The next morning, the city felt different.
Heavier.
Amelia sat at her desk at Metro Daily, staring at
the blank document on her screen.
She had barely slept.
Beth's warning kept replaying in her mind. So did
Kale's strange behavior outside the office.
And then there was Xavier.
She couldn't decide which bothered her more: what
she had learned about Steel Corporation or the fact that Xavier seemed to know
whenever she was getting too close to something.
A sharp ping broke through her thoughts.
Amelia glanced at her screen.
An email notification.
The sender was anonymous.
Her stomach tightened.
She opened it.
The message contained only a few lines.
Your parents' death wasn't an accident. Xavier
Steel's family history is darker than you know. Investigate carefully.
Amelia stared at the screen.
Her first reaction was fear.
Her second was anger.
Someone knew about her parents.
Someone knew she was investigating.
And whoever had sent the message clearly wanted
her to look closer.
She should have ignored it.
Instead, she reached for her notebook.
If the message was a lie, she would find out.
If it was true...
She needed to know.
Beth had mentioned an archive building the
previous day, one that contained old legal and corporate records.
Amelia decided to start there.
The building was tucked between two larger
structures downtown, its faded exterior making it easy to overlook.
Inside, the atmosphere was even quieter.
She signed in, showed her identification, and
made her way to the records section.
For the next few hours, she searched through old
documents.
Corporate registrations.
Legal disputes.
Business partnerships.
Financial reports.
Most of what she found meant nothing.
Some records were incomplete. Others were so old
that the information was difficult to follow.
But Amelia kept searching.
Then she found something.
A company name appeared in several documents.
She recognized it from one of the files Beth had
shown her.
Amelia pulled another folder from the shelf.
Then another.
The same names appeared again.
Different companies.
Different years.
But several of the transactions seemed to lead
back to the same group of businesses connected to Steel Corporation's earlier
operations.
Amelia frowned.
She spread the documents across the table.
There were transfers between companies that
appeared unrelated. Payments that were difficult to explain. A few businesses
had existed for only a short period before disappearing completely.
None of it proved anything.
But it didn't look ordinary either.
Amelia copied several reference numbers into her
notebook.
She was about to photograph one of the documents
when a sound behind her made her freeze.
Footsteps.
She turned.
No one.
The sound stopped.
Amelia waited.
Nothing.
She slowly looked back at the documents.
Her heartbeat had picked up.
Maybe she was simply becoming paranoid.
She gathered her notes and returned the files to
their places.
She had enough for now.
More importantly, she had enough to know that
Beth hadn't been imagining the inconsistencies.
Something had happened years ago.
Something involving several companies and people
connected to Steel Corporation.
But she still didn't know what.
And she certainly didn't know what it had to do
with her parents.
By the time Amelia stepped outside, evening had
begun to settle over the city.
She took a deep breath.
The cool air helped.
For a moment.
Then a familiar voice stopped her.
"Amelia."
She turned.
Xavier stood a short distance away.
Her heart immediately tightened.
"What are you doing here?"
He glanced at the building behind her.
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I was doing research."
"For your article?"
"Yes."
His expression remained unreadable.
"What kind of research?"
Amelia studied him.
"Why do you care?"
"Because you're investigating my family."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You seem very certain about that."
"I know you're not here because you suddenly
developed an interest in old corporate records."
Amelia folded her arms.
"Maybe I did."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"You're a terrible liar."
"And you're incredibly arrogant."
"I've been called worse."
Neither of them looked away.
Finally, Xavier's expression became more serious.
"Amelia, be careful."
She felt a flicker of irritation.
"Everyone keeps telling me that."
"Maybe you should listen."
"Why?"
He hesitated.
For the first time, she noticed something
different in his expression.
Not amusement.
Concern.
"There are things about my family that I don't
know," he said quietly.
Amelia blinked.
"What?"
"I said there are things I don't know."
She stared at him.
That wasn't the answer she expected.
"You're telling me you don't know your own
family's history?"
"Not all of it."
"Then maybe you should start asking questions
too."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"Maybe I already am."
The words hung between them.
Amelia wasn't sure whether to believe him.
She wanted to ask about her parents.
About the companies she'd found in the records.
About whether his family had known hers.
But before she could speak, Xavier stepped back.
"Don't trust everything you find."
Her expression hardened.
"And why should I trust you?"
His eyes held hers.
"You shouldn't."
Then he turned and walked away.
Amelia stood there, watching him disappear into
the crowd.
That answer stayed with her.
You shouldn't.
For some reason, it sounded more honest than any
reassurance he could have given her.
Amelia had barely reached the end of the street
when she noticed someone standing near the corner.
Kale.
Again.
She stopped.
He looked at her for a moment before walking
over.
"You've been digging."
It wasn't a question.
Amelia's suspicion immediately returned.
"How do you know?"
Kale glanced around.
"Because people are talking."
"Who?"
"That's not important."
"It is to me."
He lowered his voice.
"You need to stop going places alone."
Amelia frowned.
"You keep saying that."
"Because you aren't listening."
"Then tell me what I'm supposed to be afraid of."
Kale hesitated.
"There are people who don't want old things
brought back into the light."
"That's very vague."
"It's supposed to be."
Amelia studied him.
There was something he wasn't telling her.
She could see it now.
"You know something about my parents."
Kale's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But she noticed.
"Why would you say that?"
"Because you keep appearing whenever I find
something."
He looked away.
"That's a coincidence."
"I don't believe in coincidences anymore."
Kale looked back at her.
For a moment, he seemed as though he might
finally tell her the truth.
Instead, he said, "Your parents were involved
with people who had powerful enemies."
Amelia's chest tightened.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"I wish I were."
She stared at him.
"What does Xavier have to do with it?"
Kale's jaw tightened.
"Xavier isn't the person you should be worried
about."
"Then who is?"
He shook his head.
"I can't tell you."
"Can't or won't?"
Kale didn't answer.
He stepped back.
"Just be careful, Amelia."
Then he walked away.
Amelia watched him go.
Something was wrong.
She was sure of it now.
But the question wasn't only what Kale knew.
It was how he knew it.
She looked down at the notebook in her hand.
Her parents.
Steel Corporation.
Old business connections.
Anonymous messages.
Xavier.
Kale.
Every answer seemed to create two more questions.
Amelia had started this search because she wanted
the truth.
Now she was beginning to understand that the
truth might not be something waiting quietly at the end of the road.
Someone was already watching her search for it.
And whoever that person was, they seemed
determined to make sure she never found the whole story.