Chapter 5

• Sienna didn’t sleep that night.
• She just lay there, flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. Her hand gripped the flash drive so tightly it actually hurt her.
• Adrian’s words kept ringing in her ears.
• “Everything your father didn’t want you to see.”
• She didn’t know what he meant. Or why he gave it to her now. But the way he looked at her before he left… like he knew exactly what would happen the second she plugged it in. Like he wanted her to.
• She waited for the sunrise.
• She didn’t shower or change her clothes. She just walked barefoot through the hallway; her body felt tense and cold. Adrian’s office wasn’t locked.
• Of course it wasn’t.
• It looked like everything else in his life—clean, sharp. But far from warm. Like no one actually lived there. She found his laptop in a drawer. Opened it. A password box popped up.
• She stared at it.
• Then tried "Blackwell."
• Wrong.
• AdrianBlackwell.
• Still wrong.
• She paused.
• Then typed: Sienna.
• The screen opened.
• She froze. Something in her chest tightened. She sat down, slower this time, suddenly unsure of everything.
• There was only one folder on the screen. Vault. She didn’t touch it.
• Instead, she shoved the flash drive in.
• A new folder loaded. Fail-safe.
• Dozens of files appeared—videos, pictures, documents, and audio clips. All with plain names. No specific dates or notes are attached to each.
• She clicked on the first video.
• The screen flickered. Security footage. Grainy. Her father was in it, pacing in his office. His face was pale. His eyes kept looking towards the door.
• The timestamp said two weeks before he died.
• He spoke to the camera.
• “They think I’m blind. But I know what they’re doing. I’ve seen the real numbers. The money trail. This merger—it’s not a merger. It’s a setup. They’re coming for the patents, the accounts, everything.”
• He stopped. Looked right into the lens.
• “If anything happens to me, find the girl. She knows the name. She just doesn’t know she knows it.”
• The screen went completely black.
• Sienna sat still. Her mouth was dry.
• What name?
• She opened more files. Most were documents, bank transfers, spreadsheets, and redacted emails. She clicked through them fast, her fingers shaking. Then one file made her freeze.
• Holdings_Ownership_Structures.xlsx
• She opened it.
• Blackwell Industries wasn’t fully owned by the Blackwells. A huge part of it was under a company called Maridon Capital.
• And the name listed as the founder?
• Gregory Hale.
• Her father.
• She blinked. Couldn’t move for a second.
• He had owned part of it. Maybe a big part. He didn’t lose a seat at the table. They stole it from him.
• He didn’t get pushed out.
• He was removed.
• Yes, he definitely was.
• Her hands started shaking harder. She grabbed the flash drive and stood, her knees still unsteady. She turned to leave—
• And saw Adrian in the doorway.
• Leaning against the frame. Coffee in hand. Watching her.
• “How far did you get?” he asked.
• Her heart pounded. “You gave it to me. What did you think I’d do?”
• “I wanted to see if you’d actually open it.”
• She stared at him. “I know about Maridon. I know my father had more power than anyone said.”
• He didn’t budge.
• “Why didn’t you tell me?”
• “Because truth costs something,” he said. “And I wasn’t sure you were ready to pay for it.”
• She laughed. It sounded bitter. “You married me. You dragged me into this house. Took everything I had. But you were protecting me from the truth?”
• “You think this is a game?” he said. “You think I wanted any of this?”
• She stepped forward. “Did you know they were going to kill him?”
• Silence.
• Then, “No.”
• She almost believed him.
• Almost.
• “But you didn’t stop it,” she whispered.
• His voice dropped. “It was too late. I didn’t know the board was moving that fast. Thomas made sure it happened before I could do anything.”
• Her head snapped up. “Thomas? Your uncle?”
• He said nothing.
• She stared at him. “He’s the one running this, isn’t he?”
• Adrian’s jaw clenched. He didn’t answer.
• “For now,” he said finally. “But not for long.”
• There it was.
• He wasn’t in charge. Not yet. But he was trying to be.
• She folded her arms. “And me? What am I to you? Some pawn you move when you feel like it?”
• Adrian looked at her. Something in his face shifted. He didn’t look smug at all. Or cold. Just… tired.
• “You’re leverage,” he said. “But not how you think.”
• Before she could ask what that meant, someone banged on the front door. Hard.
• Adrian turned and walked down the hall. Fast. She followed.
• He opened the door.
• A man in a gray suit stood there, breathless and Pale. Sweating.
• “Sir. You need to come. Now.”
• Adrian’s voice dropped. “What happened?”
• “It’s your uncle. He’s in the hospital; he was shot.
• No one saw anything. No cameras. Nothing.”
• Sienna froze.
• The man kept going. “There’s talk. From inside. They think this wasn’t random. Someone’s making a move.”
• Silence.
• Adrian didn’t speak. Didn’t blink.
• Then he looked at her.
• Not like he blamed her.
• Like he was thinking.
• Like something just clicked.
• And for the first time, Sienna realized they were both deep in something they didn’t fully understand.
• And it was definitely the beginning.