Chapter Six

Kate’s mind battled with her body. She wanted to move, but somehow she felt stuck. It was as if her brain was working against her body. Sweat began to trickle down her face. 

Her hand trembled from the grip on the file. The confession in her hand was a nightmare she never expected to encounter. The truth she had hunted was now strangling her. She felt tightness in her neck as if a ghost was choking her to death.

Michael blocked the doorway with his frame—his hand pressed against the doorknob. His gaze never moved from her. He stood there like a hunter who had finally stalked his prey into a trap waiting to be devoured. But this was a prey he couldn't bring himself to dismantle. He had developed a soft spot for Kate. The silence in the room was deafening.

His voice cut through the suffocating silence.

“You haven't answered my question, Kate. Are you just going to stand there and say nothing while I wait for you to tell me what you're doing in my office?” His loud voice echoed through the room. It was the first time he raised his voice at her.

Kate took a few steps back, turned, and clutched the papers behind her back as though hiding the truth would make it disappear. She wanted to be smart but Michael wasn't having any of it.

“ When you left, I heard a sound emanating from this area so I was… looking for—”

“You don't have to lie to me, Kate.” Michael stepped forward slowly as if he were approaching a wounded beast. He wasn't as angry as she thought he would be. He wasn't confused either. The expression on his face showed that he knew something fishy was going on.

Kate's throat tightened, and her breath hitched. She took steps backwards as Michael approached, but the corner of the desk cut off her almost improvised escape. She had nowhere to run to. Michael's eyes found the open safe, the scattered documents, and then her face—looking for something in her eyes. He sees fear deep down and maybe some familiarity. 

“Kate, kindly step aside from the desk,” he said with a calm voice. His voice shook her. She moved like she was being controlled by a remote. 

Michael went straight to the safe. His steps were steady and his expression was unreadable. He picked up the torn photograph she had seen the night before. He brushed his fingers over the ripped section where Luke’s face once was—tears filled his eyes but he hid them well.

“This office is out of bounds. You shouldn't be here, you shouldn't see any of this.”

Kate swallowed hard. “I needed answers to satisfy certain doubts in my mind.”

“Answers?” he whispered. “I don't know who has been feeding you lies but you need to put a stop to whatever plan you're plotting. I should sack you right away but you've proven yourself too valuable to lose.”

Kate’s jaw clenched. She wanted to tell the truth but that would destroy everything. 

“I know you're hiding something but I don't know exactly what—I'll do my research and find out. I pray the answers I find justify all this.”

“You’ve been lying to me since the moment you walked into Curry Industries,” Michael said, placing the photo carefully on the desk. “Lying with your words, lying with your eyes. And last night… lying with your mouth.”

Kate’s heart skipped a beat after the words sank in. She pictured the memory of the kids they had had the previous night. 

Michael fixed the mess she had made and turned to her fully. “And now you’re breaking into safes. So tell me, Kate—” He said as he stepped closer. He moved close till she could feel the heat radiating off his body.

“—Who are you really?”

The uneasiness she was already feeling increased. Her training screamed to stay calm but her emotions asked her to bolt. Michael reached for her, he lifted a strand of her hair, letting it slide between his fingers before dropping it. She didn't flinch. 

“Your eyes..” he murmured. “They make me feel guilty. They look familiar. They haunt me. I've seen them before but in a different person’s face.”

Her heart nearly stopped.

He reached for her chin and tilted it up. The touch was not gentle, not brought, but deliberate.

“Tell me who you really are and let me know what you want from me” he whispered.

Kate's training kicked in. The mask that almost fell off was back on her face. She gave him one of the coldest versions of her voice.

“A woman doing her job,” the words escaped her mouth.

Michael let out a deep breath. He stepped back, rubbing his forehead.

Michael exhaled—a sharp, disbelieving sound. He stepped back, rubbing his forehead.

“Since you won't tell me what's going on with you, I need you to get out now.”

She stiffened. “…What?”

“Get. Out.” His voice was rough. “Please go before I do something I might regret later.”

Kate saw it as an opportunity to escape. She didn't wait for any further confrontation. She glided past him quickly and went out through the doorway, down the hall, toward the elevator. 

As she walked on, she could feel Michael staring at her until the doors shut. 

Down in the elevator, she knew this wasn't over yet. The emotions she felt in the elevator were those of heartbreak. 

It wasn't over—not even close.

The noise of the busy street slapped her awake. She took a cab. She couldn't sit so she just lay down in the back seat. “Drive, please,” she ordered. 

“Is everything okay, ma'am?” the driver asked.

“I think you should mind your own business, Sir,” the words slipped before she could hold them. “I'm sorry, it's been a long day for me,” she said finally. 

“It's fine, we all have bad days sometimes,” he replied. 

Her phone rang as the driver drove. She glanced at her phone. It was Phil. She hesitated before picking up the call. 

“Kate, what's going on? Your breath is uneven. Kate, answer me.” His voice cut through the phone.

“He knows,” she whispered. She became silent for a moment. The—

“Did he make you out?” he asked. 

“He didn't,” he answered.

“But he found you with the confession, yes?”

