The street was deserted.
The only light came from a flickering lamppost near the alley where the meeting was set. Elina tightened her coat around her body, one hand instinctively resting on her stomach. Every step she took felt heavier—not just because of her pregnancy, but because she was about to walk straight into the mouth of the past.
She didn't know who had sent the message, but she knew it was connected to the man Liam called "father."
A man who pretended to be a king while leaving destruction in his shadow.
She turned the corner and saw a figure waiting—a woman. Older, well-dressed, but her eyes were sharp, nervous.
"You came," the woman said.
Elina's voice was calm. "Who are you?"
"My name is Cassandra Miles. I used to work for Charles Randall."
Elina narrowed her eyes. "You sent me that photo."
Cassandra nodded. "And I have more. But first, you need to understand something."
"I already understand," Elina cut in. "He ruined my mother's life."
"No," Cassandra said. "He ended it."
The words were a punch to the stomach. Elina froze.
"What?"
Cassandra handed her a flash drive. "This is everything I've collected over the years—proof that your mother didn't die by accident. She was silenced because she knew too much."
Elina's throat went dry. "Why are you giving this to me?"
"Because it's happening again. You're pregnant with the next heir. And they'll do anything to control that child. Even if it means removing you."
Back at the penthouse
Liam woke to an empty bed.
Panic hit instantly.
He searched every room, called her phone—no response.
Then he remembered the look in her eyes the night before. Something had shifted. Something she hadn't told him.
He grabbed his keys, called his assistant, and ordered every security feed in the building reviewed. Five minutes later, a guard called back.
"She left alone, Mr. Randall. Around 1 a.m. Took a cab."
Liam's blood boiled. "Find out where she went. Now."
He didn't know what was happening. But one thing was clear—his wife was in danger. And he had no idea how deep the water had gotten.
Later that morning
Elina returned just before dawn.
She entered silently, her heart thudding as she slipped off her coat. But Liam was already there, leaning against the wall, his eyes burning with fury and fear.
"Where were you?" he asked, voice low.
She flinched. "I needed answers."
"Do you have any idea what it did to me, waking up and not knowing where you were?"
"I couldn't risk involving you."
"You're my wife," he snapped. "You're carrying my child. Every risk you take, I take too!"
She finally looked him in the eyes. "And what if those risks are tied to your family?"
His jaw clenched. "What do you mean?"
"I mean your father didn't just hurt my mother. He killed her."
The words hung between them like smoke.
Liam looked like she'd slapped him.
"No," he whispered. "That's not possible. My father's a monster, yes, but—"
"I have proof." She held out the flash drive. "But it goes beyond your father. There are people behind him. People who've been running the company's dark side for decades."
"And you went to find this alone?"
Elina nodded. "Because if anything happens to me, you need to know who's responsible."
Liam pulled her into a crushing embrace. "Don't do that again. I can't protect you if you shut me out."
She closed her eyes. "I'm not shutting you out. I'm pulling you in."
That afternoon
They plugged the flash drive into Liam's secure laptop.
Files loaded. Audio recordings, financial records, emails. Some were decades old. All of them detailed illegal business deals, blackmail, payoffs, and a chain of silencing victims—including Elina's mother.
And then they saw it.
A letter addressed to Charles Randall… from someone signed "A. Greyson."
Elina's hands trembled.
Greyson. That name had come up once before—on a document in her mother's old box. She'd thought it was irrelevant.
Now she wasn't so sure.
"What is it?" Liam asked.
"I think... this goes beyond your family. I think mine is involved too."
Somewhere else in the city…
Charles Randall sat in his study, watching a surveillance video on a tablet.
He'd known Elina would go digging.
He'd even let it happen.
But now… now she had something that could bring everything down.
He lit a cigar and made a call.
"Activate Phase Two," he said calmly.
"She's too dangerous now."
Back at the penthouse
Elina stood by the window, watching the rain fall.
Liam came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"We can run," he said quietly. "Take the baby and disappear."
She shook her head. "They'll follow."
"Then we fight."
She looked at him, tears in her eyes. "I don't want to raise this child in a war."
"You won't have to," Liam whispered. "We'll win. I promise."
But even as he said the words, he felt the shadow of doubt creeping in.
Because he knew his father.
And Charles Randall didn't fight fair.