LIES BEHIND THE VALE EMPIRE

continuation

LIES BEHIND THE VALE EMPIRE

By Adama Sam

Chapter 3: An Unwelcome Assistant

By eight o'clock the following morning, Nia had already decided that Kade Vale was the most difficult man she had ever met.

By eight fifteen, she was considering whether unemployment might be less stressful.

By eight thirty, she was standing outside his office with two cups of coffee, a revised meeting schedule, and a determination not to let him ruin her day.

She knocked twice.

“Come in.”

Kade was on the telephone, speaking in a low, impatient voice. He gestured toward the desk without looking at her.

Nia placed the documents neatly beside his laptop and set down the coffee.

He glanced at the cup.

“I asked for black coffee.”

“It is black coffee.”

“Without sugar.”

“I didn't put sugar in it.”

He took a sip, then returned his attention to the call.

Nia stood still for a moment, wondering whether he expected her to apologise for the existence of coffee.

When he finally ended the call, he opened the schedule.

“The London meeting is at one thirty?”

“Yes. Every participant has confirmed.”

“And the revised figures?”

“Attached to the final report, along with the supporting documents.”

He scanned the pages.

Nia waited.

He turned another page.

Then another.

She watched his expression carefully, searching for the next complaint.

Instead, he said, “This is organised.”

“Thank you.”

“Don't look so pleased. It's the minimum I expect.”

Her smile disappeared.

“And good morning to you too, Mr. Vale.”

He raised his eyes.

“Do you always need to have the last word?”

“No. Only when the conversation is unfinished.”

For one brief second, something almost resembling amusement appeared in his eyes.

Then it vanished.

“I need the property acquisition files from the west division. Bring me the complete archive.”

“Which property?”

“The old Vale properties. All of them.”

Nia hesitated.

“All of them?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No. I just want to make sure I understand the assignment.”

“Then understand it quickly.”

He returned to his laptop.

Nia walked out, muttering something under her breath that she sincerely hoped he hadn't heard.

Unfortunately, Kade heard every word.

He almost smiled.

Almost.

---

The west division's archive was located on the lower administrative floor, far away from the polished executive offices.

Unlike the rest of the company, the archive smelled of dust and old paper. Metal shelves lined the walls, and boxes were stacked in carefully numbered rows.

A records clerk named Mr. Ellis greeted Nia at the entrance.

“Executive office?” he asked, looking at her identification badge.

“Yes. Mr. Vale requested the old property files.”

Mr. Ellis frowned.

“Which ones?”

“He said all the old Vale properties.”

The clerk gave a low whistle.

“That could take hours.”

“I have until he decides I'm too slow.”

Mr. Ellis laughed.

“You'll learn to enjoy the simple days here.”

He led her to a computer terminal and showed her how the archive was organised.

Nia began with the most recent files, then worked backward through the records.

Most of the documents were ordinary: property purchases, maintenance reports, legal correspondence, and lists of shareholders.

But one folder caught her attention.

Its label read:

VALE ESTATE — HISTORICAL PROPERTY RECORDS.

Nia opened it.

Inside were several documents dated decades earlier. One described a country property that had belonged to Gideon Vale. Another listed renovations made before his death.

Then she noticed a reference to a missing appendix.

The document stated that the appendix had been included in the original file, but the copy in the archive had no appendix attached.

Nia checked the index.

The missing page was listed as Appendix C.

She turned to Mr. Ellis.

“Do you know why this file is incomplete?”

He glanced at the folder.

“Some old records were transferred between departments. Things occasionally went missing.”

“But the index says Appendix C was included.”

“Then it should be here.”

“Could it have been removed?”

Mr. Ellis's expression changed.

“Miss Nia, my advice is to record the discrepancy and let the legal department handle it.”

“Why?”

“Because old family documents can be complicated.”

“That isn't an answer.”

“It's the safest answer I can give you.”

He returned to his desk.

Nia looked back at the file.

She had come downstairs to collect documents for Kade. Instead, she had found another unanswered question.

She made a note of the missing appendix and continued searching.

A few minutes later, she found an old property photograph tucked between two reports.

It showed a large stone house surrounded by trees. The image was faded, but the name beneath it was still readable.

ELENA HOUSE.

Nia stopped breathing for a moment.

Elena Vale.

The same name she had seen on the photograph in her mother's envelope.

Her fingers tightened around the paper.

Why would a property belonging to someone named Elena appear in the Vale family's historical archive?

And why had her mother reacted as if the name itself were dangerous?

Nia looked around the room.

Nobody appeared to be watching her.

She took a photograph of the file reference with her phone, then returned the document to its folder.

She wasn't stealing anything.

She was documenting a discrepancy.

