Chapter 5 - The Secret Behind The Locked Room
The voice came from the darkness.
"Sadie... you still don't know what Ronan did to me."
Sadie's entire body froze.
The hallway lights flickered once.
Then again.
Ronan immediately moved in front of her.
A protective instinct.
A reaction he probably didn't even realize he had.
But Sadie noticed.
She noticed everything now.
The way his shoulders tightened.
The way his eyes searched the darkness.
The way his hand slowly moved toward his phone.
"You know that voice," Sadie whispered.
Ronan didn't answer.
That was enough.
Her stomach dropped.
"You know who she is."
Still nothing.
The silence became painful.
Then the lights returned.
The hallway was empty.
No woman.
No footsteps.
No explanation.
Only the echo of a voice that had changed everything.
Sadie looked at Ronan.
"Who was that?"
Ronan looked down the hallway.
"We need to leave."
"No."
Her voice surprised him.
"No?"
She shook her head.
"I spent my entire life being told to leave rooms, walk away, forget things, and stop asking questions."
She held up the letter.
"Not anymore."
Ronan looked at her.
"Sadie."
"No."
She stepped closer.
"You don't get to protect me from the truth."
His expression softened slightly.
"Sometimes the truth doesn't protect people."
"Maybe."
She looked directly at him.
"But lies destroy them."
For a moment, Ronan said nothing.
Then he nodded.
"You're right."
That response caught her off guard.
She expected him to argue.
To control the situation.
Instead, he looked tired.
Like he had been carrying something for years.
"Come with me."
"Where?"
"Somewhere nobody can listen."
Sadie almost laughed.
"Nobody can listen?"
She looked around the luxury room.
"The man who owns this place couldn't keep someone from recording us?"
Ronan didn't deny it.
That scared her more.
They walked through a private corridor behind the Obsidian Room.
Sadie noticed something strange.
The deeper they went, the fewer people appeared.
No staff.
No security.
Nothing.
Like this part of the building didn't exist.
At the end of the hallway was a black door.
Ronan entered a code.
The lock opened.
Inside was a small office.
Not luxurious like the dining room.
Different.
Personal.
Shelves filled with old files.
Photographs.
Documents.
Things nobody was supposed to see.
Sadie stopped.
"You kept records."
Ronan closed the door.
"I kept evidence."
"Of what?"
He walked toward a cabinet.
"Of people who wanted your mother gone."
Sadie watched him unlock it.
Inside were dozens of folders.
One had her name.
She immediately stepped forward.
"You had a file on me?"
Ronan didn't look away.
"Yes."
The answer hurt more than she expected.
"How long?"
"Since you were seventeen."
Sadie stared at him.
"Seventeen?"
She laughed quietly.
"So you knew about me before I even knew about you."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Ronan closed his eyes for a second.
Because that question was harder.
"Because your mother asked me to watch over you."
Sadie shook her head.
"No."
"Sadie—"
"No."
She pointed at the folder.
"You watched me?"
Her voice cracked.
"You followed my life?"
"I protected you."
"That's not the same thing."
Ronan accepted the accusation.
Because he knew she was right.
Sadie looked at the file.
"What is inside?"
Ronan hesitated.
That hesitation made her angry.
"Open it."
"Sadie."
"Open it."
Slowly, he placed the folder on the desk.
She opened it.
The first page was a photograph.
Her.
Walking home from school.
Another.
Her first day at the Continental.
Another.
Her sitting alone at a bus stop.
Her hands started shaking.
"You were watching me."
"I was making sure nobody found you."
"Who?"
Ronan looked away.
"The people who killed your mother's life."
Sadie froze.
"Killed?"
Ronan didn't correct himself.
That was worse.
"What happened to my mother?"
The room became quiet.
Finally, Ronan spoke.
"Your mother discovered something."
"What?"
"Something connected to powerful people."
"Who?"
He looked at her.
"My family."
Sadie's expression changed.
"Your family?"
Ronan nodded.
"My father built the organization before I took control."
"What organization?"
He didn't answer.
She understood.
Not everything needed a name.
"Your mother found proof that people close to me were involved in illegal operations."
Sadie stared.
"And you?"
Ronan looked down.
"I believed her."
"That's not an answer."
"No."
His voice became quieter.
"I didn't believe her quickly enough."
Sadie felt her anger weaken.
Just slightly.
"What happened?"
Ronan walked toward the window.
"Your mother came to me with evidence."
"What evidence?"
"Names."
"Whose names?"
"People who had influence everywhere."
Sadie looked at the folder.
"Why didn't you expose them?"
Ronan was silent.
Then:
"Because before I could, your mother disappeared."
The words hung between them.
Sadie remembered the letter.
I was taken away from you.
"Did she die?"
Ronan didn't answer.
And that frightened her.
"Ronan."
"I don't know."
The honesty shocked her.
"You don't know?"
"No."
He turned around.
"I searched for years."
Sadie looked at him.
"You really didn't know?"
"No."
For the first time, she believed him.
Not completely.
But enough.
Then her eyes fell on another folder.
Different color.
Hidden beneath the others.
No name.
Only a symbol.
The same symbol from her mother's letter.
She reached for it.
Ronan immediately moved.
"Don't."
She stopped.
"Why?"
"Because that file isn't about your mother."
"Then who is it about?"
Ronan didn't answer.
Sadie slowly pulled it closer.
"You said no more lies."
His face changed.
"Sadie."
She opened the folder.
Inside was a photograph.
A man.
A woman.
A child.
Her.
But the child was younger than she remembered.
Much younger.
And standing beside her mother was someone she recognized.
Someone she had seen every day.
Someone she trusted.
Someone who had always acted like he was protecting her.
Her fingers trembled.
"Thomas..."
Ronan went completely still.
Sadie looked at him.
"My manager?"
Ronan took the photograph from her hand.
His expression changed immediately.
"Where did you get this?"
"It's in your file."
"No."
He stared at the image.
"This file wasn't here."
Sadie's heart started racing.
"What do you mean?"
Ronan looked toward the locked door.
"The cabinet was locked."
"Maybe you forgot."
"I don't forget."
The room went silent.
Then they heard it.
A small sound.
From outside.
A key turning.
Sadie looked at the door.
"Who has access to this room?"
Ronan didn't answer.
Because he already knew.
The door handle moved.
Slowly.
Once.
Twice.
Someone was trying to enter.
Ronan stepped in front of Sadie.
The lock clicked.
The door began to open.
May you like
And the person standing outside whispered:
"Ronan... you were never supposed to show her that file."
