she said softly, closing her notebook. “You look like you haven’t slept.”
“I haven’t.” He hesitated, then asked, “Lila… what do you remember about Nigeria?”
Her expression hardened. “Not much. A fire. Screams. And a man with a silver watch who told me to forget.”
Ethan’s pulse quickened.
Before he could speak, a loud crash came from the next aisle. They both turned—books had tumbled off a shelf. A janitor muttered an apology and hurried off, but Ethan caught a glint of metal on the man’s wrist.
The same silver watch.
He shot to his feet, but the man was already gone.
Lila frowned. “Ethan, what is it?”
“Nothing,” he lied. “Just thought I recognized someone.”
*** Outside the library, the same man slipped into a black sedan, speaking into a phone:
“He’s found the file. We move tonight.”
- Writer