At least, that was what she told herself as she carried the archive files upstairs.

---

Kade was waiting when she returned.

“You took longer than expected.”

“Some of the files were incomplete.”

He looked up.

“Incomplete how?”

“There's a missing appendix in an old estate record. I also found a property photograph labelled Elena House.”

The change in his expression was immediate.

“Show me.”

Nia placed the folder on his desk and opened it to the photograph.

Kade stared at the name.

“Where did you find this?”

“In the historical property archive.”

“Who else saw it?”

“The records clerk.”

“Did you discuss it with anyone?”

“No. I was doing the assignment you gave me.”

Kade rose and walked around the desk.

“Did you know about this property before today?”

“No.”

“Did someone tell you to look for it?”

Nia stared at him in disbelief.

“You asked me to find the old property records.”

“I asked you to retrieve an archive. I didn't ask you to investigate my family.”

“I wasn't investigating your family. I was doing my job.”

“Then why did you photograph the file?”

“Because the record is incomplete, and I thought you'd need to know.”

He took a step closer.

“Or perhaps you wanted a copy for yourself.”

Nia's face warmed with anger.

“You know what, Mr. Vale? I have spent the last two days trying to prove that I deserve this job. Every time I do something right, you find a new reason to suspect me.”

“I'm trying to protect my company.”

“And I'm trying to earn an honest living.”

The words hung between them.

For a moment, Kade seemed to have no response.

Nia gathered the remaining files.

“If you want an assistant who agrees with everything you say, hire someone else. But if you want someone who pays attention, remembers details, and tells you when something is wrong, then perhaps you should listen when I speak.”

She turned toward the door.

“Nia.”

It was the first time he had used her name without the sharpness of a formal address.

She stopped but did not turn around.

“Leave the photograph with me.”

“It belongs to the company archive.”

“Then I'll arrange for it to be reviewed.”

“Fine.”

She placed the photograph on his desk.

“And Mr. Vale?”

He looked at her.

“If I were trying to deceive you, I wouldn't keep bringing you evidence that makes you suspicious.”

She left.

Kade stood alone with the photograph in his hand.

He looked at the name again.

Elena House.

He remembered seeing it once in a document his father had kept locked away. At the time, he had been too young to understand its significance.

His father had told him only one thing.

Some family stories are written to protect the wrong people.

Kade had never understood what he meant.

Now, he wasn't so sure he wanted to know.

---

That evening, Nia sat beside her mother at the kitchen table.

Mara was preparing tea, but she kept glancing at Nia's phone.

“Did something happen at work?” she asked.

Nia hesitated.

“I found a property record.”

Mara's hand stopped above the cup.

“What kind of record?”

“An old house. Elena House.”

The spoon slipped from Mara's fingers and struck the table.

Nia's heart began to pound.

“Mum?”

Mara turned away.

“Where did you see that name?”

“In the Vale International archive.”

For a long moment, Mara said nothing.

Then she sat down slowly.

“You mustn't go there again.”

“Mum, I work there.”

“Then find another job.”

“I can't just walk away because you refuse to tell me what's happening.”

Mara pressed her hands together.

“Some years ago, I promised someone that I would protect you.”

“From whom?”

“From the people who believed your existence could change everything.”

Nia felt cold.

“What does that mean?”

Mara's eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away.

“It means that the past has a way of finding people who think they've escaped it.”

“Was Elena Vale part of your life?”

Mara looked at her daughter.

“Yes.”

The single word seemed to change the room.

Nia leaned forward.

“Who was she?”

Mara opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Before she could speak, a car horn sounded outside.

Mara froze.

Nia looked toward the window.

“Are you expecting someone?”

“No.”

The horn sounded again.

Mara rose and moved toward the curtain, careful not to stand directly in front of the window.

A dark car was parked across the street.

Its headlights were off.

A figure sat behind the steering wheel.

Nia approached the window, but Mara caught her arm.

“Don't.”

“Mum, it's just a car.”

“You don't understand.”

Mara pulled her away from the window and locked the front door.

Then she checked it twice.

Nia stared at her.

“Who is out there?”

Mara didn't answer.

The car remained for several minutes before finally driving away.

Neither woman spoke until the sound of the engine disappeared.

That night, Nia lay awake thinking about the missing appendix, Elena House, and the fear in her mother's eyes.

She had wanted a job.

Instead, she had walked into a mystery that had followed her family for years.

And somewhere across the city, Kade Vale was staring at an old photograph, beginning to suspect that the woman he had hired might be connected to the one secret his family had never managed to bury.

Because Elena House was not simply an old property.

It was the last place his father had visited before he began questioning the Vale inheritance.

And the missing appendix contained the name of the person who had authorised its sale.