Lily's POV
2016: Fire Destroys Mercy Ledger Headquarters.
No casualties. No suspects. No follow-up. Until now.
The article glowed from my laptop screen, barely more than a paragraph. No updates. No official conclusions. Just silence, but I knew better now.
That fire wasn't an accident. And someone had gone to great lengths to make sure it vanished from public memory.
Zane.
I leaned back in my chair, my were heart racing in my chest as the words swirled like smoke. What was Mercy Ledger hiding? Why had my father's name been buried in the same vault as Ethan's? And what the hell did Zane know that he still hadn't told me?
I couldn't ignore the pattern anymore. Ethan had returned. A leak in Blackwood Enterprises had brought him back. Someone close to Zane had helped him get in. And the worse, is that Zane had been hiding the truth about their past.
My inbox pinged again. Another anonymous message: "Ask Zane what burned with the records."
I slammed the laptop shut, my pulse thudding in my ears. I needed answers. No more shadows. No more protection. I was done being handled.
…....
Zane was in his office when I burst in, folder in hand. He looked up, startled. I didn't wait for an invitation.
I want the truth. All of it.
He stood slowly. "Lily…."
"Don't," I snapped. "Don't deflect. Don't lie. Tell me what really happened the night my father's charity went up in flames."
His expression shifted from surprise to something more guarded. His eyes narrowed.
"I tried to stop it," he said at last. "But I didn't light the match."
Ethan did?
He hesitated. It was more complicated than that.
"No," I said, stepping forward. "It's simple. You knew him. You both used my father. And now he's back, and someone in your company is helping him."
Zane's jaw tightened. We're investigating…
"He was in your private garage," I hissed. That's not a breach. That's betrayal. So who is it?
He crossed to his cabinet, pulling out another locked file. "I didn't want you involved. Not in this part. But maybe it's time.
Inside the file… there are photos. Emails. Evidence of a long-buried investment plan. Ethan had tried to use Mercy Ledger as a shell… laundering funds through false donation chains. Zane had discovered it just in time. He'd confronted my father, who refused to believe it.
And then, Zane said, with his voice low, someone torched the evidence. Your father was forced out. But Ethan… vanished.
Until now.
Yes.
I stared at the documents, my hands shaking. You knew my father would lose everything. And you let him.
I tried to stop it, he said again. But by then, it was too late.
I slammed the folder shut. "And now I'm in the middle of it."
Zane stepped closer. Because I trust you. I looked him in the eye. Then prove it.
That afternoon, Marcus… the head of internal security… called me to his office. A single name had surfaced in the breach investigation.
Arielle Voss.
Senior exec. Sharp-tongued. Always too curious about my position.
"She's been meeting off-site with someone using a private encrypted phone," Marcus said. "We believe it's Ethan."
"Do we have proof?"
"Not yet. But we will."
I nodded. "Keep digging. And track her movements. Every second."
…....…
Later that evening, I returned to the vault below Blackwood Enterprises. I had memorized Zane's code. My heart thudded as I unlocked the cold, sterile hallway.
Inside the vault, I searched for more on Mercy Ledger.
That's when I found it. A burned folder. Charred edges. Marked with the word: Betrayal.
Inside: a printed email thread. Between Zane. Ethan and Evelyn North.
Zane: If this goes public, we all burn.
Ethan: Then we make it disappear.
Evelyn: Leave it to me.
The timestamp was one week before the fire. I staggered back. My blood ran cold. Zane hadn't just tried to stop it—he'd been part of the cover-up.
…....…..
When I left the building that night, the city was unnaturally quiet. A storm was coming. I could feel it, and when I stepped into my apartment, I froze.
The lights were on. I never left them on.
My hand tightened around my phone as I moved inside slowly. Every instinct screamed at me to run.
I set the folder on the table and turned….
A voice emerged from the shadows.
Do you miss me?
I froze. Ethan was alive. In my living room. Holding a gun. He stepped into the light, his face calm. Smiling.
I see you found the vault, he said casually. Zane must really like you.
My throat was dry. What do you want?
Just to talk for now.
He motioned for me to sit. I didn't move. He sighed. You're still so stubborn. That's what I liked about you.
You lied to me. You used me burned everything down."
"No," he said. Zane did.
I blinked. "What?" Zane did what?
He tossed a flash drive onto the table. "That has everything. The real emails. The money transfers. Zane didn't just stop me. He stole from your father too. He profited when the charity collapsed."
You're lying. This can't be truth my dear.
Oh you think I'm lie right? He leaned forward. "Why do you think he hired you? Is it because of out of kindness? He's been tracking you since the trial. Since before your father died. You were always the link."
My knees buckled. I sank into the nearest chair.
Ethan circled me like a predator. "He's using you. Just like he used everyone else. But I'm not the villain here."
I stared at the flash drive.
"What's on it?"
"Proof. That I'm not your real enemy."
He crouched in front of me. "You want the truth? Ask him what happened to Evelyn North."
I shook my head. "She's with you."
His smile dropped. She's dead.
My heart stopped.
What?
Last month. She disappeared after she had a meeting with Zane. She never made it back.
You're lying.
He rose slowly. Ask him. And when he lies to your face, remember this moment.
He moved to the door, then paused. "Oh, and Lily…"
I looked up.
You might want to check what's really behind that painting in his office.
He slipped out the door, and I was left alone. With a flash drive, and a thousand new questions.