Chapter 5: The Blackwood Secret

Hindi ko alam kung alin ang mas nakakabahala.

Ang anonymous message na natanggap ko kagabi—

o ang katotohanang hanggang ngayon, hindi ko pa rin kayang burahin iyon sa isip ko.

Don't fall in love with him.

I stared at my phone for what felt like the hundredth time.

Wala nang kasunod na message.

Wala ring reply sa tanong ko kung sino siya.

Just those words.

Simple.

Direct.

And somehow, terrifying.

Napahiga ako sa kama at tinakpan ang mukha ko ng unan.

"Why would someone even say that?"

Hindi naman ako umiibig kay Ronan.

Hindi.

I couldn't.

He was my stepbrother.

That should have been enough.

Dapat iyon na ang pinakaunang dahilan para hindi ko na isipin ang lahat ng kakaibang nangyayari sa pagitan namin.

Pero bakit parang mas lalo kong iniisip?

Bakit ko naaalala ang paraan ng pagtitig niya?

Bakit ko naaalala ang boses niya nang sabihin niyang—

I don't trust myself right now.

At bakit, sa lahat ng bagay, iyon ang pinakanakakatakot?

I groaned.

"Stop."

I sat up.

"You're overthinking."

Tumayo ako at nagbihis.

I needed answers.

Hindi tungkol kay Ronan.

Tungkol sa Blackwoods.

Kung may taong nagbabala sa akin tungkol sa pamilya nila, kailangan kong malaman kung bakit.

Pagkababa ko, wala pa sina Mama at Gideon.

Tahimik ang dining area.

Perfect.

Kumuha ako ng kape at umupo sa mesa.

I opened my phone again.

I searched.

Blackwood Holdings scandal.

Lumabas ang iba't ibang articles.

Business.

Investments.

Real estate.

Philanthropy.

The Blackwoods were everywhere.

Successful.

Powerful.

Untouchable.

Pero habang nag-scroll ako, may isang article na nakakuha ng attention ko.

BLACKWOOD HOLDINGS FACES MAJOR FINANCIAL CRISIS

I clicked it.

The article was dated six years ago.

Six years.

I started reading.

Blackwood Holdings, once considered one of the country's most stable private corporations, reportedly suffered significant financial losses following an undisclosed investment failure...

I frowned.

Undisclosed?

I scrolled.

Sources close to the company claim that the incident involved a missing amount of—

The rest of the sentence was blurred.

Deleted.

"Seriously?"

I kept scrolling.

Most articles were the same.

Vague.

Incomplete.

And strangely—

clean.

Parang may taong nagtanggal ng mga detalye na ayaw nilang makita ng publiko.

I searched again.

Gideon Blackwood scandal six years ago.

Nothing useful.

I tried another combination.

Ronan Blackwood six years ago.

Mas kaunti.

Very little.

But one old article appeared.

I clicked it.

There was a picture.

A younger Ronan.

Maybe eighteen or nineteen.

He looked different.

Mas bata.

Pero pareho ang mga mata.

The headline made my stomach drop.

BLACKWOOD HEIR QUESTIONED AFTER FAMILY INVESTMENT COLLAPSE

I read the article carefully.

Ronan had apparently been questioned by authorities regarding information connected to the investment collapse.

But the article didn't explain why.

It only said he was eventually cleared.

Cleared.

Then why did he look so serious in the photograph?

Why did the article disappear from almost every other search result?

I took a screenshot.

Then I heard footsteps.

I immediately locked my phone.

"Good morning."

Napalingon ako.

Ronan.

Of course.

"Morning."

He sat across from me.

His eyes moved toward my coffee.

"You've been awake early."

"Couldn't sleep."

"Why?"

I shrugged.

"Just couldn't."

He studied me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

He didn't look convinced.

I took a sip of coffee.

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not."

"You are."

He leaned back.

"You always notice."

"Notice what?"

"Everything."

I frowned.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"On what you're looking for."

My heart skipped.

I looked away.

"Maybe I'm not looking for anything."

"Maybe."

Silence.

I could feel him watching me again.

Then his eyes fell on my phone.

"What are you reading?"

"Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar."

Napatingin ako sa kanya.

"You've said that before."

"Because it's true."

I smiled slightly.

"Maybe I'm getting better."

"You're not."

He took a sip of coffee.

I stared at him.

I wanted to ask.

I needed to ask.

About the article.

About the scandal.

About the anonymous message.

About everything.

But something stopped me.

Maybe fear.

Maybe instinct.

Or maybe the fact that I already knew he would lie.

So instead, I asked the easiest question.

"What happened six years ago?"

His hand stopped.

Just for a second.

But I saw it.

He placed the cup down slowly.

"Why?"

"I was just curious."

"About?"

"The family."

His expression hardened.

"There's nothing interesting about us."

"That's not true."

"You've been here less than a week."

"Exactly."

He looked at me.

"Then don't start digging."

My heart dropped.

"Why?"

"Because you'll find things you don't want to find."

I swallowed.

"Like what?"

He stood.

"Forget it."

"Ronan."

He stopped.

"What?"

"Did you almost lose everything six years ago?"

He didn't move.

For a moment, the room became completely silent.

Then he turned around.

"Who told you that?"

I froze.

"I read it."

"Where?"

"Online."

"What exactly did you read?"

His voice was different now.

No teasing.

No cold amusement.

Just seriousness.

"That Blackwood Holdings had a financial crisis."

"That's all?"

"Yes."

He stared at me.

"Don't believe everything you read."

"So it's not true?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then what is true?"

He looked away.

"Some things are better left buried."

I stood.

