chapter 9

Sophia's POV

The photograph slipped from my fingers and landed on my lap. I couldn't stop staring at it. The grainy security footage wasn't clear enough to identify the man's face, but the silver walking cane stood out unmistakably.

I knew that cane, I have seen it countless times leaning against the wall of my father's office during late-night meetings. It became such a familiar sight that I even stopped noticing it years ago.

“Derek…” I whispered, the name barely left my lips.

Damien's eyes shifted from the photograph to me. “You know him?”

I nodded slowly. “He belongs to my father's business partner.”

“Belongs to?” he asked evenly.

“The cane. Derek never goes anywhere without it.”

The car fell silent as rain drummed steadily against the windows, but my thoughts were racing too fast to notice the traffic.

No, this didn't make sense.

Derek has been with my family for as long as I could remember.

He attended my university graduation.

He stood beside my father at every company anniversary. Even after my mother died, he was one of the few people who came by every weekend just to make sure we weren't falling apart.

“There could be hundreds of silver canes in London,” I said, more to myself than to Damien.

“There could.” Damien agreed

“So this proves nothing.”

“I didn't say it proved anything.”

I turned to him. “Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you're trying very hard not to believe what you're seeing.”

His words stung because they were true.

I looked away. “I refuse to accuse someone without evidence.”

Damien nodded faintly. “Good”.

“I expected you to tell me Derek was guilty.”

"I've spent years watching people jump to conclusions, Miss Bennett." His voice remained calm.

"I'm not interested in assumptions."

The Bentley pulled into the hospital entrance. Before the driver fully stopped, I opened the door and hurried inside.

The emergency department was unusually crowded, nurses hurried past with clipboards, patients filled the waiting area.

The smell of disinfectant hung heavily in the air.

My eyes searched frantically until I spotted Ethan pacing near the reception desk.

The moment he saw me, he rushed over. "They still haven't found him."

His face was pale, his hair looked as though he'd been running his hands through it for the past hour.

"What did the nurses say?" I asked

"They checked every floor."

"And security?" I asked again.

"They're reviewing more footage."

I grabbed his arm. "Slow down."

He drew a shaky breath. "I only left for ten minutes, Soph. Ten minutes."

"I know."

"When I came back, his room was empty." His voice cracked. "I should never have left."

I squeezed his shoulder. "This isn't your fault."

Dad wasn't reckless, for him to walk out of the hospital, he had a reason. Or someone had given him one.

A nurse approached us. "Miss Bennett?"

"Yes."

"We found something in your father's room." She said as she handed me a sealed plastic evidence bag.

Inside was Dad's mobile phone. My brows furrowed. "He never goes anywhere without this."

"That's what we thought."

I thanked her before opening the bag carefully. The screen lit up immediately, showing several missed calls, a few unread emails.

Then one message from an unknown number caught my attention.

‘we need to talk before it's too late. Come alone, don't tell Sophia’.

My pulse skipped.

The message was sent less than thirty minutes before Dad disappeared.

Ethan leaned closer. "What does it say?"

I showed him. His face Darkened instantly when he saw it. “Someone lured him out”.

“That's what it looks like”.

"But who?"

Neither of us answered because we had no idea.

A throat cleared quietly behind us. I turned to see Damien, I almost forgot he was there.

“When was the message sent?” Damien asked

I checked the timestamp. "Ten forty-three."

He looked thoughtful. "And your father left the ward at approximately ten fifty."

"You think they're connected." I asked

"I think someone wanted him away from the hospital." Damien replied

Before I could respond, another nurse hurried toward us. "Miss Bennett?"

"Yes?"

"We've finished reviewing the external cameras."

Hope flared inside me. "Did you find him?"

She nodded. "We found your father."

Relief flooded through me so quickly that my knees nearly gave way. "Where is he?"

The nurse hesitated. That single pause stole every bit of relief I'd felt.

"He was seen getting into a black vehicle outside the east entrance."

Immediately, my smile disappeared. "With the man carrying the cane?" I asked

"Yes." The nurse nodded

"Did the cameras capture the registration number?"

The nurse lowered her eyes. “No. The number plate wasn't visible”.

Frustration crashed over me. Just then, Damien's phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen before answering. “Speak.”

He listened without interrupting. His expression remained unreadable.

When the call ended, he looked directly at me. “I need to leave.”

"What?"

"I've just received confirmation."

“Confirmation of what?”

His jaw tightened. “The person who arranged that meeting with your father also accessed a private archive inside Bennett Accounting this morning.”

"What archive?"

"The one containing the original partnership agreement."

My heart lurched. "The missing pages..."

"They weren't looking for money." He met my gaze. "They were looking for something hidden inside those files."

A cold realization settled over me. Whatever my father had gone to meet...

wasn't just connected to the missing eight hundred thousand pounds.

It was connected to a secret that had survived nearly twenty years.

And someone was willing to risk everything to keep it buried.