Chapter 4 - The File He Was Never Supposed to Find
Vivian Vale descended the metal stairs as though she were entering a ballroom instead of an abandoned warehouse.
Adrian watched her.
"You."
His mother stopped.
"You always were quick once someone finally put the truth in front of you."
Felix moved aside.
Not partner.
Employee.
Olivia understood immediately.
Vivian had been behind him.
Adrian's voice was quiet.
"Elena knew."
"Elena suspected."
"She died because of it."
Vivian's face tightened.
"That was never supposed to happen."
Adrian stepped forward.
Marcus blocked him gently.
"Don't."
Adrian didn't take his eyes off his mother.
"What happened?"
Vivian looked older suddenly.
"Twelve years ago, your father nearly destroyed everything. Bad investments. Hidden debts. I moved money to protect the company."
"You stole it."
"I protected what would eventually belong to you."
"By using shell companies?"
"By doing what Victor was too proud to do."
"And Elena found out."
Vivian looked away.
"Yes."
Olivia glanced at Felix.
He was watching the exits.
"What did Felix do?"
Vivian said nothing.
Felix answered.
"I scared her."
Adrian's stare turned toward him.
Felix swallowed.
"That was all I was supposed to do."
"Explain."
"She was going to meet a reporter. I followed her. I confronted her in the parking garage."
Adrian's hands curled.
"And?"
"She ran."
Silence.
"Her car left the garage too fast."
Adrian stared at him.
"You chased her."
Felix looked toward Vivian.
"Tell him."
Vivian's voice broke slightly.
"I told Felix to recover the documents."
"Did you tell him to chase her?"
"No."
Felix snapped, "You told me not to let her leave."
Adrian closed his eyes.
Seven years of suspicion had finally become something worse than uncertainty.
Truth.
His mother hadn't intended Elena's death.
But she had created the circumstances that led to it.
And then buried them.
Ryan stepped forward.
"I found the altered security logs afterward."
Adrian turned to him.
"You knew all this?"
"Not all."
"But enough."
"Enough to know somebody inside your family was involved."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Ryan laughed bitterly.
"I tried."
Adrian frowned.
"I sent you the files."
"I never received them."
Ryan looked at Vivian.
"Exactly."
Olivia felt sick.
Ryan continued.
"Then somebody broke into my apartment. I realized I didn't know how deep it went. So I disappeared from anything connected to Vale."
"Until two months ago," Olivia said.
Ryan looked at her.
"I found Felix again."
"How?"
"He contacted me."
Felix smiled.
"I needed the drive."
"And you dated my sister to get close to me."
Olivia turned toward Felix.
The room seemed to tilt.
"What?"
Felix didn't answer.
Ryan did.
"He met you because of me."
Olivia stared at Felix.
Their first meeting.
A coffee shop.
He had bumped into her table.
Apologized.
Bought her another drink.
Asked her name.
She had believed it was chance.
None of it had been chance.
"You targeted me."
Felix's silence answered.
Olivia felt something inside her crack.
Not love.
That had died long ago.
Memory.
Every supposedly sweet beginning had just been rewritten.
Felix stepped toward her.
"It became real."
She backed away.
"No."
"It did."
"No."
"I loved you."
"You monitored me."
"I protected you."
"You isolated me."
"I was trying to find the drive."
"And when you couldn't?"
Felix said nothing.
Olivia understood.
"You punished me for something I didn't even know I had."
His face tightened.
"That's not fair."
Olivia almost laughed.
Not fair.
Two words.
How small they sounded.
Vivian interrupted.
"Enough. Give me the drive."
Olivia looked at her.
"No."
Vivian sighed.
"Your brother's life has already been ruined by this."
Ryan stepped beside Olivia.
"Not anymore."
Vivian's expression changed.
Ryan smiled faintly.
"You made one mistake."
"What?"
"You thought I kept only one copy."
Marcus's phone buzzed.
He checked it.
Then looked at Adrian.
"Files are out."
Vivian went pale.
"Where?"
"Three attorneys. Two reporters. Federal investigators."
Ryan looked at Olivia.
"I scheduled the transfer before I came."
Felix lunged toward Ryan.
Marcus intercepted him.
The movement was fast.
No dramatic fight.
Felix found himself against a table, Marcus holding him there.
Sirens sounded outside.
Vivian stared at Adrian.
"You would destroy your own family?"
Adrian's face was empty.
"No."
He looked at Olivia.
"I think you already did."
Police entered minutes later.
Vivian and Felix were detained.
Ryan gave investigators the evidence.
For the first time in seven years, Elena's case was reopened.
Olivia should have felt relieved.
Instead, she felt hollow.
Outside the warehouse, dawn was beginning to lighten the sky.
Ryan approached her.
"Liv."
She stepped away.
"You knew Felix came into my life because of you."
"I didn't know until later."
"When?"
He hesitated.
Her eyes filled.
"When?"
"Six months ago."
She stared at him.
Six months.
"You knew."
"I was trying to get you away from him."
"You could have told me."
"I thought he'd panic."
"He was already hurting me."
Ryan's face collapsed.
"I didn't know how bad it was."
"Because I stopped telling you."
"I know."
"No. You don't."
She walked away.
Adrian stood near the curb.
He didn't approach.
Olivia appreciated that.
Eventually she stopped beside him.
"Did you know your mother was capable of this?"
"No."
"Do you believe her?"
"About not intending Elena to die?"
"Yes."
Adrian looked toward the warehouse.
"I believe she didn't plan it."
"That's not the same thing."
"No."
They stood quietly.
Then Adrian said, "You need somewhere to stay."
Olivia gave him a tired look.
"Your solution to everything is security."
"Occupational problem."
Despite herself, she smiled.
"I'll find somewhere."
"Marcus knows a shelter network that specializes in confidential housing."
"That sounds better than your penthouse."
"Much."
She looked at him.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Answering."
He almost smiled.
"You called me."
"Wrong number."
"Still counts."
Three days later, Felix was charged in connection with multiple offenses, and investigators began examining his role in Elena's death and the campaign to retrieve Ryan's files.
Vivian's attorneys denied several allegations.
The legal process would take months.
Maybe years.
But the secrets were no longer secret.
Olivia moved into a secure apartment arranged through an independent advocacy organization.
She returned to work.
Different diner.
Different neighborhood.
This time under her real name.
Adrian didn't call.
She found herself noticing.
Then, on the fifth evening, someone knocked.
Olivia looked through the peephole.
Ryan stood outside.
Alone.
She opened the door halfway.
"What?"
He held an envelope.
"I found something in Felix's storage unit."
"What?"
"It has your name on it."
Olivia took the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
A woman she didn't recognize stood beside Felix.
On the back, someone had written:
OLIVIA BENNETT — SECOND ATTEMPT.
Olivia looked up.
"Second?"
Ryan nodded slowly.
"Apparently, you weren't the first woman Felix was ordered to get close to."
May you like
Then Olivia noticed the woman in the photograph was wearing a necklace she had seen before.
Around Vivian Vale's neck.