"But someone told me to ask you about it."

His eyes snapped back to mine.

"Who?"

I immediately realized my mistake.

"Why?"

"Because I asked you a question."

"I don't know."

"Eve."

His voice became firmer.

"Who?"

I shook my head.

"I don't know."

"Was it a message?"

I said nothing.

His expression changed.

He knew.

"You received another message."

It wasn't a question.

I looked away.

"Show me."

"No."

"Eve."

"No."

He stepped closer.

"Show me."

"Why?"

"Because I need to know what they told you."

"Why do you care?"

"Because this isn't a game."

"I know."

"No, you don't."

His voice was sharper now.

"You don't know what kind of people you're dealing with."

"Then tell me!"

The words came out louder than I expected.

We both went silent.

I took a breath.

"If you know something, tell me."

He stared at me.

"You want the truth?"

"Yes."

"You really want it?"

"Yes."

He looked away.

Then he whispered—

"Six years ago, my father almost lost everything."

I waited.

"He made a deal with someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

I frowned.

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"You just said you wanted to tell me the truth."

"I am telling you."

"Then why does it feel like you're leaving something out?"

"Because I am."

I stared at him.

"Why?"

"Because some parts of the story aren't mine to tell."

"Whose are they?"

He didn't answer.

I stepped closer.

"Ronan."

He looked at me.

"There was someone else involved, wasn't there?"

His expression changed.

Just slightly.

But enough.

"Who?"

"Drop it."

"Who?"

"Eve."

"Who?"

He clenched his jaw.

Then finally—

"A man named Adrian Vale."

I froze.

The name sounded familiar.

"Who is he?"

"He was a business partner."

"Was?"

"He disappeared."

My stomach tightened.

"Disappeared?"

"After the scandal."

"Did he run away?"

"No one knows."

"Then why was he involved?"

"Because he lost everything."

I stared at him.

"And my father was responsible?"

"No."

His answer came too quickly.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You answered that fast."

"Because it's not true."

"Then what happened?"

He looked at me.

"Adrian blamed my father."

"For what?"

Ronan was silent.

Then—

"For ruining his life."

I spent the rest of the morning searching for Adrian Vale.

At first, I found almost nothing.

A few business records.

An old company profile.

A photograph.

And then—

nothing.

It was as if Adrian Vale had simply vanished.

No social media.

No recent records.

No news.

Nothing after six years ago.

I stared at the old photograph on my screen.

Adrian looked ordinary.

Mid-thirties.

Dark hair.

Sharp jaw.

A confident smile.

Someone you wouldn't expect to disappear.

I scrolled further.

Then I found a scanned document.

A partnership agreement.

Blackwood Holdings & Vale Enterprises

My heart started beating faster.

I opened the document.

Names.

Dates.

Signatures.

And one line that made me stop.

Termination of partnership following internal financial dispute.

Internal financial dispute.

Six years ago.

The same year Ronan had been questioned.

The same year the Blackwoods nearly lost everything.

I took a screenshot.

Then another.

And another.

I was so focused that I didn't hear anyone behind me.

"Looking for something?"

I nearly dropped my phone.

I turned.

Ronan.

Standing in the doorway.

My heart raced.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough."

I locked my phone.

He stared at me.

"You're still doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Digging."

I stood.

"Someone should."

"Why?"

"Because nobody will tell me anything."

"It's not your problem."

"Then why did someone warn me?"

He went silent.

I held up my phone.

"Who is Adrian Vale?"

His face changed.

For the first time since I met him, I saw something close to fear.

Not anger.

Not irritation.

Fear.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"Online."

"You're lying."

"So are you."

He walked toward me.

Slowly.

"Listen to me."

I didn't move.

"Stop searching."

"Why?"

"Because you're getting too close."

"Too close to what?"

He stopped in front of me.

"To something that could hurt you."

I looked into his eyes.

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you part of it?"

He didn't answer.

That was enough.

I stepped back.

"Ronan."

"Eve."

"Are you dangerous?"

His expression softened.

"No."

"Then why should I be scared?"

He looked at me for a long moment.

"Because I'm not the one you should be scared of."

Before I could ask anything else, he turned and walked away.

I watched him disappear down the hallway.

Then I looked at my phone again.

The photograph of Adrian Vale was still open.

And suddenly, another thought entered my mind.

Maybe the anonymous texter wasn't trying to warn me about Ronan.

Maybe—

they were trying to warn me about someone else.

That night, I was sitting on my bed when my phone vibrated.

Unknown number.

Again.

My heart sank.

I opened it.

Unknown: So you found Adrian.

I stopped breathing.

Another message came.

Unknown: Good.

Then another.

Unknown: Now ask Ronan what really happened that night.

I stared at the screen.

My fingers trembled.

I typed.

Me: Who are you?

The reply came almost instantly.

Unknown: Someone who knows the Blackwoods better than you ever will.

I swallowed.

Me: What do you want from me?

Three dots appeared.

Disappeared.

Then appeared again.

Finally—

Unknown: The truth.

I stared at the message.

Then another arrived.

Unknown: And when Ronan tells you the truth, ask him one more question.

I waited.

Unknown: Who was the girl with him that night?

My heart stopped.

Girl?

I looked toward my bedroom door.

Suddenly, the entire mansion felt different.

Colder.

Darker.

And for the first time, I wondered if the secrets I was uncovering weren't only about money.

Maybe they were about people.

Maybe they were about betrayal.

And maybe—

just maybe—

there was a reason Ronan had spent all this time trying to keep me from looking into his past.

Because if the mysterious girl from six years ago was connected to him…

then I had a feeling her story was about to become mine, too.