Liam hadn't spoken for minutes. He just stared at the name on the screen like it could vanish if he blinked enough times.
A. Greyson.
Elina paced the floor, biting her nail. "You recognize the name, don't you?"
He nodded slowly. "Not just recognize it. Greyson was my father's right-hand man for years... until he disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
Liam's jaw clenched. "There were rumors. That he turned against my father. That he tried to expose something... and paid for it."
Elina swallowed hard. "You think he's alive?"
"If he's the one who wrote that letter, then yes."
The silence between them became suffocating. Liam finally stood and turned to her.
"I need to meet him."
"Liam—"
"If there's even a chance he's still out there and willing to talk, I have to try. He could confirm everything. He could end this."
Elina didn't answer. Her eyes had drifted to the flash drive still in the laptop.
"What?" Liam asked.
"There was another file. A location code... encrypted. I thought it was just storage data, but—"
Liam's phone buzzed.
He picked it up and his expression changed immediately.
"What is it?" she asked.
"My security team... They found someone watching the building from across the street."
Elina's blood ran cold.
Liam was already moving. "I'm not letting this get to you or the baby. You're not safe here anymore."
Later that day — A hidden estate outside the city
The car drove through tall iron gates, surrounded by pine trees and silence.
"This is your safehouse?" Elina asked, her arms wrapped protectively around her belly.
Liam nodded. "One of them. No one knows about this one. Not even my assistant."
He looked at her, then added, "I'm not taking chances anymore."
Elina exhaled, resting her head against the window. "We shouldn't have to live like fugitives. We didn't do anything wrong."
Liam's hand reached for hers. "You didn't. But I did. For years, I turned a blind eye to what my family did. Because I thought if I stayed quiet, I'd be free."
He looked at her now, voice steady.
"But freedom is nothing if I can't protect you."
Meanwhile, in the city
Charles Randall lit another cigar. His office was dark, the only light coming from the city skyline beyond the glass wall.
A man entered silently.
"You called, sir?"
"Track the girl. Find the child's birth records. I want to know if the rumors are true."
"And if they are?"
Charles smiled coldly. "Then we're dealing with more than a scandal. We're dealing with betrayal."
He stood, walked to his bar, and poured himself a drink.
"Also," he added casually, "find Greyson."
The man paused. "We thought he was dead."
"Then dig up his grave and check again."
Back at the safehouse
The sun was setting, painting the sky in soft orange and gold.
Elina sat on the porch, her hands cradling her bump.
She hadn't told Liam yet, but she'd been feeling faint lately. Sometimes dizzy.
Stress? Maybe. But part of her feared something else.
"You're strong," she whispered to the child. "Stronger than both of us combined."
Liam joined her, carrying a file. "I decrypted that code from earlier."
Elina turned quickly. "And?"
"It's a storage locker. Downtown. Rented under an alias, but I recognized the handwriting. It's Greyson's."
He looked at her. "I'm going tomorrow."
"I'm coming with you."
"No," Liam said immediately. "You stay here. It's too dangerous."
Her eyes flared. "You don't get to make that call."
"I do when your life—and our baby's—is on the line."
She stood, face close to his. "I'm already in this. Hiding won't save us."
He stared at her, torn. Then sighed. "Fine. But we do it smart. Disguises. Two cars. No digital trail."
The next day — Storage facility, 9:43 a.m.
Elina wore a wig and sunglasses. Liam had shaved his beard and wore a cap low over his eyes.
They moved quickly, quietly.
Locker 118.
Liam entered the code, the door lifted—and the air changed.
Inside were boxes of documents, hard drives, and a dusty leather notebook.
Elina grabbed it. "It's Greyson's. His handwriting."
Liam scanned a file. "These are signed by my father... and another name."
He stopped.
"What?" Elina asked.
"This name... it's your uncle's."
She blinked. "What?"
Liam turned the file. "Daniel Ellsworth. Isn't that your mother's brother?"
She nodded slowly. "But he died before I was born."
Liam flipped through pages. "According to this, he was laundering money through one of my father's dummy corporations."
Elina's knees went weak. "That can't be..."
But the truth sat in front of them like a loaded gun.
Their families weren't just linked by accident.
They were built on the same corruption.
Back at the safehouse
The notebook held more secrets than they could absorb in one night.
Names. Deaths. Accounts hidden in offshore banks.
Elina's head pounded. "This goes back forty years. My mother knew about this. That's why she died."
Liam nodded. "And now... we know too much."
He reached out and took her hand.
"Elina, I know we married for the wrong reasons. And I know this mess started before us... but I need you to know something."
She looked up.
"I'd choose you. Again and again. Even in the middle of this nightmare."
She didn't answer right away.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Then choose me now. And fight with me."
Later that night
Elina couldn't sleep.
She got out of bed, walked into the dark kitchen, and poured a glass of water.
Something moved in the shadows.
She froze.
"Liam?" she whispered.
No answer.
Then a voice.
"I told them I wouldn't hurt you... unless I had to."
She turned—and screamed.
A man stood there. Older. Thin. Pale eyes.
"Who are you?" she gasped.
He stepped forward.
"My name is Greyson."