Chapter 9: The Warning
821 Words
Amelia barely slept after receiving the mysterious messages.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same words.
Some secrets are better left buried.
She kept wondering who had sent them and how they had gotten her number.
The next morning, she found Adrian in his office.
“I want to know everything,” she said.
Adrian looked up from his desk.
“Everything about what?”
“My mother. Your family. The reason someone is threatening me.”
His expression became serious.
“Amelia, this isn't something you can solve in one morning.”
“I don't care. It's my life.”
Adrian stood and walked toward her.
“You're right.”
He paused.
“I should have told you sooner.”
“Then tell me now.”
Adrian took a deep breath.
“Twenty years ago, your mother, my father, and another man named Victor Hale were partners.”
“Victor Hale?”
“Yes. They were working on a major business project.”
“What happened?”
“Money disappeared.”
Amelia frowned.
“Someone stole it?”
“We don't know. But your mother was blamed.”
“My mother wouldn't steal money.”
“I know.”
“Then why was she blamed?”
“Because the evidence pointed toward her.”
Amelia stared at him.
“What happened next?”
“She disappeared before she could defend herself.”
“And my father?”
“He tried to find her.”
“Did he?”
Adrian shook his head.
“No.”
Amelia felt tears forming in her eyes.
“All these years…”
She sat down.
“I thought my mother abandoned me.”
“She didn't.”
Adrian sat beside her.
“Your mother loved you.”
Amelia looked at him.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I knew her.”
The answer shocked her.
“You actually knew my mother?”
Adrian nodded.
“She was kind. Strong. And she cared about everyone around her.”
“Then why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I didn't know who I could trust.”
Before Amelia could respond, Adrian's phone rang.
He answered.
“What happened?”
His expression changed.
“Where?”
He stood immediately.
“Stay here.”
“What's wrong?”
“Someone was seen outside the mansion.”
Amelia's heart began pounding.
“Who?”
“We don't know.”
Adrian walked toward the door.
“Lock your bedroom door and don't open it for anyone except me.”
“Adrian—”
“Promise me.”
Amelia nodded.
“I promise.”
That night, the mansion felt different.
The security guards moved around the property, checking every entrance.
Amelia stayed in her bedroom, but she couldn't relax.
Around midnight, she heard a noise outside her window.
She slowly approached the curtains.
Nothing.
Then her phone vibrated.
Another message.
You were warned.
She froze.
A second message appeared.
Ask Adrian what happened the night your mother disappeared.
Amelia stared at the screen.
There was something Adrian hadn't told her.
Something about the night her mother disappeared.
She opened her bedroom door and stepped into the hallway.
“Adrian?”
No answer.
She walked toward his office.
The door was slightly open.
Inside, Adrian wasn't there.
But something on his desk caught her attention.
A photograph.
She picked it up.
It showed three people standing together.
Her mother.
Adrian's father.
And Victor Hale.
Amelia stared at the photograph.
Then she noticed something written on the back.
August 17 — The night everything changed.
Her heart stopped.
Today was August 17.
She heard footsteps behind her.
Amelia turned.
Adrian stood in the doorway.
His eyes immediately went to the photograph in her hand.
“Where did you find that?”
“Your desk.”
“You shouldn't have touched it.”
“Why?”
Adrian walked toward her.
“Because now you're involved.”
“I've been involved since the day you asked me to marry you.”
He stopped.
Amelia held up the photograph.
“What happened that night?”
Adrian's face became pale.
Before he could answer, the mansion lights suddenly went out.
Amelia gasped.
A loud crash came from downstairs.
Adrian immediately grabbed her hand.
“Stay behind me.”
“What happened?”
“I don't know.”
Another sound echoed through the mansion.
Someone was inside.
Adrian pulled Amelia toward the hallway.
Then a voice came from the darkness.
“Adrian!”
He stopped.
The voice was familiar.
Amelia looked at him.
“Who is that?”
Adrian's expression changed.
“It can't be.”
A figure stepped into the faint moonlight.
Adrian's eyes widened.
“Victor?”
The man smiled.
“It's been a long time.”
Amelia stared at the stranger.
Victor Hale was alive.
And judging by Adrian's expression, he had come back for more than revenge.
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