Chapter 3 - The Voice From the Dark
"Adrian."
The voice came from the hallway.
A voice he knew.
A voice he never expected to hear again.
Adrian stood completely still.
The power outage had swallowed the mansion in darkness.
The only light came from the emergency lamps outside the office window.
Clara moved closer to him.
"Mr. Voss..."
Adrian raised his hand.
He wanted silence.
Because he needed to listen.
A person who could no longer trust his eyes had only one weapon left.
His ears.
His instincts.
And right now, every instinct inside him was screaming.
The footsteps moved closer.
Slow.
Calm.
Confident.
Whoever was walking toward him was not afraid.
The security chief lifted his gun.
"Stay behind me."
Adrian ignored him.
Instead, he whispered:
"Open the door."
Clara looked shocked.
"Are you sure?"
"No."
Adrian looked toward the darkness.
"But I need to know."
The security chief slowly reached for the handle.
Before he touched it, the door opened.
A man stood outside.
Adrian did not move.
Because he knew that face.
Even though his vision was damaged.
Even though the room was dark.
Even though the years had passed.
He knew the voice.
He knew the presence.
"Daniel."
The name left Adrian's mouth quietly.
Clara stepped back.
Because everyone inside the mansion knew that name.
Daniel Cross.
Adrian's former security commander.
The man who saved Adrian's life during a war between rival organizations six years earlier.
The man who disappeared after being declared dead.
The man whose funeral Adrian personally attended.
But now he was standing in front of him.
Alive.
Daniel looked at Adrian.
"You still remember me."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"I buried you."
Daniel walked inside.
"Someone wanted you to believe that."
The security chief pointed his weapon.
"Don't move."
Daniel looked at him.
Then back at Adrian.
"If I wanted you dead, you would already be dead."
Adrian believed him.
That was the problem.
He hated that he believed him.
Because Daniel had always been dangerous in the same way Marcus was.
He was loyal.
Until he wasn't.
"Why are you here?"
Daniel looked at the broken glass on the desk.
Then at the envelope containing the powder.
"Because you finally found the truth."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"You knew?"
Daniel nodded.
"I knew someone was poisoning you."
The room became silent.
Clara stared at him.
"Then why didn't you stop it?"
Daniel looked at her.
"Because I was trying to find who was behind it."
Adrian stepped forward.
"You let me lose my eyesight."
Daniel's face changed.
For the first time, guilt appeared.
"I tried to stop it."
"But you failed."
"Yes."
The answer was immediate.
No excuse.
No defense.
That made Adrian more uncomfortable.
People who lied usually explained too much.
People who told the truth often said very little.
"Tell me everything."
Daniel looked toward the door.
"Not here."
Adrian frowned.
"You walk into my house after being dead for six years, tell me someone is poisoning me, and now you don't want to talk?"
Daniel's eyes moved around the room.
"They know we are talking."
The lights suddenly flickered.
Everyone looked up.
The power returned.
But something was wrong.
The security system screens near the wall turned on automatically.
One by one.
Camera feeds appeared.
The mansion.
The gardens.
The entrances.
The hallways.
Then one camera stopped.
The screen showed Adrian's office.
The image was live.
But nobody was standing in front of the camera.
Adrian noticed Daniel's reaction.
"You recognize something."
Daniel looked away.
"Yes."
"What?"
Daniel walked toward the screen.
"The person watching us."
Adrian's expression changed.
"Someone is watching right now?"
Daniel nodded.
"Not just watching."
He pointed at the screen.
"They are inside."
The security chief immediately checked his communication device.
"No one entered through the main gate."
Daniel looked at him.
"That doesn't matter."
The man frowned.
"Why?"
"Because whoever did this never needed the gate."
A cold silence filled the room.
Adrian walked toward the monitor.
"Find them."
The security team spread through the mansion.
Clara remained beside Adrian.
Daniel stayed close.
Too close.
Adrian noticed.
"You still move like my bodyguard."
Daniel looked at him.
"Because you still need one."
Adrian almost laughed.
Almost.
Instead, he asked:
"Where have you been?"
Daniel looked down.
"Trying to survive."
"From who?"
Daniel did not answer.
That was the first thing Adrian noticed.
The hesitation.
The same hesitation Clara had before saying Marcus's name.
"There is more."
Daniel nodded.
"Much more."
"Tell me."
Daniel looked directly at him.
"Your blindness was only the beginning."
Adrian waited.
"The poison was not designed to kill you."
"I know."
"No."
Daniel shook his head.
"You don't."
He stepped closer.
"The poison was designed to make you weak."
Adrian said nothing.
Daniel continued.
"Someone wanted your enemies to believe Adrian Voss was dying."
A strange feeling moved through Adrian.
Because that made sense.
If people believed he was losing power, they would make mistakes.
They would reveal themselves.
They would become careless.
"Who benefits from that?"
Daniel looked at him.
"Your empire."
Adrian frowned.
"My empire?"
"The person who takes control after you are gone."
The answer was obvious.
But Adrian did not want to say it.
Daniel said the name anyway.
"Marcus Hale."
The room became silent.
Again.
But this time, Adrian felt something different.
Not anger.
Recognition.
Because the truth had been standing in front of him for months.
He just refused to see it.
Then Daniel placed something on the desk.
A small black device.
Adrian touched it.
"What is this?"
"A recording."
"Of what?"
Daniel looked toward Clara.
"Your last morning before the poison started affecting you."
Adrian pressed the button.
A voice played.
His own voice.
Recorded inside his office.
"I trust Marcus more than anyone."
Adrian froze.
Then another voice appeared.
Marcus.
"That's exactly why this will work."
Clara covered her mouth.
Adrian stopped breathing for a moment.
Because the recording continued.
Marcus's voice became clearer.
"When Adrian loses his sight completely, nobody will question who takes control."
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
The silence was heavier than any gunshot.
Adrian slowly placed the device down.
"How long have you had this?"
Daniel answered:
"Three months."
Adrian turned toward him.
"Three months?"
"I needed more proof."
"You needed more proof while I was being poisoned?"
Daniel accepted the anger.
"Yes."
Adrian stepped closer.
"You made a mistake."
Daniel looked at him.
"What mistake?"
"You thought you were the only one investigating."
Adrian reached for his phone.
But before he could call anyone, a message appeared.
Unknown number.
One sentence.
Adrian opened it.
And his face changed.
Clara noticed.
"What does it say?"
Adrian did not answer.
Because the message contained only five words.
Words that came from someone who should not have been alive.
I know Daniel is there.
May you like
Then another message appeared.
Ask him about your brother.
