THE LIE THAT BOUND US

THE PAST HE LEFT BEHIND

Johanna's POV

It had been three days since I saw Sebastian's face on the news, yet his name somehow, continued to find its way into my thoughts.

And I hated that.

For years I have been trying to forget the Mosers not because I have forgiven them or anything like that but, the constant thinking about them had begun to feel like I was giving them more power over my life than they already had.

And now, Sebastian was everywhere.

His face appeared on business websites.

His name was mentioned in newspapers.

Even some of the staffs at my work had started talking about him.

The new CEO of the Moser Empire, The young billionaire who had taken over his father's business.

Everyone seemed so interested in him and I couldn't just understand why.

To me, he was just Sebastian Moser. The same arrogant boy who spent four years trying to prove he was better than me.

I pushed the thought aside and continued sorting out the documents on my desk.

"Johanna?"

I looked up to see who was calling out for me.

Mr. William, my group supervisor, stood beside my desk holding a folder.

"Yes sir, how may I help you?"

"Can I see you in my office for a moment?"

I frowned.

"Is there an issue sir?"

"No, not at all. I just need your help with something that's all."

I stood up from my desk and followed him into his office.

He placed the folder he had been holding on his desk and opened it.

"This was sent to me this morning".

I glanced at the documents.

For a moment, I couldn't process why he had called me.

Until I saw the name printed at the top of the documents.

MOSER EMPIRE.

I gulped slightly.

"What do they want exactly?"

"They are requesting access to some archived business records."

I stared at him.

"Which records?"

He flipped through the papers in the folder.

"Several agreements involving companies that had partnerships with the Moser Empire many years ago."

My eyes still remained fixed on the folder.

He hesitated, then he looked at me.

"This one in particular."

He turned the page toward me.

I didn't need to read through the entire document the name gave it out immediately.

Koller Holdings.

For a moment, everything around me disappeared.

That was my father's company.

The company that had carried our family's name with pride, the company that vanished after my father's arrest.

I pushed the folder back to Mr William and looked away.

"Why are they requesting this now?"

"I don't know honestly"

"And who exactly requested them?"

"Someone from the Moser Empire's legal department."

I nodded slowly.

"Does Mr Sebastian Moser know about this?"

Mr. William shrugged.

"I will assume so, I mean he's the CEO." So of course he would know.

I picked the folder up.

"Can I look through this please?"

He gave me a really questioning look.

"Why?"

"I was working on some of the older records, I might be able to locate them faster."

It wasn't really the truth but it wasn't a lie either.

I had spent years studying whatever information I could find about my family's business.

"Okay Fine. Just make sure nothing leaves the office and the folder."

"I understand."

I took the folder and returned back to my desk.

My hands turned cold.

I opened the first document.

It contained mostly ordinary company names, dates, agreements and financial references.

But as I read further, the more familiar everything became.

These were the same documents I spent years researching. It was the same partnership that had ended with my father going to prison, the same business empire that continued thriving while my family struggled to survive.

I closed the folder.

“Why was Sebastian looking into this now?”.

The partnership had ended a really long time ago, his father was dead and my father was in prison. There was nothing left to investigate.

At least, that's what I had always believed.

I looked at the folder again.

Maybe there was something to investigate.

I hated the thought.

I hated that Sebastian's actions made me curious.

So I did what I had promised myself I would not do.

I opened my laptop and typed his name into the search bar.

Several articles appeared.

I clicked on the most recent one.

The headline read:

SEBASTIAN MOSER BEGINS MAJOR REVIEW OF MOSER EMPIRE'S HISTORIC BUSINESS AGREEMENTS.

I sat upright and continued reading.

After taking control of the company, Sebastian began reviewing several of the partnerships established during his father's time.

Some of them had been inactive for years, others had ended due to complicated circumstances.

My eyes stopped at a particular sentence.

