Chapter 5: A ghost from the past
910 Words
I watched from the shadows, my breath slow and controlled. What the hell did Dan just say to her?
Lor’s posture was rigid, her hands clenched into fists. The wind off the water whipped through her hair, but she didn’t move. She just stood there, staring at Dan as if he had just confessed to murder.
And maybe, in a way, he had.
I couldn’t hear what he was saying anymore, but I saw how his lips moved fast, how his eyes darted from side to side like a man who knew he was running out of time.
I pressed myself against the side of a nearby container, creeping closer without making a sound. If Dan was playing Lor, I needed to know.
Then, I heard her voice—low, sharp, almost dangerous.
“Are you telling me that Uma is working for them?”
Them? Who the hell was "them"?
Dan nodded. His hands went deeper into his pockets, shoulders hunched as if he were shielding himself from more than just the cold.
“She didn’t tell you, did she?” he asked.
Lor took a shaky breath. “No, she didn’t.”
Dan looked toward the water, his expression unreadable. Then, finally, he spoke.
“She’s not just after me, Lor. She was after you first.”
Silence.
I watched Lor’s face shift—shock, realization, then something darker.
“What the hell are you saying, Dan?” she whispered.
He exhaled slowly. “I should’ve told you sooner. But I didn’t think it would come to this.”
Lor took a step back. “No… you’re lying.”
“I wish I was.”
I shifted, trying to get a better view. Then my foot landed on a loose piece of gravel.
It crunched.
Dan’s head snapped in my direction.
“Who’s there?”
Damn it.
Lor’s eyes darted toward my hiding spot, and for a second, I thought she’d cover for me. But instead, she crossed her arms and smirked.
“Why don’t you come out, Benny? Since you love eavesdropping so much.”
I cursed under my breath. So much for staying hidden.
Stepping into the dim light of the pier, I kept my hands in my pockets, playing it cool. “Well, Dan, you always did have a flair for the dramatic.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “Of course you’re here.”
I shrugged. “I had to make sure you weren’t dragging Lor into more of your mess.”
Dan let out a humorless chuckle. “Oh, Benny. You still think this is just about me, don’t you?”
Something in his tone made my stomach tighten.
“What the hell is going on, Dan?” I demanded.
He glanced at Lor, then at me. “You both need to leave town. Tonight.”
Lor scoffed. “Oh, come on. You expect us to just pack up and run? What do you take me for?”
Dan’s jaw tightened. “You don’t understand. They’re watching you. Both of you.”
I exchanged a look with Lor. Who the hell were ‘they’?
And then, for the first time, Dan looked afraid.
And that scared me more than anything else.
Back at my apartment, Lor paced the floor, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She hadn’t said a word since we left the pier.
I poured a drink and leaned against the counter. “Alright, Lor. Are you gonna tell me what the hell Dan meant back there?”
She stopped pacing. “I don’t know, Benny.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know? Or you don’t want to say?”
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
“I think Uma was sent to ruin me,” she finally admitted.
I blinked. “Sent? By who?”
Lor exhaled sharply. “There was something… a deal. Years ago.”
I set down my glass. “What kind of deal?”
She hesitated. Then, slowly, she said, “Dan wasn’t supposed to be CEO.”
That made me sit up straighter.
Lor swallowed. “I was.”
I frowned. “But you left.”
She gave me a bitter smile. “That’s what you think.”
The room went cold.
“What the hell are you saying, Lor?”
She let out a breath. “I didn’t leave, Benny. I was forced out.”
Silence.
I gritted my teeth. “And you never told me?”
She looked away. “I thought I could fix it. That if I just played my part, I’d get back in.”
I ran a hand through my hair. This was big.
I had always known something didn’t add up about Lor leaving the company. But I never imagined she had been forced out.
“Who did this?” I asked, my voice low.
She shook her head. “I don’t know. But Dan does.”
I exhaled sharply. “So that’s why he’s suddenly worried. He’s playing both sides.”
Lor met my gaze. “And Uma?”
I clenched my jaw. “She’s part of it.”
The puzzle pieces were coming together, but the picture they formed was ugly as hell.
If Lor was meant to be CEO, and someone had forced her out…
Then that meant someone had been controlling the company from the shadows this whole time.
And Uma?
She wasn’t just a tramp.
She was a goddamn spy.
- Writer
