Chapter 7: The Night Everything Fell Apart
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Not Charles.
Not me.
Not even Walter.
The rain outside grew louder, tapping against the office windows like thousands of tiny warnings.
I stared at Walter.
“Derek was with you?””
He nodded.
The answer felt impossible.
The man who had thrown Walter away like he was nothing.
The man who had taken control of his company.
The man who had destroyed my life in a single morning.
He had been there the night Emily disappeared.
I stepped away from the table.
“Start from the beginning.””
Walter looked exhausted.
Like telling the truth was harder than running from the people hunting him.
“That night, Emily called me three times.””
I remembered.
The missed calls.
The voicemail he deleted.
“I finally called her back.””
“When?””
“An hour later.””
My chest tightened.
“And?””
“She answered.””
Walter looked at the floor.
“She was crying.””
The room became silent.
“She told me she had proof. She said Derek and other executives were moving money through hidden accounts.””
Charles frowned.
“You told me you met with Derek that night.””
“I did.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because I wanted answers.””
Walter took a breath.
“I called Derek and told him Emily had discovered something.””
“And he came?””
“Yes.””
“Why would you bring the person she accused?””
Walter closed his eyes.
“Because I didn’t believe her.””
Those words hurt more than anything else.
Not because Walter was perfect.
Because he wasn’t.
He had made a mistake.
A huge one.
And Emily had paid the price.
“So what happened?””
Walter walked toward the window.
“We met at an old company property outside the city.””
“Just you and Derek?””
“No.””
His voice became quieter.
“Emily came too.””
My heart jumped.
“She was there?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did she disappear?””
Walter didn’t answer immediately.
That silence told me there was more.
“Walter.””
He turned around.
“She wasn’t the only one who came.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Who else?””
“Someone I trusted.””
“Who?””
Walter looked at Charles.
Charles looked confused.
“I don’t know.””
Walter nodded slowly.
“That’s the problem.””
He sat down.
“That night, when Emily showed us the documents, Derek denied everything.””
“Of course he did.””
“He told me Emily misunderstood what she found.””
Walter’s hands tightened.
“And I believed him.””
I didn’t say anything.
Because I didn’t know what to say.
The truth was ugly.
Sometimes people weren’t destroyed by enemies.
Sometimes they were destroyed because someone they loved refused to listen.
“What happened next?””
Walter looked at me.
“Emily left.””
“Alone?””
“No.””
The room froze.
“Who was with her?””
Walter looked away.
“I don’t know.””
“You don’t know?””
“She walked toward the parking lot.””
His voice became strained.
“Then the lights went out.””
Charles frowned.
“What?””
“The entire property lost power.””
“Convenient,” I said.
Walter nodded.
“Too convenient.””
“What did you do?””
“I went outside.””
“And?””
“I saw a car leaving.””
My stomach tightened.
“Whose car?””
Walter’s face changed.
“I couldn’t see.””
“But you saw who was inside?””
“No.””
He hesitated.
“Not clearly.””
“Then why did you say Derek was there?””
“Because he was.””
Walter looked at me.
“His car was parked there.””
“That doesn’t mean he took her.””
“No.””
A pause.
“But it means he lied.””
I thought about everything.
Derek.
Emily.
The missing evidence.
The messages.
The way Derek wanted me to betray Walter.
There was a pattern.
But something was missing.
“Why did Derek tell everyone you disappeared?””
Walter answered quietly.
“Because he knew I wouldn’t fight back.””
“Why?””
“Because I was already drowning.””
He looked at the floor.
“After Emily vanished, I blamed myself.””
The words came out slowly.
“I stopped sleeping. I stopped trusting people. I stopped leading the company.””
“And Derek stepped in.””
“Yes.””
“He took advantage.””
“Yes.””
I looked at the flash drive.
“And what’s on that?””
Walter didn’t answer.
That worried me.
“Walter.””
“It’s the evidence Emily collected.””
“Then why haven’t you opened it?””
His expression changed.
“Because I don’t know what’s inside.””
“That makes no sense.””
He looked at me.
“What if the truth destroys someone innocent?””
I stared at him.
“After everything that happened, you’re still protecting people?””
His eyes met mine.
“I’m trying not to become the kind of person who hurt my family.””
That answer stayed with me.
Because maybe that was the difference between Walter and Derek.
One wanted power.
The other wanted redemption.
Suddenly, Charles’s computer beeped.
He turned toward the screen.
A message appeared.
No sender.
Just text.
*You found the past. Now find the present.*
Below it was an address.
Charles typed quickly.
Then his face changed.
“What?””
He looked at Walter.
“It’s a warehouse.””
Walter stood.
“Where?””
Charles showed him.
Walter went pale.
“No.””
“What?””
“That’s where Emily stored her files.””
I looked at him.
“And?””
“She only trusted one person with that location.””
“Who?””
Walter’s voice dropped.
“Me.””
We left immediately.
The warehouse was located near the old industrial district.
The streets were empty.
The kind of place where secrets could disappear forever.
Walter sat in the passenger seat.
He barely spoke during the drive.
I watched him.
“You’re afraid.””
He looked out the window.
“Yes.””
I didn’t expect him to admit it.
“Because of what we might find?””
“No.””
He looked at me.
“Because of what I might have to accept.””
When we arrived, the building looked abandoned.
Rust covered the metal doors.
The windows were broken.
Charles checked the area.
“No movement.””
Walter stepped forward.
The door was unlocked.
That scared me more than a locked one would have.
Inside, dust covered everything.
Old boxes.
Broken equipment.
Forgotten memories.
Walter walked deeper into the warehouse.
Then stopped.
There was a desk in the corner.
On it was a photograph.
Emily.
A younger version of her.
Standing beside Walter.
They looked happy.
I watched his face break.
“She left this here.””
He touched the photo carefully.
“She knew I would come.””
A small sound came from behind us.
Everyone turned.
A figure moved in the darkness.
Charles reached for something inside his jacket.
“Who’s there?””
No answer.
Then a voice spoke.
“Dad.””
Walter froze.
The figure stepped into the light.
Emily.
Alive.
Real.
Standing only a few feet away.
Walter couldn’t move.
Neither could I.
“You’re here.””
His voice cracked.
Emily’s eyes filled with tears.
“I tried to tell you.””
Walter took a step forward.
“Why did you run?””
She looked hurt.
“Because I knew you wouldn’t believe me.””
The words hit him harder than anything else.
“Emily…”
She looked at me.
Then at Charles.
Then back at her father.
“We don’t have much time.””
“Who is after you?””
Her expression became serious.
“Everyone you think you can trust.””
Walter shook his head.
“No.””
“Yes.””
She reached into her bag and pulled out a small envelope.
“This is what they were looking for.””
Walter took it.
“What is it?””
Emily looked at him.
“The truth about Madden Global.””
A sound came from outside.
A car door closing.
Then another.
Emily’s face changed.
“They found us.””
Charles moved toward the window.
“There are people outside.””
Walter grabbed Emily’s hand.
“We need to go.””
But Emily didn’t move.
Instead, she looked at Amara.
And said something that made my entire body go cold.
“Amara, there’s something else you need to know.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
Emily’s eyes filled with regret.
“The person who started all of this…”
She looked at Walter.
Then back at me.
“Is someone connected to you.””
The warehouse lights suddenly went out.
And in the darkness, a familiar voice echoed through the building.
“Amara.””
My blood turned cold.
May you like
Because I knew that voice.
Derek.
