CHAPTER 8 : THE FILE THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST.
974 Words
The silence in the hallway was unbearable.
Adrian stood still at the end of it, like even breathing had become a decision.
His eyes stayed on the black folder in Elena’s hands.
Not on me.
Not on her face.
Just the file.
That alone was enough to scare me.
Elena’s fingers were shaking.
“I didn’t touch it,” she whispered quickly. “It was already here.”
Adrian finally moved.
Slow steps.
Controlled.
Too controlled.
“That file,” he said quietly, “doesn’t belong in this house.”
He stopped a few meters away.
Then his eyes lifted.
And for the first time, I saw something different in them.
Not anger.
Not coldness.
Calculation.
Elena swallowed hard.
“It has my father’s signature.”
A pause.
That sentence changed everything.
Adrian didn’t react immediately.
But I saw it.
A small tightening in his jaw.
A shift in his breathing.
Like something inside him had just locked into place.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
Elena nodded.
“Yes.”
Silence again.
Heavy.
Then Adrian held out his hand.
“Give it to me.”
Elena hesitated.
Just for a second.
But she handed it over.
Adrian opened it slowly.
No rush.
Like he already knew what he was going to find.
Page after page.
Names.
Dates.
Bank transfers.
And photos.
I couldn’t see everything from where I stood, but I saw enough to feel my stomach twist.
Adrian turned one page.
Then stopped.
Completely.
His eyes froze on a single line.
Elena stepped closer nervously.
“What is it?”
Adrian didn’t answer.
He just closed the folder slowly.
Too slowly.
Then he looked up at her.
“You need to sit down.”
That’s when fear really started spreading across my body.
“Elena,” he said again, quieter, “sit.”
She obeyed immediately.
I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
“What is happening?” I asked.
Adrian didn’t look at me yet.
He was still staring at Elena.
Like he was trying to decide how much truth she could survive.
Finally, he spoke.
“Your father wasn’t just involved in your disappearance.”
Elena’s breathing became uneven.
“What do you mean?”
Adrian exhaled slowly.
“He organized it.”
The words dropped like something breaking.
Elena shook her head immediately.
“No… that’s not possible.”
“It is,” Adrian said flatly.
I felt my chest tighten.
Elena’s voice cracked.
“Why would he do that?”
Adrian finally looked at her.
And what I saw in his face scared me more than anything so far.
Because it looked like guilt.
“I don’t know everything yet,” he said quietly, “but I know this—he used your disappearance as part of a bigger deal.”
Elena stood up suddenly.
“No. You’re lying.”
Her voice was shaking now.
Adrian didn’t react.
“I wish I was.”
The room felt smaller.
Like the walls were slowly closing in.
I looked at Elena.
Her face was pale, her eyes filled with something between shock and betrayal.
Then she turned toward me.
And suddenly her expression changed.
Like something clicked in her mind.
“No…” she whispered.
I frowned. “What?”
Her voice dropped.
“You said your name is Lena.”
“Yes.”
She stared at me too hard.
“Your full name.”
I hesitated.
“Lena M—”
I stopped.
Because the moment I started saying it, Adrian moved.
Fast.
He stepped between us slightly.
“Elena,” he warned.
But it was too late.
Her eyes widened.
“I know that name.”
My heart skipped.
“What are you talking about?”
Her voice shook harder now.
“That name… was in the file.”
Silence.
Everything stopped.
Even Adrian.
Elena stepped back slowly, shaking her head.
“No… no, this is not coincidence.”
I felt my throat go dry.
“What file?”
Elena looked at me like she was seeing me for the first time.
“Your family name is connected to my disappearance.”
My legs felt weak for a second.
“That’s impossible.”
But even as I said it, I didn’t believe myself.
Adrian suddenly spoke.
Enough.
“Stop.”
Both of us looked at him.
His voice was low.
Dangerous.
“This conversation is over.”
But Elena shook her head.
“No, Adrian. You don’t understand—she’s not just random in your life.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“Enough.”
He stepped forward.
And for the first time…
I saw anger in him again.
But different.
Controlled anger.
Like he was holding something back with everything he had.
“Elena,” he said quietly, “leave the room.”
She hesitated.
Then slowly walked out.
Now it was just me and him.
The silence between us felt heavy.
Different.
I looked at him carefully.
“What is going on?” I asked softly.
Adrian didn’t answer immediately.
He just stared at me.
Long.
Like he was trying to decide whether to protect me…
or tell me the truth.
Finally, he spoke.
“You shouldn’t have been in this contract.”
My chest tightened.
“What does that mean?”
He took a slow breath.
And for the first time since I met him…
His voice wasn’t cold.
It was low.
Serious.
Almost tired.
“Because you were never chosen randomly, Lena.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
Adrian looked away for a second.
Then back at me.
And said the words that changed everything.
“You were selected.”
Silence.
My mind went blank.
“Selected… for what?”
Adrian didn’t answer immediately.
But the look in his eyes already told me—
Whatever the answer was…
it was going to destroy everything I thought I knew.
- Writer
