Chapter Eight
1816 Words
The walls were closing in.
For weeks, I had been playing a dangerous game—uncovering secrets, chasing ghosts, pulling at the strings of a conspiracy that stretched further than I ever imagined.
And now, the people behind my father’s murder knew I was getting too close.
The warning note. The threats. William’s message.
I wasn’t the only one in danger anymore. William was, too.
And I didn’t know if I could save us both.
I barely slept. Every sound outside my apartment made me flinch. Every passing shadow felt like a threat.
By morning, my exhaustion was bone-deep, but I forced myself to move. I had no choice.
I was done being afraid.
So, when I got to campus, I went straight to the library archives. If The Broker wanted me to stop digging, it meant I was getting close. Too close.
I pulled out every old article, every company merger file, every record I could find on Starlight Productions, Bernard, and Blue Sky Studios.
And then, I found something.
A sealed court document.
The date caught my eye first. It was from twenty years ago. Before I was even born.
It was a lawsuit. One that involved my father.
And when I read the name of the plaintiff, my entire body went cold.
Edward Carter.
William’s father.
I gripped the paper so tightly my knuckles turned white.
Why had my father been in a lawsuit against William’s father? What had happened between them?
And more importantly was this why Victor Lawson had been killed? Was this why he had been avoiding a deal with Starlight Productions?
I didn’t know what to do with this information. Did William know?
I barely remembered walking to my next class, my thoughts spiraling too fast.
But when I stepped inside the lecture hall, William was already there.
Sitting in the back. Staring at me.
Like he already knew what I had found.
The moment class ended, I grabbed William’s arm before he could leave.
“We need to talk.”
He didn’t fight me. Didn’t smirk. Didn’t tease.
That’s how I knew.
He already knew what I had found.
We ended up in an empty hallway, tension so thick I could barely breathe.
I held up the document between us. “What is this?”
William exhaled, his jaw tightening. “It’s exactly what it looks like.”
“A lawsuit,” I hissed. “Between our fathers.”
He nodded.
My pulse pounded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
His blue eyes darkened. “Because I didn’t know if I could trust you.”
The words hit harder than I expected. I should’ve been angry. But all I felt was… hurt.
William ran a hand through his hair. “Look, Emerald… my father and yours? They weren’t just business rivals. They were enemies.”
I swallowed hard. “Why?”
His hesitation was answer enough.
He didn’t want to tell me. Which meant it was worse than I thought.
Later that night, William showed up at my apartment.
I almost didn’t let him in.
But when I looked into his eyes, saw the exhaustion, the frustration, the guilt, I stepped aside.
He sat on my couch, rubbing his hands together before finally speaking.
“My father blames yours for ruining him.”
I frowned. “Ruining him how?”
William exhaled. “Victor Lawson was supposed to sign a deal with Starlight Productions. A deal that would’ve made my father more powerful than he already was.”
I stiffened. “The deal my father refused?”
He nodded. “Not just refused. He destroyed it. Went to court. Exposed my father for laundering money. That lawsuit you found? It’s what started my father’s downfall.”
I could barely process the words.
This wasn’t just about money. This was about revenge.
I whispered, “Is that why you started helping me?”
William’s head snapped up. “What?”
“Did you do this out of guilt?” My voice shook. “Or were you just trying to clean up your father’s mess?”
His jaw tightened. “You really think that’s why I’m here?”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what to think anymore.
Silence stretched between us.
Then he moved closer.
So close, I could feel his breath against my skin.
And then, softly he said “I’m here because I care about you, Emerald.”
My heart stopped.
“I don’t care about my father’s past. I don’t care about Bernard’s games.” His voice was raw. Real. “I care about you.”
Something inside me cracked.
For so long, I had kept my walls up. Pushed people away.
But now? With William so close, his words unraveling every defense I had left…
I didn’t know if I could push him away anymore.
The truth had been hiding in plain sight all along.
I had spent weeks uncovering fragments of a conspiracy, pieces that never quite fit together. But now, the puzzle was forming a picture so dark, so twisted, that I could barely breathe.
The lawsuit between my father and Edward Carter. The Broker’s involvement. The threats. William’s confession.
It wasn’t just about business. It had always been about revenge.
I barely made it through the next day. My mind was too full, too tangled up in everything I had learned.
When I arrived at home that evening, Mom was waiting for me.
