Chapter 2

• Callum's POV
• I clenched my fist, my nails biting into my palm as I strode towards the black SUV. Miguel swung the door open for me but I barely registered him as the parking lot tilted.
• Yeah, I knew. My father and brother? Shady as hell. But I never snooped. Asked no questions. Because I kept my own little shit separate until I decided I no longer wanted to be a part of it.
• I stared forward, motionless in the backseat of his car. Miguel adjusted the rearview mirror.
• “Sir? Are we headed home now?”
• I shook my head slowly. “No. Take me to the office. Now.”
• “Right away.”
• The engine of the car roared softly as it turned toward Kensington Industries headquarters.
• My jaw clenched hard.
• I pulled my phone back up. There were no new calls. No messages. I tapped into the call log. No number saved. Just a private number. Typical.
• The car pulled up to the private underground parking garage of my company.
• I had built up this empire in five years. Made a name for myself without any family's assistance, and now what? I'm in danger now.
• I stepped out before Miguel could open the door for me and marched toward the private elevator. I slid my card through the access panel.
• On the 29th floor, the doors opened to a quiet hallway. Clean. Glass walls. Controlled lighting. I walked past the open-plan departments, ignoring the nods and greetings. People knew not to interrupt me when my expression was that sharp.
• As I entered his office, my secretary, Sophia, stood up.
• “Good morning, Mr. Kensington, you have—”
• “Hold my meetings for the next two hours. No calls unless it's critical.” I interrupted, walking down to my office.
• She nodded, her hands already on her tablet.
• I entered my office and shut the door. I walked straight to my desk, placed both hands on the surface, and leaned forward. I was breathing hard. Trying to think fast.
• I hadn’t heard from Ethan in over six years. Not since we fell out over inheritance battle. Not since he disappeared, leaving behind chaos, betrayal, and unanswered questions.
• And now this.
• I sat down and opened my laptop. Tapped in my password. I launched the security software of the company, inputting my secondary code. Every confidential project was backed up and monitored. I began running checks. File integrity. Access logs. Email records.
• Nothing abnormal.
• Then my desk phone rang. Sophia.
• “Sir, there’s a man downstairs. He says his name is Xavier. He doesn’t have an appointment, but he says it’s about a personal matter.”
• My eyes narrowed. “Physical description.”
• “Early 30s. Sharp suit. French accent.”
• French?
• Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Tell him to leave his card and schedule through proper channels. Security is not to let him in.”
• “Understood.”
• I hung up. Took a breath. Then I stood and walked to the cabinet behind my desk. I opened the top drawer and pulled out a thick envelope. Sealed. Old. With Ethan's name written on the back in ink.
• I had kept it out of spite. Never opened it.
• I ripped it open.
• Inside were a set of coordinates. And a key. Nothing else.
• No note. No context.
• I sat down again. My fingers tightened around the key. I recognized the shape. A storage facility key. One of their family-owned units in the lower part of the city.
• I cursed under my breath.
• Then Sophia's voice returned in the intercom.
• “Sir. There’s something you should see.”
• “What is it?” I snapped at her.
• “A security breach. I’m sending it to your monitor now.”
• I turned to my screen. A live feed popped up. Someone was in one of the restricted server rooms. He was hooded up, his face partially hidden. They moved like they knew the layout.
• What the hell has Ethan been involved in, and why am I being involved in this?
• I hit the intercom. “Shut down all access. Sound the internal alarm. Do not make it audible. Lock every server door from security.”
• “Yes, sir.”
• I grabbed my phone and buzzed building security. “Who is inside Server Room 3B?”
• “Sir, we were just alerted. No record of entry under staff IDs.”
• “You have sixty seconds to lock it down. Track where they entered. Scrub every camera log in reverse.”
• I ended the call. Walked toward the wall cabinet. Punched in a code. A panel slid open. I pulled out a handgun, checked the clip, and tucked it under my suit jacket.
• I wasn’t going to wait around.
• By the time I got to the tech wing, security had surrounded the hallway.
• “Anyone come out?” I asked.
• “No sir. The door to the server room was shut. Locked.”
• “Override it.”
• The guard at the panel input a master code. The door clicked.
• I entered.
• It was empty.
• Wires had been unplugged. Drive mounts exposed. But no one inside.
• I scanned the room. A single USB device sat on the floor. I picked it up with a tissue. Slipped it into a case. I’d have my team run an analysis on it.
• Security swept the rest of the building. Whoever it was had gotten out clean. There was no face or prints.
• I returned to my office with my heart still pounding.
• Sophia stood as I entered. “Sir, the board meeting—”
• God, doesn't she know how to read the room?
• “Reschedule it. I need quiet.”
• I closed the door and sat down again. Picked up my phone and dialled a secure number.
• “Marcus. I need full surveillance reviewed for the last 48 hours. Entry points. Badge scans. Camera loops. Everything. Also, I want background on anyone new hired in the last 30 days.”
• “On it.”
• I hung up. Stared at the USB device I had picked up from the server room. Then I picked it up and inserted it into the isolated terminal.
• It had one file and was password protected.
• My finger hovered over the keyboard, but my mind strayed briefly, irrationally. The man from the church flashed in my head. He looked captivating.
• Something must definitely be wrong with me. Why am I fantasizing over a man despite everything going on today? A man!
• I clenched my jaw and refocused.
• I tried a few combinations. On the fifth attempt, it unlocked.
• A video.
• I clicked play.
• The screen filled with a feed from inside a private room. It looked like a medical facility. A man was strapped to a gurney. Gagged. Bruised.
• I leaned forward.
• The man looked like Ethan. I tried to look if there was any figure or object that could give me a hint about the location, but there was none.
• Then a voice from offscreen: “Tell your brother. The past isn’t dead. It’s waiting.”
• The video ended.
• I sat back. Frozen.
• What the hell was this? The fuck was happening?
• My throat tightened. Seeing him like that, if that was really him, did something to my chest I wasn’t ready to admit. I didn’t want to care. I didn’t want this.
• Is the video real or is this all part of his big plan to bring me down?
• I opened the secure drawer in my desk and placed the USB inside.
• There was a knock.
• Sophia stepped in. “Sir, about tomorrow’s briefing with the investors—”
• “Cancel the morning roundtable. I’ll meet with them over dinner. Book a reservation for me for tomorrow evening. Somewhere private. Two security men will be present.”
• “Noted.”
• She turned to leave.
• “Sophia.”
• She paused.
• “Book it under an alias. No one must know I’ll be there. And ask Alex to see now.”
• “Understood.”
• She closed my door. I rubbed my temple and relaxed into my chair. Then my internal line buzzed. It was an unknown source.
• I answered.
• “Where are the files?”
• I didn't answer. I didn't know what to say.
• The line went dead.
• Who the hell are these people? And what files did they want from me?