Chapter 5 - The Letter My Father Left Behind Revealed a Secret That Could Destroy Both Families
I don't remember leaving Adrian's office.
I only remember the sound of my own heartbeat and the terrible feeling that something inside me had broken.
My aunt was missing.
The woman who had raised us.
The woman who had protected us when nobody else would.
And now Vanessa had taken her.
Adrian caught me before I collapsed.
"Clara."
I pushed him away.
"Find her."
"We're working on it."
"No. Find her now!"
He didn't raise his voice.
He simply placed both hands on my shoulders.
"We will find her."
I wanted to believe him.
But the fear was overwhelming.
Marcus entered the room with a tablet.
"Sir, we've located her vehicle."
"Where?"
"Near the old industrial district."
Adrian immediately stood.
"Get the cars ready."
I followed him.
"Take me with you."
"No."
"She's my aunt!"
"And you're exactly the person Vanessa wants."
I stepped in front of him.
"I don't care."
His jaw tightened.
"Clara, I won't risk your life."
"Then don't make me stay here wondering whether she's alive."
For several seconds, we stared at each other.
Finally, he nodded.
"You're coming with me. But you stay beside Marcus."
I agreed.
The industrial district was nearly deserted.
Snow covered the abandoned warehouses, and the streetlights flickered over empty roads.
We found my aunt's car parked beside a rusted metal gate.
The driver's door was open.
Her purse was on the passenger seat.
But she was nowhere to be seen.
I ran toward the building.
Marcus caught my arm.
"Wait."
A sound came from inside.
A faint knock.
Then another.
I recognized my aunt's voice.
"Clara!"
I rushed toward the door.
Adrian's men forced it open.
Inside, my aunt was tied to a chair.
Her face was pale, and there was a cut above her eyebrow.
I ran to her.
"Aunt Margaret!"
She began crying as I untied her.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart."
"Don't apologize."
I held her tightly.
Adrian stood near the entrance, watching the surrounding shadows.
Marcus searched the building.
There were no kidnappers.
Only a note on the floor.
Adrian picked it up.
His expression darkened.
"What does it say?" I asked.
He handed it to me.
RETURN THE LEDGER OR THE NEXT VISIT WILL BE PERMANENT.
I crumpled the paper.
My aunt grabbed my hand.
"Clara, your father knew this would happen."
I looked at her.
"What?"
She reached into her coat pocket.
A small yellow envelope.
My name was written across the front in my father's handwriting.
I recognized it immediately.
My eyes filled with tears.
"He wanted you to have this," she whispered.
I opened it with trembling fingers.
Inside was a letter.
My father's handwriting was unmistakable.
Clara,
If you're reading this, something has happened that I hoped you would never experience.
There are people in Chicago who have built their fortunes by making others disappear.
One of them is Vanessa Crowe.
I spent years trying to expose her.
I failed.
But I kept copies of the records she thought she destroyed.
The most important document is not in the company files.
It is hidden where the first shipment was recorded.
Trust nobody who tells you that the truth is too dangerous to uncover.
And remember this.
Richard Vale did not die because of an accident.
I stopped reading.
My hands were shaking.
I looked at Adrian.
He was staring at the letter.
"Your father knew mine?"
"Apparently."
"Did he ever tell you anything about Richard Vale?"
I shook my head.
"No."
Adrian took a step closer.
"Then we need to find out what happened."
I looked down at the letter again.
Where the first shipment was recorded.
I knew exactly what that meant.
The old freight ledger.
The original paper record from the night the suspicious container first arrived.
It had been stored in a warehouse that closed years ago.
And I knew where to find it.
But when I told Adrian, his expression changed.
"Clara, that warehouse belongs to Vanessa."
May you like
I stared at him.
"Then that's where we're going."
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