Chapter 6 - The Truth My Mother Was Forced to Hide
The elevator doors opened.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
For a few seconds, the entire floor of Graves Tower felt frozen.
The security guards stood with their hands near their radios.
Nathaniel stood in front of me.
Protecting me.
Not like a billionaire protecting his company.
Like a father protecting his child.
I looked past him toward the elevator.
The inside was empty.
No person.
No footsteps.
Nothing.
Just a small black envelope sitting on the floor.
My heart started beating faster.
Because everyone reacted like that envelope was more dangerous than any person walking through those doors.
Nathaniel slowly stepped forward.
"Don't touch it."
The security guard stopped.
"Sir?"
"Nobody touches it."
Nathaniel stared at the envelope.
His face was impossible to read.
Fear.
Anger.
Recognition.
All mixed together.
I whispered:
"Who left that?"
Nobody answered.
The woman with the tablet looked at the security cameras.
"The cameras didn't capture anyone entering."
Nathaniel looked at her.
"That is impossible."
She shook her head.
"Someone bypassed the entire system."
The words made the room colder.
Because Graves Tower was supposed to be one of the most secure buildings in the city.
If someone could enter without being seen...
They weren't a stranger.
They knew the building.
They knew the security.
They knew Nathaniel.
The security guard carefully used a tool to pick up the envelope.
He placed it on a table.
Nathaniel stared at it for several seconds.
Then he looked at me.
"Ruby."
I looked at him.
"Stay behind me."
I nodded.
The guard opened the envelope.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
No letter.
No explanation.
Just one photograph.
The moment Nathaniel saw it, his entire body went still.
I couldn't see it clearly.
"What's wrong?"
He didn't answer.
I stepped closer.
The woman with the tablet looked at the photograph.
Then covered her mouth.
"What is it?"
Nathaniel slowly turned the picture around.
And I saw it.
A photograph of my mother.
But not the way I knew her.
She wasn't standing in our small apartment.
She wasn't wearing old sweaters or holding grocery bags.
She was younger.
Confident.
Standing beside Nathaniel.
But that wasn't what shocked me.
It was what was written on the back.
Three words.
"She knew everything."
I looked at Nathaniel.
"Everything about what?"
He didn't answer.
Because another piece of paper fell from the envelope.
This one was smaller.
Nathaniel picked it up.
His fingers tightened.
I saw his expression change.
"What does it say?"
He looked at me.
Then at the paper.
Then he handed it to the woman.
She read it silently.
Her face became pale.
"Mr. Graves..."
"What?"
She looked terrified.
"It says Emily didn't run away."
Nathaniel stopped breathing.
The room went silent.
My mother's name felt different now.
Heavy.
Like every time someone said it, another piece of the truth appeared.
"What do you mean she didn't run away?"
Nathaniel looked at the photograph.
"I was told she left."
"By who?"
He didn't answer.
And again, that silence told me everything.
Someone had lied.
Someone had spent twelve years controlling what Nathaniel believed.
Someone had kept my mother away from him.
And someone had made sure I grew up without knowing any of this.
I looked at Nathaniel.
"Did you think she abandoned you?"
His eyes met mine.
There was pain there.
A lot of it.
"Yes."
I didn't know why that hurt me.
Maybe because I knew my mother.
She would never abandon anyone.
She struggled.
She cried.
She worried.
But she never gave up.
Not on me.
Not even when life gave her every reason to.
"She wouldn't do that."
My voice was quiet.
Everyone looked at me.
I held onto my backpack.
"My mom wouldn't just leave someone."
Nathaniel stared at me.
And something changed.
Like my words confirmed something he had been afraid to believe.
"You sound exactly like her."
I looked away.
Because hearing that from him felt strange.
Almost painful.
Before anyone could say anything else, the security system suddenly beeped.
Everyone turned.
The woman checked the tablet.
"Another alert."
Nathaniel immediately moved closer.
"What now?"
She looked at the screen.
"The system detected movement in the executive archive."
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed.
"Impossible."
"Why?"
"Because the archive was locked."
The woman swallowed.
"It still is."
That made everyone quiet.
Nathaniel looked toward the hallway.
"Show me."
The security footage appeared.
A dark hallway.
A locked door.
Nothing moving.
Then...
The archive door opened.
Slowly.
From the inside.
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone knew what that meant.
Someone was already inside.
Nathaniel reached for the radio.
"Security team, move to the archive."
The guards rushed away.
I watched Nathaniel.
"Are you going?"
He looked at me.
"No."
The answer surprised me.
"Why?"
"Because whoever is inside wants me to go there."
I frowned.
"But don't you need to know who it is?"
His expression hardened.
"I already know someone is trying to pull me away from you."
The words scared me.
"Why would someone want that?"
Nathaniel looked at the photograph of my mother.
Then at me.
"Because twelve years ago, someone failed to take away the truth."
He paused.
"And now they are trying again."
I wanted to ask more.
But before I could, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
Not fear.
Shock.
"Who is it?"
He didn't answer.
He pressed the speaker button.
For several seconds, there was only silence.
Then a woman's voice came through.
A voice I recognized immediately.
My entire body froze.
"Ruby?"
I grabbed the phone.
"Mom?"
The room exploded into movement.
Everyone looked at me.
Nathaniel stepped closer.
"Emily?"
My mother's breathing became shaky.
"Ruby, listen to me."
Tears immediately filled my eyes.
"Mom, where are you?"
"I don't have much time."
My hand tightened around the phone.
"Why did you lie to me?"
Silence.
A painful silence.
Then my mother whispered:
"Because I was trying to keep you alive."
I stopped.
Nathaniel's expression changed.
"Emily, where are you?"
My mother's voice became more urgent.
"Nathaniel, you shouldn't have brought her there."
His face went pale.
"Why?"
A pause.
Then:
"Because the person who tried to destroy us twelve years ago..."
My mother stopped.
Like she was afraid someone was listening.
"Who?"
Nathaniel's voice was sharp.
My mother whispered:
"...was someone you trusted."
The call suddenly became filled with static.
"Mom?"
No answer.
"Mom!"
Then the line returned.
But it wasn't my mother's voice anymore.
A man's voice replaced hers.
Calm.
Cold.
Familiar.
"Hello, Nathaniel."
Nathaniel froze.
The color disappeared from his face.
Because he recognized the voice.
"Richard..."
I looked at him.
The man from the security records.
The man who had worked beside him for twenty years.
The man who had entered the archive.
The voice laughed softly.
"I wondered how long it would take you to find her."
Nathaniel stepped forward.
"Where is Emily?"
A pause.
Then Richard answered:
"Exactly where she has been for twelve years."
My stomach dropped.
Nathaniel's hand tightened into a fist.
"What did you do?"
The voice became quieter.
"Ask your daughter what her mother never told her."
Everyone looked at me.
I froze.
Because Richard continued:
"Ask Ruby who really saved her life the night she was born."
The call ended.
Nobody moved.
Then Nathaniel looked at me.
His face was filled with fear.
Because for the first time, he wasn't looking for the truth about my mother.
May you like
He was looking for the truth about me.
And then the office lights suddenly went out.
