Chapter 4 - The Boy Who Was Erased
The room stayed silent after the photograph appeared.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone was looking at the same thing.
A child standing beside Silas Ror.
A child who looked exactly like Eli.
Eli stared at the screen.
His face slowly lost color.
"No."
The word came out quietly.
Almost like he was trying to convince himself.
"No, that's not me."
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew how to.
Miles Keane stood in front of the screen, studying every detail.
The photograph.
The date.
The background.
The child.
Everything.
He had spent his entire life trusting evidence.
Numbers.
Records.
Facts.
But right now, the evidence was impossible.
"Eli," Miles said carefully.
The boy looked at him.
"What?"
Miles chose his words slowly.
"Do you remember anything before you started living on the streets?"
Eli looked away.
That question was harder than it should have been.
Because he had asked himself the same thing many times.
There were pieces.
Small pieces.
A woman's voice.
A warm room.
A red toy car.
A song someone used to sing before he fell asleep.
But every time he tried to grab those memories, they disappeared.
"I don't know."
Harper Lane Ror stepped closer.
Her eyes remained fixed on the photograph.
"You really don't remember?"
Eli looked at her.
"Should I?"
Harper didn't answer.
And that silence scared him more than any answer.
Miles noticed.
"Harper."
She finally looked at him.
"What?"
"You know something."
"No."
"You're lying."
The room became tense.
Harper looked toward Silas's medical room.
Then back at Eli.
"I know what that mark means."
Eli immediately covered his wrist.
"What mark?"
Harper hesitated.
"The one you have."
Miles looked at Eli.
"Show me."
Eli didn't move.
"I don't know you."
The words were simple.
But they stopped Miles.
Because he understood.
Eli had spent years surviving alone.
Trust was not something he gave away.
Miles lowered his voice.
"You're right."
Everyone looked at him.
"You don't know me."
He stepped back.
"But I know what it's like when someone takes your life away from you."
Eli watched him carefully.
Miles continued.
"Someone took something from you."
The boy looked at the screen again.
The child beside Silas.
"Who was I?"
Nobody answered.
Then Silas spoke.
His voice was weak.
But everyone heard it.
"He was my responsibility."
Everyone turned.
Silas was standing near the doorway.
The doctor tried to stop him.
"Mr. Ror, you should be resting."
Silas ignored him.
His eyes stayed on Eli.
Not the screen.
The boy.
"You were never supposed to find out this way."
Eli stepped backward.
"Find out what?"
Silas looked tired.
For the first time, the powerful man everyone feared looked human.
"I failed you."
Those words surprised everyone.
Especially Eli.
"You know me?"
Silas didn't answer immediately.
Because the answer carried too much weight.
"Yes."
The room became silent again.
Eli's voice became smaller.
"Then why didn't you find me?"
Silas looked away.
That was enough.
Eli understood.
The question hurt.
"Why?"
Silas closed his eyes.
"Because I thought you were dead."
The words hit the room.
Eli froze.
Dead.
A word that didn't make sense.
Because he was standing there.
Breathing.
Alive.
Miles looked between them.
"What happened?"
Silas slowly walked toward the table.
"Years ago, someone tried to destroy everything connected to me."
He looked at the screen.
"They didn't just attack my business."
A pause.
"They attacked my family."
Harper's expression changed.
Silas continued.
"They knew the only way to hurt me was to remove the people I cared about."
Eli stared at him.
"Who?"
Silas didn't answer.
Not yet.
Because before he could speak, the entire building lost power.
The lights went dark.
Everyone reacted instantly.
Security moved.
Doors locked.
Emergency lights turned on.
Red lights filled the hallway.
Miles immediately reached for his weapon.
Then stopped.
Because Silas spoke.
"Don't."
Miles looked at him.
"Why?"
Silas looked toward the dark hallway.
"Because whoever did this wants us to move."
A cold silence followed.
Eli stood near the wall.
The darkness reminded him of something.
Something from before.
A room.
A locked door.
A voice telling him not to make noise.
He grabbed his head.
Images flashed.
A man shouting.
Glass breaking.
Someone carrying him.
A woman crying.
"Eli?"
Miles's voice pulled him back.
The boy opened his eyes.
Everyone was watching him.
"What did you remember?"
Eli breathed heavily.
"I don't know."
"Try."
Eli looked down.
"There was a house."
Silas immediately reacted.
"What house?"
Eli looked at him.
"I don't know."
"What else?"
"A woman."
Silas became completely still.
"What woman?"
Eli closed his eyes.
He tried to remember.
"She said..."
His voice stopped.
"What did she say?"
Eli swallowed.
"She said if anyone asked..."
A pause.
"Don't tell them your real name."
Nobody spoke.
Silas looked like someone had hit him.
Because he knew something.
Something he didn't want to admit.
Miles noticed.
"You know who she is."
Silas didn't answer.
"Silas."
Finally, he spoke.
"Her name was Clara."
Harper looked shocked.
"Clara?"
Silas nodded.
"The woman who protected him."
Eli looked confused.
"Protected me from what?"
Before Silas could answer, a sound came from the security system.
A notification.
One camera had turned on.
Everyone looked at the screen.
The image showed the outside gate.
Someone was standing there.
A person wearing a dark coat.
Waiting.
Miles stepped closer.
"Who is that?"
The security officer checked.
Then his face changed.
"I don't know."
"Zoom in."
The image became clearer.
The person's face was still hidden.
But they were holding something.
A small envelope.
Miles looked at Silas.
Silas had gone pale.
"You know them."
Silas didn't respond.
The person outside slowly raised the envelope toward the camera.
Then pointed at Eli.
The security officer looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
Silas whispered:
"They're not here for me."
Everyone turned.
Silas looked at Eli.
"They're here for him."
Miles immediately moved toward the entrance.
"No one opens that door."
But before anyone could stop it, the gate system activated.
A message appeared on every screen.
ACCESS GRANTED.
Everyone froze.
Because only one person had authority to open the gate.
Silas.
And Silas had not touched anything.
Miles looked at the security panel.
Then at the entrance.
The locked front door slowly began to open.
May you like
From the outside.
Someone was already inside.