SOURCES REVEALED THAT THE COMPANY'S NEW CEO INTENDS TO REVIEW UNRESOLVED MATTERS FROM DURING HIS FATHER'S TENURE.

“Unresolved matters?”

I read it out again and again till i began to make me really uneasy.

I closed the article.

There was no reason for me to care about whatever Sebastian was doing. Whatever was happening inside the Moser Empire had nothing to do with me.

But it did.

Because inside that empire was the history my family lost.

And if Sebastian was digging into it, there was a possibility that he might uncover something I had spent years searching for.

I looked down at the folder beside me and actually wondered what exactly Sebastian was looking for.

And whether he knew something I didn't.

I was still lost in thoughts when my phone started ringing.

I glanced at the screen.

An Unknown number?.

I picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello?"

There was silence on the other end.

"Hello, who is this?"

The call ended, it was probably a wrong number.

I set my phone aside.

Some minutes later, my group supervisor appeared beside my desk again.

"Johanna Koller"

I looked up.

"Yes?"

"The Moser Empire representative is here."

I jumped to my feet.

"What?"

"He wants to discuss something personal with you."

I stared at him.

"Personal?"

"Yes."

I didn't have to ask what he meant.

There was only one person who would make my pulse race with anger.

Sebastian.

I walked slowly.

"Where is he?"

"The Conference room."

I took a deep breath and walked towards the conference room.

After all these years, I was about to see Sebastian Moser again.

I walked toward the conference room, trying to convince myself that all of this meant nothing.

He was simply a man carrying out his business.

And I was an employee doing her job.

That's it, nothing more.

But the very instant I opened the door and saw him standing beside the window, I knew I was lying to myself.

He turned around and our eyes met.

For a moment, none of us said a word.

Sebastian looked older and different.

The arrogant college boy I used to know had become a man who carried himself with confidence.

He gazed at me from head to toe before settling on my face.

Then, the corner of his mouth lifted.

"Koller."

I took some steps forward with my arms crossed.

"Moser."

His expression changed a bit.

"Still pleasant, I see."

"And you are surprisingly still annoying."

He laughed softly.

"Some things don’t really change...huh."

"Why are you here exactly?"

The amusement on his face disappeared.

"I'm here because of the records."

"Hmmm."

His gaze became narrow.

"I want to assume that you've seen the request."

"Yes I have."

"So? Is there anything you want to say?"

"Yes actually....I don't understand why you suddenly care about a partnership that had ended several years ago."

He did say anything for a moment.

Then he said, "Well neither do I."

I frowned.

Confused, I asked "And what does that mean?"

He looked toward the folders on the table.

"My father left behind lots of unfinished businesses."

My fingers tightened against my arms.

"And you think my father had a part in it?"

Sebastian looked at me.

"I actually think there are questions about that partnership that were never actually answered."

My heart started beating rapidly.

"What questions exactly?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he reached for the folders.

"That is what I am trying to find out."

I looked at him carefully.

There was something about the way he spoke.

He wasn't behaving like someone simply just trying to protect his family's name.

But I quickly dismissed the thought.

Whatever Sebastian was looking for, I couldn't let myself forget who his family was and what they had done to mine.

He picked up the folder from the desk.

"I will have someone contact you concerning the records."

I stared at him.

"Why me?"

He paused for a second. Then our eyes met.

"Because you are the only one who knows more about the Koller side of the partnership than anyone here."

Before I could say anything, he walked past me. I turned to watch him leave.

My mind was spiraling seriously. Sebastian was investigating his father's past.

He was looking into the partnership between our families and somehow, he had decided that I would be of help to him.

I should have gotten angry about it but instead, a thought kept ringing in my mind.

If Sebastian Moser was searching for answers, then maybe getting close to him was exactly what I needed to do.

I didn't trust him at all and I hadn't forgiven his family either. But there was something hidden inside the Moser Empire, and I needed to be close enough to find it.

I wasn't just going to let Sebastian walk away with answers that belonged to me.