Chapter 5 - The Secret Hidden In Wyatt’s Records
The doorknob stopped turning.
Hazel stood frozen in the darkness.
Her hand hovered near the small lamp beside the bed.
The hallway outside was silent.
Too silent.
Then the lights flickered back on.
The door remained closed.
Nobody was there.
Hazel didn't move for several seconds.
Her heart was still racing.
She looked down at the message on her phone.
Stop trusting Damian Romano.
Then she looked at the photograph again.
Damian outside a hospital.
Holding a baby.
The picture was old.
The quality was blurry.
But there was no mistake.
It was him.
Hazel had seen Damian protect people.
She had seen him intimidate people.
She had seen him become terrifyingly calm when someone threatened her.
But she had never seen him look like this.
Like someone who belonged in a different life.
A life she knew nothing about.
The next morning, Hazel walked into the study holding the photograph.
Damian was already there.
Of course he was.
He stood near the window, reading documents with a cup of untouched coffee beside him.
He looked like he had not slept.
When his eyes landed on her face, he immediately knew something was wrong.
"What happened?"
Hazel placed the photograph on the desk.
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But she saw it.
"You know this picture."
It wasn't a question.
Damian picked it up.
"Where did you get this?"
"Someone left it outside my room."
His jaw tightened.
"Someone entered the security wing?"
Hazel watched him.
"You didn't answer."
Damian looked at the photograph again.
For a moment, he said nothing.
And that silence hurt.
Because she was starting to realize something.
Damian Romano never avoided questions.
Unless the truth was dangerous.
"Who is the baby?"
The room became quiet.
Marcus entered the study and stopped when he saw the photograph.
His face changed immediately.
Hazel noticed.
Everyone knew something.
Everyone except her.
"Tell me."
Damian placed the picture down.
"That photograph was taken twelve years ago."
Hazel waited.
"And?"
He looked at her.
"The child belonged to someone I was protecting."
"Someone?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
Another pause.
Then Damian said:
"My brother."
Hazel blinked.
"You have a brother?"
"I did."
The way he said it made her understand.
Past tense.
"What happened?"
Damian looked away.
"My brother died."
Hazel looked at the picture again.
"But the baby?"
His expression became colder.
"Not everything about that night was reported."
She felt a chill.
"What does that mean?"
Before Damian could answer, Marcus interrupted.
"Boss."
He held a tablet.
"We found the source of the message."
Damian immediately turned.
"Who?"
Marcus looked at Hazel.
And that was enough.
The answer was not good.
"It came from inside the estate."
Hazel felt her stomach drop.
Again.
Someone inside.
Someone close.
Someone watching.
Damian took the tablet.
"Find out who accessed the security system."
Marcus nodded.
Then left.
Hazel remained silent.
Finally, she asked:
"How many secrets are in this house?"
Damian looked at her.
"Too many."
The honesty surprised her.
She expected him to deny it.
To tell her everything was under control.
But he didn't.
And somehow, that made him more frightening.
Because Damian Romano knew exactly how dangerous his world was.
"I should leave."
The words came out before she could stop them.
Damian's expression changed.
"No."
Hazel looked at him.
"You can't keep me here forever."
"I'm not keeping you."
"Then what am I doing?"
His eyes softened slightly.
"Surviving."
She looked away.
Because that was exactly what she had been doing.
Surviving.
Not living.
Not trusting.
Just surviving.
A few hours later, Damian gathered everyone in the security room.
The flash drive from Wyatt's box had finally been accessed.
Hazel sat beside Damian while Marcus connected it to the system.
A folder appeared.
No name.
No label.
Only a date.
The date Wyatt disappeared.
Damian opened it.
Inside were dozens of financial records.
Names.
Payments.
Transfers.
Hazel watched as the information appeared on the screen.
Then she saw something.
Her name.
She stood immediately.
"Why is my name there?"
Nobody answered.
Damian continued scrolling.
The files showed payments made over several months.
Small amounts.
Different accounts.
All connected.
Then Marcus noticed something.
"Wait."
He zoomed in.
"These payments weren't going to Frankie Sullivan."
Damian looked closer.
"Who received them?"
Marcus followed the information.
Then stopped.
His face became serious.
"Someone using the Romano family account."
Hazel looked at Damian.
"You?"
"No."
His answer was immediate.
Too immediate.
"Then who?"
Damian didn't respond.
Because he already knew.
The account had been authorized by someone.
Someone with access.
Someone trusted.
Hazel looked at the screen.
"Wyatt wasn't stealing money."
Damian looked at her.
"What?"
She pointed.
"Look."
The transfers weren't random.
They were payments.
Regular payments.
Like someone was buying time.
Marcus nodded slowly.
"She’s right."
Damian studied the records.
"Wyatt was paying someone."
Hazel whispered:
"To protect me."
The room went quiet.
Because that possibility changed everything.
Maybe Wyatt had betrayed her.
Maybe he had lied.
But maybe...
Maybe he had been trying to keep something away from her.
Damian opened another file.
A video appeared.
Wyatt.
Sitting alone.
Looking directly into the camera.
Hazel stopped breathing.
It was the first time she had seen him since he disappeared.
The video started.
Wyatt looked exhausted.
Scared.
"Damian, if you're watching this, then I failed."
Hazel looked at Damian.
Why was Wyatt speaking to him?
The video continued.
"I couldn't get the records out."
Damian leaned closer.
"Records?"
Wyatt looked away from the camera.
"They know about Hazel."
Hazel covered her mouth.
Her eyes filled.
Wyatt continued.
"She doesn't know what she is connected to. She never did."
Damian's face changed.
"What is he talking about?" Hazel whispered.
Nobody answered.
The video continued.
"I tried to fix it before they found her."
Wyatt took a breath.
"But the person behind everything is someone you trust."
The screen flickered.
Then Wyatt looked directly into the camera.
His final words were quiet.
"Damian... don't let him get near Hazel."
The video ended.
Nobody moved.
The room felt frozen.
Hazel looked at Damian.
"Who?"
He didn't answer.
Because the question was not whether someone inside the estate was dangerous anymore.
The question was who.
Marcus checked the security footage immediately.
A few minutes later, his face changed.
"Boss."
Damian looked up.
"What?"
Marcus turned the screen around.
A camera feed showed the hallway outside Hazel's room.
From last night.
The moment the lights went out.
The moment someone left the message.
Hazel watched.
A figure appeared.
Walking slowly toward her door.
The person stopped.
Turned slightly.
And looked directly into the camera.
Hazel couldn't see the face.
But Damian could.
Because the moment he recognized the person, he stood completely still.
"Impossible."
Hazel looked at him.
"Who is it?"
Damian didn't answer.
The screen froze.
Marcus whispered:
"That's the one person who should never have been here."
Damian stepped closer to the monitor.
May you like
And the frozen image revealed the identity of the person standing outside Hazel's room...
It was someone from Damian Romano's past.
