Chapter 3 - The Woman Who Came Back From The Dead
The door opened slowly.
Brett’s hand moved toward the weapon hidden inside his jacket.
I stood behind him, frozen.
Then a woman stepped into the office.
And I forgot how to breathe.
She looked exactly like the photograph.
The same dark hair.
The same eyes.
The same face that had appeared on the ballroom screen less than an hour ago.
Elena Ashford.
Brett stared at her like the world had stopped turning.
For ten years, he had searched for a ghost.
And now that ghost was standing in front of him.
Alive.
"Elena?"
His voice cracked.
I had never heard Brett Ashford sound like that.
Not once.
Not when threatening enemies.
Not when negotiating billion-dollar deals.
Not when standing in front of people who feared him.
But now?
He sounded like a brother.
The woman looked at him.
Her expression was filled with pain.
"Hello, Brett."
Two words.
That was all it took.
The man who controlled an empire suddenly looked like someone who had lost everything.
I watched him take a step forward.
Then stop.
Almost like he was afraid she would disappear if he moved too quickly.
"You're alive."
Elena nodded.
"I am."
My mind struggled to process what I was seeing.
This was impossible.
The missing woman.
The secret.
The name nobody knew.
The person who had caused Brett to hide an entire part of his life.
She was here.
Standing in front of us.
But something felt wrong.
Because Elena wasn't smiling.
She wasn't running toward her brother.
She looked afraid.
"Brett," she whispered.
Her eyes moved toward me.
Then toward the folder on the desk.
"You told her."
The sentence was quiet.
But it carried weight.
Brett immediately stepped between us.
"Don't."
Elena frowned.
"Don't what?"
"Don't make her part of this."
I looked between them.
"What exactly is this?"
Neither of them answered.
That frightened me more than anything.
Because people only stayed silent when the truth was dangerous.
Elena walked into the room and closed the door behind her.
"Someone knows you have the file."
Brett’s expression changed.
"How?"
"Because they wanted me to come here."
The room became colder.
I looked at her.
"They?"
Elena looked at me carefully.
"You must be Gianna."
I stiffened.
"How do you know my name?"
She glanced at Brett.
A painful expression crossed her face.
"Because my brother has talked about you."
I looked at Brett.
He looked away.
That surprised me.
Brett Ashford did not avoid questions.
He avoided emotions.
And apparently, I was one of them.
"How long have you been watching us?" Brett asked.
Elena didn't answer immediately.
"Long enough."
"That's not an answer."
"It’s the only one I can give."
Brett stepped closer.
"You vanished for ten years."
"I know."
"You let me believe you were dead."
Her face changed.
Pain.
Real pain.
"I didn't have a choice."
Brett laughed once.
Not because something was funny.
Because he was hurt.
"You always had a choice."
"No."
Elena’s voice became stronger.
"You didn't understand what was happening."
The silence after that sentence felt heavy.
I looked at Brett.
For the first time, I wondered if maybe he wasn't the only person carrying secrets.
Maybe everyone in this room was hiding something.
"Tell me the truth," Brett said.
Elena looked down.
"I was investigating our father's company."
That caught my attention.
Brett’s eyes narrowed.
"Our father's company?"
She nodded.
"Before he died, he discovered someone inside the organization was stealing from him."
Brett went completely still.
"My father died in an accident."
Elena looked at him.
"No."
One word.
A dangerous word.
The kind of word that changed everything.
"No?"
"It wasn't an accident."
The room became silent.
I felt my heartbeat in my ears.
Brett stared at her.
"Who told you that?"
"I found the evidence."
"Where?"
Elena hesitated.
That hesitation said more than an answer.
Brett noticed.
"Elena."
She looked at him.
"I found it because someone wanted me to find it."
My stomach tightened.
Just like the bracelet.
Just like the messages.
Everything was a setup.
Someone was moving pieces around a board.
And we were the pieces.
"Who?" Brett asked.
Elena looked at him.
"The same person who took me."
For the first time that night, Brett looked angry.
Not controlled anger.
Not the cold expression he showed the world.
Something deeper.
Something personal.
"Who took you?"
Elena swallowed.
"I never saw his face."
Brett’s fists tightened.
"But you know who he is."
She nodded.
"Yes."
"Who?"
Elena looked toward the office windows.
The city stretched below us.
Millions of lights.
Millions of people.
A perfect place to hide.
Then she said the name.
"Marcus Vale."
The silence was immediate.
I knew that name.
Everyone in the business world knew that name.
Marcus Vale.
Alexander Vale’s father.
One of the most powerful businessmen in the country.
And one of Brett’s oldest enemies.
Brett’s expression changed.
"Alexander knew."
Elena nodded.
"Of course he knew."
My heart sank.
The gala.
The bracelet.
The photograph.
Alexander wasn't just trying to embarrass Brett.
He was sending a message.
"He wanted me to react," Brett whispered.
Elena looked at him.
"Yes."
Brett turned toward me.
And I understood.
The jealousy.
The confrontation.
The entire scene at the ballroom.
It wasn't random.
Alexander had chosen me because he knew Brett would come.
Because he knew Brett cared.
And because he wanted everyone to see it.
"He used me," I whispered.
Brett immediately shook his head.
"No."
"But he did."
"No, Gianna."
His voice softened.
"He used the fact that I care about you."
The words hung between us.
Neither of us moved.
For a second, I forgot about Elena.
Forgot about Marcus Vale.
Forgot about everything.
Because Brett Ashford had just admitted something he had never said before.
He cared about me.
Then Elena spoke.
"He knows."
The moment broke.
Brett looked at her.
"Knows what?"
Elena’s expression became serious.
"That you love her."
My breath stopped.
Brett didn't answer.
Because he couldn't.
Because maybe the answer was written all over his face.
I looked away.
This wasn't the time.
Not with danger surrounding us.
Not with someone targeting us.
But my heart had already heard the words.
A sound came from outside the office.
A sharp metallic click.
Brett reacted instantly.
He grabbed Elena and pulled her down.
Then he pushed me behind the desk.
The office window shattered.
Glass exploded across the room.
Someone screamed in the hallway.
Brett pulled out his weapon.
His entire body changed.
The businessman disappeared.
The protector returned.
"Stay here."
I grabbed his arm.
"No."
He looked at me.
For one second, everything stopped.
"You don't understand."
"I understand enough."
His eyes softened.
Then hardened again.
Because he knew I was right.
He couldn't protect me by keeping me in the dark anymore.
Brett moved toward the broken window.
On the floor was a small object.
A phone.
Not his.
Not Elena’s.
Not mine.
It had been thrown through the window.
The screen lit up.
A new message appeared.
Brett picked it up.
His face changed.
I knew immediately.
Something was wrong.
"What does it say?"
He looked at me.
Then at Elena.
Then back at the phone.
Because the message wasn't for him.
It was for me.
May you like
The screen showed one sentence:
"Gianna, ask Brett why your father died."
