Chapter 3 - The Lie Inside the Lie
The rear door of Adrian’s car closed, muting the city.
Elena sat opposite him.
For ten minutes, neither spoke.
Finally she said, “Explain.”
Adrian removed his tie slightly.
“The photograph was uploaded before Marcus finished pretending he'd just sent it.”
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Metadata timestamp.”
Elena stared at him.
“You checked that in twenty seconds?”
“I employ people who check things in ten.”
That sounded exactly like Adrian.
Normally she might have smiled.
Tonight she could not.
“So someone expected us together?”
“Possibly.”
“But nobody knew I was going to ask you.”
Adrian’s gaze settled on her.
“Did nobody?”
Elena replayed the afternoon.
She had called Sophie.
No answer.
She had texted Victoria.
Deleted the message before sending it.
Then—
Her stomach tightened.
“My mother.”
“What about her?”
“She came to my office yesterday.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“You didn't tell me.”
“She didn't meet you. She waited downstairs.”
“What did she want?”
“To tell me I would regret arriving alone.”
“And?”
Elena looked away.
“She said something strange.”
“What?”
“She said, ‘Even your employer won't keep rescuing you forever.’”
Adrian went still.
Elena looked back.
“I thought she meant my job.”
“Your mother has never met me.”
“No.”
“Yet she knew enough to believe I would rescue you.”
Elena felt cold.
“You think she expected me to ask you?”
“I think someone did.”
The car turned downtown.
Elena rubbed her temples.
“This was supposed to be one embarrassing family dinner.”
“It stopped being that before we arrived.”
“Adrian.”
“Yes?”
“You said your interest didn't begin tonight.”
Silence.
Of all questions, that was apparently the one capable of unsettling him.
Elena almost laughed.
“You can negotiate nine-figure deals without blinking, but that question bothers you?”
“It doesn't bother me.”
“Then answer.”
Adrian looked through the window.
“Two years.”
Her mouth opened.
“What?”
“I realized I had a problem two years ago.”
“A problem?”
“You.”
Elena actually laughed then.
It escaped before she could stop it.
Adrian looked offended.
“You're calling me a problem?”
“I was attempting professionalism.”
“Very romantic.”
“I wasn't trying to be romantic.”
“That part is obvious.”
A faint smile touched his mouth.
It vanished quickly.
Two years.
Elena stared at the man across from her.
“How could I not know?”
“Because I didn't want you to.”
“Why?”
“You worked for me.”
That simple answer softened something inside her.
“You could've said something.”
“And placed you in a position where saying no might affect your employment?”
Adrian shook his head.
“I would never do that.”
Elena looked down.
For all the stories told about Adrian Vale, her own family had exerted more pressure on her life than he ever had.
The realization was uncomfortable.
The car stopped.
Elena looked outside.
“This isn't my apartment.”
“No.”
They were outside Vale Tower.
“Why are we here?”
“Because somebody accessed your employee profile at 4:12 this afternoon.”
Her head snapped around.
“What?”
“Security found it while we were driving.”
“Who?”
“We don't know yet.”
Elena followed him upstairs.
The office floor was nearly empty.
Adrian’s chief financial officer, Daniel Reed, waited inside the conference room.
So did Adrian’s attorney.
And on the glass table lay a printed document.
Elena stopped.
Her name was at the top.
“What is that?”
Daniel looked at Adrian.
Adrian answered.
“An employment contract amendment.”
“I never signed an amendment.”
“I know.”
Elena picked it up.
Her signature appeared at the bottom.
Perfect.
Almost.
Then she noticed the date.
Six months earlier.
Her stomach turned.
“What does it say?”
Adrian pointed to one paragraph.
Elena read.
Then read again.
The document claimed that Elena had accepted confidential compensation from Vale Holdings.
Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
“I've never seen this.”
“I know.”
“You believe me?”
Adrian looked almost insulted.
“Yes.”
Daniel shifted.
“The problem isn't whether Mr. Vale believes you.”
Elena looked at him.
“What is the problem?”
Daniel slid another page across the table.
A bank transfer.
Her name.
Her employee number.
$750,000.
Destination account unknown.
Elena whispered, “Someone made it look like I stole from you.”
Adrian corrected her.
“Not stole.”
She looked up.
“Then what?”
“Accepted payment.”
“For what?”
His attorney answered this time.
“To provide confidential information to Whitmore Capital.”
Elena's blood went cold.
Her father's company.
“No.”
Adrian remained motionless.
“Someone wants it to appear that you've been spying on me for your family.”
Elena dropped the paper.
“I would never—”
“I know.”
“How can you be so certain?”
Adrian leaned both hands against the table.
“Because if you'd wanted my confidential files, Elena, you could have had them a hundred times.”
That silenced everyone.
“And you never took them.”
Daniel cleared his throat.
“There is another problem.”
He pushed a final sheet across the table.
The supposed transfer authorization bore an executive approval code.
Adrian’s.
Elena looked at him.
“That means…”
“Yes.”
His expression became cold.
“Whoever set you up has access to my company too.”
Elena stared at the forged documents.
Her family gala.
The photograph.
The mysterious account.
The fake contract.
Pieces of something much larger.
Then her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
A single message.
You should have come alone.
Underneath it was a photograph.
Elena’s apartment.
Taken from inside.
And beneath the photograph:
Now ask your boyfriend what he did to your father ten years ago.
Elena slowly raised her eyes toward Adrian.
He saw her face.
“What?”
She turned the phone toward him.
For the first time since she had known Adrian Vale, every trace of calm disappeared from his eyes.
Not anger.
Recognition.
Elena’s voice broke.
“You know what this means.”
Adrian said nothing.
“Adrian.”
He closed his eyes for one second.
When he opened them, Elena already knew.
“Yes.”
Her heart sank.
May you like
“What did you do to my father?”
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