THE NAME THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE
1292 Words
The first move had been made.
But Naomi Williams had no idea she had just walked into a game that had started long before she was born.
Three days.
That was all the time she had before the final presentation of the Zhao Global International Architectural Design Competition.
Yet as she stood outside the airport waiting for her taxi, she couldn't stop thinking about the man who had caught her suitcase.
Dominic Zhao.
She had seen his face before.
Magazine covers.
Business articles.
News reports.
He was impossible to miss.
But seeing him in person had been different.
There had been something unsettling about his eyes.
Not cruel.
Not exactly.
Just... guarded.
Naomi shook her head.
"Forget him."
She had come to Shanghai for one reason.
Her career.
Nothing else.
Her taxi arrived.
She loaded her suitcase and climbed into the back seat.
"Where to?"
Naomi gave the driver the address of her hotel.
As the car pulled away from the airport, she looked through the window at Shanghai's skyline.
She smiled.
This was what she had dreamed about.
A new city.
A major competition.
A chance to prove herself.
She opened her handbag and removed the competition documents.
Her design proposal was based on sustainable luxury architecture—something she had spent almost a year developing.
She had sacrificed weekends.
Sleep.
Social events.
Almost everything.
She wasn't going to let nerves destroy the opportunity.
Her phone vibrated.
An email.
Naomi opened it.
FROM: ZHAO GLOBAL HOLDINGS
Her heartbeat quickened.
She read the message.
Dear Ms. Williams,
We have reviewed your preliminary proposal and would like to confirm your participation in the final presentation.
Please report to Zhao Global Holdings headquarters tomorrow at 9:00 A.M. for registration and final briefing.
Naomi smiled.
"Tomorrow."
She immediately saved the email.
Then she noticed something.
At the bottom of the message was the name of the person who had approved the final participant list.
Dominic Alexander Zhao.
Her smile disappeared.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Zhao Global Holdings
Across Shanghai, Dominic sat behind the enormous glass desk in his private office.
The city stretched beneath him.
Oliver stood opposite him with a tablet.
"The preliminary investigation is complete."
Dominic didn't look up.
"And?"
"Someone accessed the architectural competition database last night."
Dominic finally lifted his eyes.
"Which files?"
"Participant information."
"All of it?"
"No."
Oliver hesitated.
"One profile."
Dominic's expression hardened.
"Whose?"
Oliver turned the tablet toward him.
NAOMI WILLIAMS.
Dominic stared at the name.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he looked at Oliver.
"Why?"
"We don't know."
"Find out."
Oliver nodded.
"There is something else."
Dominic waited.
"Her file was accessed before the competition committee approved her final invitation."
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"By whom?"
"The access point was encrypted."
"Can you break it?"
"Eventually."
Dominic stood.
"Don't take eventually."
Oliver understood.
"Understood."
He turned to leave.
"Oliver."
He stopped.
"Yes?"
"Don't alert the committee."
"Why?"
"Because if someone inside the company is involved, I want them to believe we haven't noticed."
Oliver's expression became serious.
"Understood."
The door closed.
Dominic looked again at the name on his screen.
Naomi Williams.
Why was someone interested in her?
And why had she appeared in his life today?
A Woman in the Lobby
The following morning, Naomi stood inside Zhao Global Holdings' headquarters.
She looked upward.
The building seemed to disappear into the sky.
She adjusted her bag.
"Okay, Naomi."
She took a breath.
"You can do this."
She walked toward reception.
"I'm here for the architectural competition."
The receptionist checked her details.
"Naomi Williams?"
"Yes."
The woman's fingers moved across the keyboard.
Then she stopped.
Her expression changed.
Naomi noticed.
"Is something wrong?"
"No."
The receptionist quickly printed a visitor pass.
"You're expected."
Naomi smiled politely.
"Thank you."
She took the pass.
As she turned away, the receptionist looked after her.
There was something strange about the instruction attached to Naomi's file.
SPECIAL ACCESS — DIRECTOR'S APPROVAL.
She had never seen that designation given to a competition participant before.
Naomi entered the elevator.
Before the doors closed, another hand stopped them.
A man stepped inside.
He was one of the company's senior executives.
Naomi recognized him from the competition briefing documents.
"Mr. Chen?"
He smiled.
"Ms. Williams."
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
The elevator doors closed.
He glanced at her visitor badge.
"You're one of the finalists."
"Yes."
"Interesting."
Naomi smiled.
"Why?"
"Your proposal."
He paused.
"It's different."
She laughed softly.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It was."
The elevator reached the executive floor.
The man stepped out.
Then turned back.
"Good luck tomorrow."
"Thank you."
The doors closed.
Naomi was alone again.
She had no idea that the same man would later become one of the people caught between Dominic and the person leaking company information.
The Meeting
The elevator opened.
Naomi stepped into a quiet corridor.
A receptionist directed her toward the conference room.
She entered.
Several finalists were already there.
Architectural models covered the tables.
Laptop screens displayed designs.
Everyone looked nervous.
Naomi took her seat.
Then the door opened.
Conversation stopped.
Dominic walked in.
He wasn't wearing the same suit from the airport.
Today, he wore a black suit with a white shirt, his expression unreadable.
Naomi's stomach tightened.
Of course.
He looked around the room.
Then his eyes landed on her.
For a moment, something flickered across his face.
Recognition.
He remembered her.
Naomi quickly looked away.
Dominic walked to the front.
"Good morning."
Everyone greeted him.
"The final presentation will take place in three days. The winner will receive a long-term development contract with Zhao Global Holdings."
He paused.
"This isn't simply a competition."
His gaze moved across the room.
"It's an opportunity."
Naomi listened carefully.
Then Dominic's eyes returned to her.
"For some of you, this competition may determine the direction of your careers."
Naomi straightened.
She was ready.
But then Dominic's phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But Naomi noticed.
He read the message.
Then looked directly at her.
The message contained one sentence:
SHE IS NOT HERE BY ACCIDENT.
Dominic locked his phone.
The meeting continued.
But his attention was no longer on the presentations.
It was on Naomi.
The Folder
Later that afternoon, Naomi returned to the hotel.
She placed her bag on the desk.
Then noticed something.
There was a black folder lying on top of her competition documents.
She froze.
She hadn't left it there.
Slowly, she picked it up.
No name.
No logo.
Nothing.
She opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed her father.
Naomi stopped breathing.
She hadn't seen that photograph in years.
Her fingers trembled.
Beneath the photograph was a handwritten note.
ASK WHY YOUR FATHER KNEW THE ZHAO FAMILY.
Naomi stared at the words.
Her heart pounded.
"My father... knew them?"
She turned the photograph over.
There was a date written on the back.
Twenty-five years ago.
Naomi's eyes widened.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
"Hello?"
Silence.
"Who is this?"
A distorted voice finally spoke.
"Leave Shanghai."
Naomi's blood ran cold.
"Who are you?"
"You don't know what you've walked into."
The call ended.
Naomi stood frozen.
Then she looked down at the photograph again.
Her father's face stared back at her.
For years, she'd believed his death was simply a tragedy.
Now someone was telling her there had been something more.
Something connected to the Zhao family.
Something that had happened twenty-five years ago.
She reached for her phone.
Before she could call anyone, another message appeared.
YOU HAVE THREE DAYS.
Naomi stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
THREE DAYS TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH.
Her heart pounded.
And then the final message arrived.
OR THEY WILL MAKE SURE YOU NEVER LEAVE SHANGHAI.
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