“He did.”

Phil swore under his breath. “You weren’t supposed to look for the box yet. You skipped the procedure. How could you?”

Kate took a deep breath. “My father was guilty, Phil. It was in his letter. He asked Michael to do what he did. I have been lying to myself for the past five years. My entire mission, everything I've believed was built on a lie.

Silence filled the air for a long period. 

“What else did you uncover, Kate? Phil asked with a steady voice. He sounded too steady. 

Kate hesitated. “Money—plenty of it to live the life that I want. Offshore accounts. All in my name. He protected me, Phil. All these years even when he didn't know if I was alive or not.”

Phil’s end was quiet. He was thinking of what to say. “That makes everything complex for now,” he said.

Kate frowned. “It doesn't make things complex, Phil. It changes everything. I can't punish him for what—”

“Yes, you will,” Phil answered. “And you will.”

Kre was left in shock. Phil had never raised his voice at her. This was the first time. 

“He is still a liar. He let your father rot in jail. He could have told you the truth but he chose not to. That makes him guilty as charged. He must pay for that.”

Kate’s breath hitched. “This is a man who has kept the wishes of his best friend and he has fulfilled them.”

“And you think he has been protecting you for free? He knew he'd gain something from doing so. Men like Michael Curry don't do things for free. You may think he was loyal but he never was.”

Kate’s hands trembled.

Phil continued. “Your focus is weaning off. You're confusing truth with intention. Stay your course. The mission is not over yet. You need to finish it in style as I've always taught you.”

Kate's voice was shredded. “It's hard to tell between the truth and the lie now. If only I knew.”

“Do I need to remind you that Michael Curry is a threat? He has always been and will always be. This mission will define your legacy. It will show everyone how strong you've become. If you don’t finish this, everything you’ve built will collapse. He will destroy you the moment he discovers who you really are.”

Kate closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I need time to think things through, Phil. 

“There's no time to think,” Phil's voice cut through. “Once his suspicion intensifies, he’ll move against you. You must regain his trust before he uncovers things he's not supposed to. Do you hear me?”

She nodded, and replied, “Yes I hear you loud and clear.”

“Great. Now that I have your attention, do not let yourself fall for him. Emotions can be deceptive—this is important.” His voice was low and calculated. 

Kate stiffened.

Phil continued, with his commanding voice. 

“Love makes people disorganized. I need you in the game. You're too young to die sloppily by the hand of the man who caused this mess.”

The call ended after those words.

Back in the penthouse, Michael stood in his office staring at the open safe, the torn photograph, and Luke’s confession. He could still perceive the smell of Kate’s perfume. It made his pulse rise, his fingers balled into a fist.

“Kate might know something that I don't and I must find out before things get out of hand. She's been lying to me all this time. There's only one way to find out, “ he murmured.

He walked back and forth in the office. He tried to recollect memories of the past five years. Jane’s disappearance, the funeral, the inheritance he transferred to an unknown offshore beneficiary, and the unanswered questions.

He whispered to himself, almost unconsciously:

“Jane…”

He shook his head. “No it can't be. I'm just in pain. But those eyes, those damn eyes. No way. I might just be hallucinating."

He pulled a glass and poured some whiskey but didn't drink it. He reached for his phone in his pocket and dialed a number. 

“Ryan,” he said when the man answered. “Do me a favor. I need a complete background check on Kate Vance. I need every single detail. I want it on my desk by morning. This could cost you your job if it's not done right.”

“Of course, sir,” Ryan replied

He hung up.

As much as he tried to convince himself that he was acting rationally, he felt some level of fear—not for himself but for her.

Kate didn't go back to her hotel. She got out of the cab in the middle of the busy streets. She felt she would go crazy in the walls of her room. Her mind was filled with the voice of Phil and the memories of Michael’s hands on her skin.

She paced through the busy streets like a lost soul. Then she began to run. She ran until her feet turned red, until her lungs almost gave up, until she collapsed onto a quiet park bench.

When she realized that it was safe and nobody was watching, she let the tears fall. Her father wasn't who she thought he was. Michael had always been the good guy. Her revenge was a delusion. Her mission was built on lies. Everything inside her cracked open.

She knelt and pressed her hands to her face. “What have I done? Should I have waited a little longer before fleeing? What else should I do?”

A shadow fell over her. She jerked up. A man stood a few feet away. Not a stranger.

TylerAdams.

Curry Industries’ biggest rival. A man Michael despised.

He had been watching Kate since her return. His lips curved into a wicked smile. “Well,” he said in a soft voice. “You look like someone who has just found out about a disturbing truth. Tell me, how does it feel?”

Kate froze.

He stepped closer.

“Tell me, Kate… or should I say, Jane? How long did you think you could hide from the people who wanted to see you exit this world?”

Her eyes widened, her pulse surged, and her breath hitched. How did he know?

Tyler knelt beside her, his words whispered into her ear. “Your dad made a lot of enemies. You tend to inherit the enemies your parents make. It's just business, nothing personal.”

Kate’s knees shook. Michael wasn't her enemy. Someone else was. And that someone had just found her