Chapter 2 - The Man Who Was Never Supposed To Return
Elena Marlowe stood frozen beside the ocean.
The stranger she had pulled from the sinking jet was staring at her.
Not like a victim.
Like someone who had been waiting for her.
The five men in black suits remained silent.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Then Adrian Voss released her wrist.
His strength disappeared instantly.
His eyes closed.
And his body fell back against the wet sand.
"Adrian!"
Marcus Vale rushed forward.
Two men followed him.
Elena stepped back.
She watched them lift the injured man carefully.
Not like employees helping their boss.
Like soldiers carrying their commander.
The name repeated in her mind.
Adrian Voss.
She had heard it before.
Everyone had.
Three years ago, every news channel had talked about the billionaire who disappeared after his private yacht exploded.
A man who owned companies across the world.
A man connected to powerful people.
A man whose death had been investigated for months.
But no body was ever found.
Until now.
Until her.
Marcus looked at her.
"You need to come with us."
Elena frowned.
"No."
The answer surprised him.
"No?"
"I saved him. I don't know him. I don't know you. And five strangers arriving in black cars after a plane crash doesn't exactly make me feel safe."
For the first time, Marcus almost smiled.
Almost.
"You have no idea what you just stepped into."
Elena looked at Adrian.
The mysterious man who had told her to run.
The man who had been declared dead.
"What happened to him?"
Marcus looked away.
A second passed.
Then another.
"He was betrayed."
The word carried weight.
Elena noticed something.
Marcus was afraid.
Not of Adrian.
For him.
Before she could ask another question, one of the men checked the road.
"We have company."
Everyone became alert.
Elena turned.
A black sedan was approaching from the highway.
Marcus's expression changed.
"Get him into the vehicle."
The men moved quickly.
Elena stepped forward.
"Wait."
Marcus stopped.
"What?"
"If I leave with you, I want answers."
Marcus studied her.
Most people would have been terrified.
Most people would have run.
But Elena was standing there demanding the truth from men who looked like they controlled entire cities.
"You're brave."
"No," Elena replied.
"I'm confused."
Marcus looked toward Adrian.
Then back at her.
"Those two things are usually connected."
The sedan stopped.
The door opened.
A woman stepped out.
She was elegant.
Perfectly dressed.
Cold eyes.
She looked at Elena first.
Then Adrian.
Her face changed.
Only for a second.
But Elena noticed.
Shock.
Fear.
Anger.
The woman walked closer.
"He's alive?"
Nobody answered.
She looked at Marcus.
"You failed to tell me."
Marcus's jaw tightened.
"You weren't supposed to know yet."
The woman's eyes moved back to Elena.
"And who is she?"
Elena felt uncomfortable under her stare.
"I saved him."
The woman laughed quietly.
Not because it was funny.
Because she couldn't believe it.
"You?"
Elena frowned.
"Yes. Me."
The woman stepped closer.
"You have no idea who you pulled out of that water."
Elena looked at Adrian.
"I know he is a person."
The woman stared at her.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Adrian suddenly moved.
His eyes opened.
He looked past Elena.
Straight at the woman.
His face changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"Claire..."
The woman's expression broke.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Elena noticed.
They knew each other.
Adrian tried to sit up.
Marcus pushed him down.
"Don't move."
Adrian ignored him.
His eyes stayed on Claire.
"You were there."
Silence.
Claire looked away.
"Not now."
Adrian's breathing became heavier.
"You watched it happen."
Elena felt the tension around them.
Something had happened three years ago.
Something everyone knew except her.
Marcus looked at Claire.
"You shouldn't have come."
Claire answered calmly.
"I had to see if the ghost was real."
The word stayed in the air.
Ghost.
Elena looked at Adrian.
The man everyone believed was dead.
The man she had dragged from the ocean.
The man whose enemies were already searching for him.
A ghost.
The men moved Adrian toward one of the SUVs.
Elena remained standing.
She should leave.
Every instinct told her to walk away.
Go home.
Forget this.
Pretend she had never seen the plane crash.
But then Adrian looked at her.
Even injured.
Even exhausted.
His eyes were clear.
"You saved my life."
Elena said nothing.
"You don't understand what that means."
"Then explain."
Adrian looked at Marcus.
Then Claire.
Then back at Elena.
"Someone tried to kill me because I discovered the truth about my own family."
Elena felt her stomach tighten.
"What truth?"
Before Adrian could answer, Marcus interrupted.
"Not here."
Adrian disagreed.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
His voice became stronger.
"If she saved me, she deserves to know."
Marcus shook his head.
"Adrian."
But Adrian continued.
"My brother is alive."
The ocean waves crashed behind them.
Elena stared.
"Your brother?"
Adrian looked toward the water.
"The man who was supposed to be dead with me."
Claire's face went pale.
Because she knew.
Marcus knew.
Everyone except Elena knew.
"His name is Daniel Voss."
Adrian whispered.
"And he is the reason my jet went down."
No one spoke.
Then a phone rang.
One of Marcus's men answered.
His expression changed immediately.
He looked at Marcus.
"We have a problem."
Marcus walked closer.
"What?"
The man handed him the phone.
Marcus listened.
His face slowly became darker.
"How long?"
A pause.
Then:
"Five minutes."
Elena looked between them.
"What happened?"
Nobody answered.
Marcus looked at Adrian.
"The hospital is compromised."
Adrian closed his eyes.
He already understood.
"Who?"
The man swallowed.
Then whispered:
"Someone inside knows you survived."
The group moved faster.
The SUVs started.
Marcus opened the passenger door.
"Elena, get in."
She hesitated.
"Why?"
Marcus looked at her.
"Because whoever attacked Adrian's jet now knows the woman who saved him is alive too."
Elena's blood ran cold.
She looked around.
The empty beach.
The ocean.
The wreckage disappearing beneath the waves.
Then she noticed something.
On the sand near where Adrian had fallen.
A small black object.
She picked it up.
A phone.
Not Adrian's.
Someone else's.
The screen was cracked.
But one message was still visible.
Sent two minutes ago.
The words made her stop breathing.
"THE WOMAN WHO SAVED HIM HAS BEEN FOUND."
Elena slowly looked up.
Because the message had not been sent to someone else.
May you like
It had been sent from the phone in her hand.
And then the phone started ringing.