She was in her wheelchair, but something about her posture had changed. She looked stronger. Determined.
I hesitated. “Mom?”
She gestured for me to sit beside her. I did.
And then she dropped a bombshell.
“I remember something about the night of the accident.”
My breath caught. “What?”
She exhaled shakily. “I thought it was random. I thought… I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now? Now I’m not so sure.”
A chill ran down my spine. “Mom, what are you saying?”
She swallowed hard. “I think someone ran me off the road on purpose.”
The room spun.
I had always suspected it. Always felt that her accident was too much of a coincidence. But hearing her say it out loud?
It was like a blade to my chest.
That night, I went back to my apartment, my thoughts a storm of rage and fear.
I barely had time to process before there was a knock at my door.
It was William.
I opened it, heart still pounding from Mom’s revelation.
He took one look at me and frowned. “What happened?”
I swallowed hard, my hands trembling. “My mom… she remembers. The accident, it wasn’t an accident.”
William’s face darkened. “Emerald…”
Before he could finish, my phone buzzed.
A text. It was a blocked number.
“Stop now, or you’ll regret it.”
I gripped the phone tighter. This wasn’t just about my father anymore.
They were coming for me next.
The moment I read the text, a cold wave of dread washed over me.
I had been threatened before. Warnings. Subtle intimidation.
But this?
This wasn’t just a warning.
This was a promise.
William took my phone from my hands, his face darkening as he read the message. His jaw clenched. “They know you’re too close.”
I exhaled sharply, my pulse roaring in my ears. I wasn’t scared.
I was furious.
“They tried to kill my mother,” I whispered. “And now they think they can scare me into stopping?”
William met my gaze, something unreadable flashing in his eyes. “You’re not stopping, are you?”
I shook my head. “Never.”
The next day, I went back home to see Mom.
She was sitting in her wheelchair, staring at the same spot on the floor. Aunt Marie hovered nearby, watching her carefully.
I kneeled beside her. “Mom, what do you remember?” I asked
Her hands trembled slightly. “I was driving home from the hospital that night. I remember… headlights behind me. Too close.”
I swallowed hard. “And then?”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “They sped up. Rammed into me.”
My breath caught. “You’re sure?”
She nodded. “It wasn’t an accident, Emerald. They wanted me dead.”
Aunt Marie inhaled sharply. “My God.”
Mom looked at me then, her eyes fierce despite the tears brimming in them. “Whoever did this… don’t let them get away with it.”
I clenched my fists. I wouldn’t.
No matter what it cost me.
That night, William and I decided to confront an old ally of my father.
Nicolas Andre.
My father’s former financial advisor. The man who had vanished after my father’s death.
I had finally tracked him down to a run-down bar in the outskirts of town.
We arrived, tension thick between us. William’s hand hovered near his pocket. I knew he was carrying a weapon.
I wasn’t sure if that comforted me or terrified me.
Inside, the bar smelled of cheap alcohol and desperation.
And then I saw Nicolas sitting at a booth, nursing a drink, looking like a man who had been haunted by ghosts for years.
I stepped forward. “Nicolas Andre.”
His head snapped up, and his face went pale. He recognized me immediately.
“Emerald,” he whispered. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I slid into the booth across from him, my voice cold. “Then start talking.”
His hands shook as he set his drink down. “I don’t know anything”
“Liar,” William cut in, his voice low, dangerous. “You worked for Victor Lawson. You handled his accounts. You know exactly what happened to him.”
Nicolas swallowed hard. And that’s when I saw it.
Fear.
Not just fear but terror.
“I can’t,” he whispered. “If I talk, they’ll kill me.”
I leaned forward. “They already tried to kill my mother. They murdered my father. How many more people have to die before you grow a damn conscience?”
Nicolas squeezed his eyes shut.
Then, finally, He started talking.
“I tried to warn him,” Nicolas whispered. “Your father. He knew something was wrong, but he didn’t want to believe it.”
I gritted my teeth. “Warn him about what?”
Nicolas hesitated. Then—
A gunshot rang out.
I spun around, my heart slamming against my ribs.
Nicolas slumped forward, blood pooling on the table.
Immediately he was Dead.
William grabbed my wrist. “We need to go. Now.”
I couldn’t move. Nicolas was just about to spill the truth.
And now, he was gone.
They were still watching us.
And they were ready to kill.
Everything was spiraling out of control.
- Writer
