Chapter 2 - The Man Behind the Wrong Number
I walked into Adrian Moretti’s office carrying the only thing that could destroy the life I had known.
The recording.
The evidence.
The truth.
And somehow, I still felt like I was the person being investigated.
The elevator doors opened silently.
Two men in black suits stood outside.
They didn't look like security guards.
They looked like people who noticed everything.
One of them looked at me for a moment before stepping aside.
"Miss Quinn."
I stopped.
"You know who I am?"
He didn't answer.
He simply opened the door.
That frightened me more than if he had threatened me.
Because people who had nothing to hide usually explained themselves.
People who had power didn't need to.
I entered the office.
The first thing I noticed was the view.
The entire city stretched below the glass walls.
Chicago looked beautiful from that height.
Almost peaceful.
But standing there, I felt like I was looking at a world I didn't belong to.
Then I saw him.
Adrian Moretti.
He was sitting behind a large desk, still wearing the same calm expression I imagined from his voice.
Silver hair.
Sharp eyes.
Perfectly tailored black suit.
He didn't look like a criminal from the stories people whispered about.
That was what made him more dangerous.
He looked like a man who never needed to raise his voice.
Because everyone listened the first time.
His eyes moved to my phone.
"You brought the original file?"
I tightened my grip.
"Before anything else, I need to know something."
Adrian leaned back.
"What?"
"How do you know my name?"
For the first time, his expression changed slightly.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Concern.
"Because your message wasn't the first thing I received tonight."
My heart dropped.
"What does that mean?"
He stood slowly and walked toward the window.
"An hour before you sent me that video, someone contacted one of my people."
"Who?"
"Someone asking questions about you."
I stared at him.
"Why would anyone ask questions about me?"
Adrian looked back at me.
"That is what we need to find out."
I shook my head.
"No. You don't understand. This was just my fiancé cheating on me."
A quiet pause filled the room.
Then Adrian said:
"No, Harper. Cheating is when someone wants another person."
He looked directly at me.
"What happened to you was someone trying to remove you."
The words made my skin go cold.
I wanted to laugh.
I wanted to tell him he was being dramatic.
But something stopped me.
Because he wasn't acting like a man making a threat.
He was acting like a man who had already seen something worse.
I placed my phone on the desk.
"The recording is here."
Adrian didn't touch it immediately.
Instead, he studied my face.
"You still love him."
I looked away.
"I loved who I thought he was."
"And now?"
I swallowed.
"Now I don't know who he is."
Adrian nodded slowly.
That answer seemed to matter.
He picked up the phone and connected it to his computer.
The screen showed the video.
Ethan.
Chloe.
My apartment.
My life falling apart.
I couldn't watch again.
I looked away.
But Adrian watched every second.
His expression became colder.
Not because of the affair.
Because of something else.
When the video ended, he replayed one part.
The moment Ethan said:
"Harper will never know."
Adrian paused.
Then he zoomed in.
"What is that?"
I stepped closer.
"What?"
He pointed at the background.
Near the bedroom dresser.
A small black folder was partially visible.
I frowned.
"I've never seen that."
Adrian looked at me.
"You are sure?"
"Yes."
He rewound the video.
The folder appeared again.
Someone had placed it there.
Someone wanted it hidden.
"Harper," Adrian said quietly.
"When was this video taken?"
"About two hours ago."
"Who else had access to your apartment?"
I thought.
"Only Ethan. Me. Chloe."
"Anyone else?"
I shook my head.
"No."
Adrian looked at the screen.
"Then someone entered your home without you knowing."
I felt my stomach twist.
"Why?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he opened another file on his computer.
A photograph appeared.
It was me.
Walking outside my apartment building.
Taken from a distance.
I stepped back.
"What is that?"
Adrian's voice became serious.
"Someone has been watching you."
I couldn't move.
"When was this taken?"
"Three days ago."
My breathing became shallow.
Three days.
That meant this started before today.
Before I found Ethan and Chloe.
Before I knew anything.
I looked at Adrian.
"Who would do this?"
He closed the file.
"That is the question."
"You said my fiancé was involved."
"I said someone close to you is involved."
The difference scared me.
Because it meant there were more possibilities than I wanted to imagine.
I walked toward the window.
The city lights blurred.
"My whole life was fake."
Adrian stayed silent.
Maybe because he understood.
Maybe because he had lived through the same feeling.
After a moment, he said:
"You need to hear something difficult."
I turned.
"What?"
"Ethan Quinn is not who he claims to be."
My eyebrows pulled together.
"What are you talking about?"
Adrian walked back to the desk.
He opened a file.
Inside was Ethan's photograph.
But underneath it were documents.
Records.
Names.
Connections.
I stared.
"I don't understand."
Adrian pointed at the page.
"Your fiancé changed his identity five years ago."
I felt numb.
"What?"
"His original name wasn't Ethan Quinn."
I shook my head.
"No. That's impossible."
Adrian looked at me.
"I checked before you arrived."
My hands became cold.
"What was his real name?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
That hesitation terrified me.
Finally, he said:
"Daniel Cross."
The name meant nothing.
But Adrian's expression told me everything.
"You know him?"
I asked.
"No."
He looked at the documents.
"But I know the people connected to him."
A silence filled the room.
Then Adrian's phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed instantly.
Not fear.
Recognition.
He answered.
"Speak."
A man's voice came through.
I couldn't hear everything.
Only Adrian's responses.
"You're sure?"
A pause.
"Where?"
Another pause.
Then Adrian looked at me.
The calm expression was gone.
"Do not let her leave."
My heart started racing.
"Who was that?"
Adrian ended the call.
Then he said something I would never forget.
"They found out you are here."
I stepped back.
"Who?"
Adrian looked toward the office door.
"Someone who knows you were never supposed to see that video."
My phone suddenly vibrated.
A new message.
Unknown Number.
I looked down.
One sentence appeared.
My blood turned cold.
Because the person who sent it wasn't Ethan.
It wasn't Chloe.
It was from someone saved in my phone.
Someone I trusted.
The message said:
"Harper, don't trust Adrian Moretti."
I looked up at Adrian.
His face had changed.
Because he had seen the name too.
The office door handle slowly moved.
Someone was outside.
May you like
And then Adrian whispered one name:
"Chloe..."
