Chapter 7: The Message
911 Words
Back in my apartment, Lor paced again. This time, her movements were more frantic.
“Burn,” she muttered. “That bastard. I should have known.”
I leaned against the counter, watching her. “You trusted him?”
She stopped pacing and let out a bitter laugh. “I didn’t even like him, Benny. But Dan trusted him. And I trusted Dan.”
I ran a hand down my face. “So Burn forced you out. And Dan just… let it happen?”
Lor hesitated. “I think he had no choice.”
I frowned. “Everyone has a choice.”
Lor turned to me. “Maybe not when millions are at stake. Maybe not when threats are involved.”
I looked at her. “You think Burn threatened Dan?”
Lor crossed her arms. “I think Burn threatened everyone.”
Silence.
Then I asked the question that had been nagging at me.
“Then why the hell is Uma involved?”
Lor exhaled sharply. “That’s the part I don’t get.”
I grabbed my keys. “Then let’s go get some answers.”
Lor frowned. “Where?”
I looked at her. “To Dan.”
The bar was dimly lit, the kind of place where secrets were exchanged in hushed voices over half-empty glasses. Lor and I arrived first, taking a booth in the back where we could see everything.
Uma was late. On purpose, I bet.
I stirred my drink, watching Lor drum her nails against the table. She was tense, but not in the way someone waiting for a casual drink with their sibling would be. No, this was something else. She was hunting.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked.
Lor didn’t look at me. “I need to hear her say it.”
I nodded, sipping my drink.
Ten minutes later, Uma strolled in, dressed like she’d just stepped out of a magazine, her confidence wrapping around her like a second skin. She spotted us, smirked, and sauntered over.
“Wow, what’s this? A little family reunion?” she teased as she slid into the seat across from Lor.
Lor didn’t smile. “Cut the crap, Uma. We need to talk.”
Uma arched a brow, her expression unreadable. “Alright, talk.”
Lor leaned forward. “Dan. The company. The reason I was pushed out. You’re in the middle of it, aren’t you?”
Uma didn’t even flinch. She took a sip of her drink, then sighed dramatically. “You always were dramatic, Lor.”
I watched her carefully. She wasn’t denying it.
Lor clenched her fists. “So you’re not even going to pretend?”
Uma sighed, setting down her glass. “Look, I didn’t come here to fight. But let’s get something straight—I didn’t push you out. You did that to yourself.”
Lor’s jaw tightened. “What the hell does that mean?”
Uma leaned in, lowering her voice. “It means you were never supposed to be CEO. You weren’t strong enough. You weren’t ruthless enough. And you sure as hell weren’t ready to make the sacrifices that came with it.”
I felt Lor stiffen beside me.
Uma smirked. “Dan didn’t betray you. He saved you.”
Lor let out a sharp laugh. “Saved me? From what?”
Uma swirled her drink, watching the liquid move. “From making a deal you wouldn’t have been able to survive.”
Silence.
I leaned in. “What deal?”
Uma looked at me then, really looked at me, like she was sizing me up. Then she sighed.
“There’s more going on than you two realize,” she said. “Dan’s in trouble. And if you don’t stop poking around, so are you.”
Lor narrowed her eyes. “Is that a threat?”
Uma’s smirk was gone. “It’s a warning.”
Then she stood up, threw some cash on the table, and walked away.
Lor and I sat there in silence.
“Well,” I muttered. “That went well.”
Lor exhaled slowly. “She’s hiding something.”
“No doubt.”
Lor looked at me. “We need to find out what.”
I nodded. “Yeah. But we better be ready.”
Because whatever we were about to step into—it was bigger than we had ever imagined.
The next morning, I woke up to a text from an unknown number.
“Walk away.”
That was it. Two words. No explanation. No threats. But the meaning was clear.
I showed Lor.
She read it, then laughed. “Oh, now they’re getting nervous.”
I frowned. “You think it’s Uma?”
She shook her head. “No. If she wanted to scare us, she’d do it in person. This is someone else.”
That didn’t sit right with me.
“Lor,” I said slowly. “What if this isn’t just about Dan?”
She looked at me. “What do you mean?”
I exhaled. “What if the reason you were pushed out wasn’t just company politics? What if there’s something bigger at play?”
Lor was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “Then we find out what it is.”
I nodded.
But I had a bad feeling.
Because whoever sent that message… they weren’t just warning us.
They were watching us.
And they weren’t going to warn us again.
- Writer
