CHAPTER 3: ECHOES OF THE PAST
1560 Words
The office was too quiet.Two days now, Selene close late at work trying to figure out the work given to her.
Selene Hart sat alone at her desk, the faint hum of the air conditioner the only sound filling the executive division. It was just past 8:00 p.m., and most of the staff had already gone home, leaving behind a trail of empty coffee cups and glowing computer screens. But Selene couldn’t bring herself to leave.
Not tonight.
A stack of financial reports lay open before her, each page filled with numbers that refused to make sense. Kane Industries was powerful, wealthy, and structured yet hidden between the official statements were gaps. Unexplained transfers. Shell accounts. Quiet partnerships that didn’t exist on paper.
Someone had been moving money through the company.
Someone with access at the highest level.
She leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. “Why would he want me to see this?” she whispered.
Because Adrian Kane was no fool. If he had assigned her to audit the company’s records, then it meant one of two things:He either trusted her…Or he wanted her to find something.
Her eyes drifted to the large glass window
overlooking the city. The skyline glittered in the distance, cold and beautiful. Somewhere above her, Adrian Kane was likely still in the building. He didn’t strike her as the type of man who rested. He struck her as the type of man who watched and waited.
***
Upstairs, Adrian stood at the edge of his office, staring at a photograph that Miranda had retrieved from the archives earlier that day.
It was Selene’s employee file.
The photo was recent — her eyes strong, her expression composed — but beneath that calm, Adrian saw what no one else could.
Guilt. She had aged with it.
He set the photo down and turned toward the dark city outside. “She’s digging,” he murmured.
Miranda folded her arms. “You asked her to.”
“Yes. But I didn’t expect her to be this thorough.”
“Are you worried?”
“Not at all.”
He smirked faintly. “If she uncovers the truth, then she’ll have no choice but to confront her own past.”
“And if that past leads back to you?”
Adrian’s gaze hardened. “Then the game becomes more interesting.”
***
Selene was nearly finished for the night when she noticed something.
A pattern.
Three years ago , the same year Adrian disappeared , a large amount of money had been transferred out of the company’s investment branch. The recipient was listed as Vale Holdings.
Marcus Vale’s company. Selene’s pulse quickened.
Why would Kane Industries have been funding Marcus? And more importantly, why had those payments stopped immediately after Adrian’s “death”?
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, her mind racing.
She opened a new file and typed quickly:
“Possible connection between Marcus Vale and the disappearance of Adrian Kane.”
The moment the words appeared on her screen, the lights above her flickered.
Then the entire floor went dark.
Her breath caught.
A second later, a soft glow appeared at the end of the hallway — footsteps approaching.
Her heart began to pound.
“Who’s there?” she called.
No answer.
The footsteps stopped just outside her office.
The lights came back on and Adrian Kane stood in the doorway.
***
Selene froze.
He looked… different at night. More intimidating. The shadows seemed to cling to him like they belonged there.
“You’re still working,” he said calmly.
“I didn’t realize the building was closing.”
“It’s not. I just turned off your lights.”
She stared at him. “Why?”
“To see how you react under pressure.”
“That’s not funny.”
“I wasn’t joking.”
He stepped inside, his eyes moving across the scattered documents on her desk. “Did you find what I asked you to?”
“I found… something,” she admitted carefully.
“Tell me.”
“Marcus Vale was receiving money from Kane Industries three years ago. Around the same time Adrian Kane died.”
For a fraction of a second, Adrian’s expression shifted not shock, but satisfaction.
“You think that means something?” he asked.
“I think it means Marcus was involved in whatever happened.”
“And if he was?”
Selene looked at him directly. “Then the company is connected to it too.”
Adrian walked around her desk, leaning close enough that she could feel the quiet intensity of his presence.
“You’re very brave, Selene,” he said softly. “Digging into matters that powerful men would kill to keep buried.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No. I’m warning you.”
His eyes held hers. “Some truths don’t just change your life. They destroy it.”
The weight of his words pressed against her chest, but she refused to show fear.
“If you wanted this hidden,” she said, “you wouldn’t have asked me to investigate.”
“Maybe I wanted to see if you’d stop.”
“I won’t.”
A small smile touched his lips. “Good. Then we’ll see where your loyalty truly lies.”
***
After Adrian left, Selene sat back in her chair, her hands trembling slightly.
That feeling again… familiarity. The way he looked at her as if he already knew her, as if every word she spoke was a memory he’d already heard before.
She swallowed.
Could it be?
No.
Adrian Kane was dead.
She had made sure of that.
***
Across the city, Marcus Vale stared out from his penthouse balcony, a cigarette burning between his fingers.
“Adrian is back,” his associate said behind him.
Marcus didn’t turn. “I know.”
“He’s watching Selene.”
“Of course he is.”
Marcus exhaled slowly. “Let him. She was never loyal to him in the first place.”
“But if he learns the truth…”
Marcus’s eyes darkened. “Then we finish what we started.”
***
The next morning, Selene arrived early, her mind heavy with unease. She stepped into the lobby, expecting the usual calm.
Instead, the place buzzed with tension.
A group of reporters stood outside the glass doors, their cameras flashing. Employees whispered in clusters, nervously watching the entrance.
“What’s happening?” Selene asked one of them.
“They’re here for the CEO,” the man replied.
“Apparently, he’s about to expose corruption within the company.”
Selene’s heart jumped.
Expose corruption?.
That meant the investigation wasn’t just internal anymore.
It was personal.
***
Upstairs, Adrian buttoned his suit jacket as Miranda handed him the final report.
“Marcus Vale’s financial trail is ready,” she said. “Once this goes public, his empire collapses.”
“Good,” Adrian replied.
“And Selene?”
Adrian paused, his expression unreadable.
“She’ll learn soon enough that every decision she made has consequences.”
Miranda nodded. “You’re going to reveal yourself to her?”
“Not yet.”
He smiled faintly. “First, I want her to see what it feels like to be betrayed by the very world she chose over me.”
***
Selene watched from the back of the conference hall as Adrian stepped onto the stage.
The entire company had gathered executives, analysts, employees ,all waiting for his speech. His presence commanded the room effortlessly.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Adrian began, his voice steady and cold, “Kane Industries has always been known for its power and prestige. But power attracts betrayal and betrayal breeds corruption.”
He clicked a button, and a series of financial charts appeared behind him.
“These records show that a former associate of this company has been secretly funding illegal activities using our name. That man is Marcus Vale.”
Gasps filled the room.
Selene’s breath caught.
Marcus?
Adrian’s gaze swept the audience then stopped on her.
“Justice,” he continued calmly, “will be served.”
***
By the time Selene stepped outside, the reporters had already begun tearing Marcus’s reputation apart. She stood there, stunned, as the news spread across every screen in the city.
Marcus Vale’s empire was crumbling.
And Adrian Kane was the one who destroyed it.
Why? Why did it feel like he was doing this for her?
***
That night, Selene sat alone in her apartment, staring at the city lights through her window.
She had once chosen Marcus because he represented safety. Power. A future Adrian couldn’t give her.
Now, that future was gone because of Adrian Kane.
A knock sounded at her door.She hesitated then opened it.Adrian stood there. His eyes were calm and certain
“You’re alone,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
He stepped inside.
Selene’s heart pounded.
“What do you want, Mr. Kane?”
“To remind you,” he said softly, “that the past never stays buried, Selene.”
She looked up at him, confusion and fear mixing in her chest.
Then he added, almost in a whisper:
“Some ghosts don’t rest until they’ve taken everything from you.”
And in that moment, Selene realized one terrifying truth. This wasn’t just business but revenge.
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