Chapter 2 - The Woman Who Knew Too Much
A security guard slammed the restaurant door shut, whispering:
"Someone inside this building is working against us."
Adrian Voss found a hidden tracker inside his damaged car after ordering his men to search every inch of the vehicle.
But the tracker carried one unexpected label:
"Property of Voss Security."
Adrian finally realized the enemy wasn't outside his organization.
It was already inside.
I should have walked away that night.
That was the first thing I told myself when Adrian Voss stared at me across the rain-covered parking lot.
I was a waitress.
He was a man whose name made entire rooms go silent.
People like us were never supposed to stand on the same side of a problem.
But somehow, there I was.
Standing beside his car.
Holding the secret that could destroy everything he had built.
The rain soaked through my uniform as his security team surrounded the vehicle.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
The atmosphere had changed completely.
Minutes earlier, Adrian Voss had looked at me like I was just another stranger making a ridiculous accusation.
Now every person around him was waiting for his next command.
He picked up the damaged brake component from his guard's hand.
His fingers moved slowly over the carved date.
His expression remained controlled.
That was what scared me most.
Most people would panic after discovering someone tried to kill them.
Adrian Voss became calmer.
"What else?" he asked.
The guard looked confused.
"Sir?"
"What else did they change?"
The guard immediately understood.
He signaled the others.
Within seconds, more men opened the car doors, checked underneath the seats, searched the trunk, and examined every piece of equipment.
I stood there frozen.
I wasn't supposed to be part of this.
I wasn't supposed to see any of it.
One of the guards looked at me suspiciously.
"Who is she?"
Before I could answer, Adrian spoke.
"She warned me."
The guard looked surprised.
"She did?"
Adrian glanced at me.
"She knew something was wrong before we did."
Those words shouldn't have mattered.
But they did.
Because for the first time that night, someone powerful believed me.
A few minutes later, one of the guards called out.
"Sir."
Everyone turned.
The man was holding a small black device.
At first, I didn't know what it was.
Then I saw Adrian's expression change.
"What is that?"
The guard looked at the device.
"A tracker."
The parking lot became silent.
Adrian took a step closer.
"A tracker?"
"Yes, sir."
"Find the signal."
The guard immediately turned on a small scanner.
A red light flashed.
Everyone waited.
The signal was coming from somewhere nearby.
Not the car.
Not the parking lot.
Somewhere else.
The guard followed the signal.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Until he reached the building entrance.
Then he stopped.
The tracker wasn't on the car anymore.
It was attached to something inside the restaurant.
My stomach dropped.
Because I suddenly understood.
Someone didn't just want to know where Adrian was going.
Someone wanted to know if he survived.
Adrian looked toward the restaurant doors.
His eyes became darker.
"Lock every exit."
The guards moved immediately.
I watched people in expensive suits rush through the same doors I had walked through hundreds of times carrying plates and drinks.
But now they weren't customers.
They were searching for a traitor.
I followed them inside before I realized I was moving.
The restaurant looked completely different.
The music was still playing.
The lights were still glowing.
People were still sitting at their tables.
Nobody knew they were surrounded by danger.
Adrian walked through the room.
Everyone noticed him.
But nobody spoke.
He stopped near the VIP area.
The same hallway where I had heard Isabella and Marcus.
My heartbeat became louder.
He turned toward me.
"You heard them here?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
"Exactly what did they say?"
I swallowed.
Repeating those words felt dangerous.
But I had already crossed that line.
"They said the brakes would fail on the mountain road."
Adrian's eyes stayed on mine.
"They?"
I hesitated.
Then whispered:
"Your wife."
The room seemed to become colder.
Several guards exchanged looks.
But Adrian didn't react.
Not immediately.
"Isabella said it?"
"Yes."
"And who was with her?"
I looked down.
"Marcus Hale."
For the first time, something broke through Adrian's calm expression.
Not anger.
Something worse.
Disappointment.
Because betrayal from an enemy was expected.
Betrayal from someone you loved was different.
Adrian walked toward the private room.
The door was still open.
Inside, the table was untouched.
Two glasses.
One bottle of wine.
A lipstick mark on the edge of one glass.
He picked it up.
Then placed it down.
"She left recently."
One guard checked the hallway camera.
"Sir, Isabella Voss exited through the east entrance twelve minutes ago."
Adrian looked at the screen.
"Where is she now?"
The guard paused.
Then answered.
"Her vehicle left the property."
A silence followed.
I watched Adrian's face.
For the first time, I wondered if he was hurt.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
Because the woman who wanted him dead was the woman who knew exactly how to make him trust her.
Then Marcus Hale appeared on the camera.
Walking toward the parking lot.
Alone.
Calm.
Too calm.
Adrian watched him.
"Bring him back."
The guards moved.
But before they reached the exit, every light in the restaurant suddenly went dark.
The music stopped.
People screamed.
For three seconds, there was nothing.
Only darkness.
Then emergency lights turned on.
Red.
Flickering.
A guard shouted from the hallway.
"Sir!"
Everyone ran toward the sound.
I followed.
A man was lying beside the security office.
One of Adrian's guards.
Unconscious.
His access card was missing.
Adrian looked at the open security door.
"What happened?"
Another guard checked the monitors.
His face changed.
"Sir..."
"What?"
The guard turned the screen around.
The security footage was playing.
But not from tonight.
It was from earlier.
A woman entering the restaurant.
A woman I recognized.
Isabella.
But she wasn't alone.
She was carrying a folder.
And she was meeting someone in the security room.
Someone who worked for Adrian.
The footage stopped.
A single frame remained frozen.
Adrian stared at the screen.
Because standing beside Isabella was a man he trusted more than anyone.
The guard zoomed in.
And whispered:
"Sir... that's your head of security."
Adrian stepped closer to the screen.
Then his phone vibrated.
One message appeared.
No number.
No name.
Just five words.
"Ask Cara about the accident."
May you like
Adrian slowly turned toward me.
And behind him, the security room door opened by itself.
