CHAPTER 1: THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED

The first time I saw a man die, I was carrying a bag of groceries and worrying about how to pay the electricity bill.

I never imagined that an ordinary Thursday night would become the beginning of my worst nightmare.

At twenty-four, I had learned that life did not care how tired you were. Bills arrived whether you had money or not. People got sick whether you could afford their medicine or not. And dreams? Dreams were luxuries for people who could afford to sleep peacefully.

My name is Amelia Carter, and I was running out of time.

I stood in the small kitchen of our two-bedroom apartment, staring at the unpaid bills scattered across the table.

The electricity company had given us three days.

The landlord had given us one week.

And the hospital had called that afternoon to remind me that my mother's next treatment payment was overdue.

I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers against my forehead.

"Everything okay, Amelia?"

My younger brother, Daniel, stood at the kitchen entrance. At seventeen, he was already taller than me, but there was still something boyish about his worried expression.

I quickly gathered the bills and pushed them beneath a newspaper.

"Of course. Why wouldn't everything be okay?"

He gave me a doubtful look.

"Because you look like you're about to fight someone."

I laughed softly.

"Maybe I am. The electricity company has been annoying me."

Daniel smiled, but the smile disappeared almost immediately.

"Is it Mom's hospital bill?"

I looked at him.

He knew.

I hated that he knew.

"Don't worry about it. Focus on your exams."

"Amelia, I can get a part-time job."

"No."

"But—"

"Daniel." I softened my voice. "You're going to finish school. That's your job. Let me worry about everything else."

He lowered his head.

Sometimes, being the oldest child meant pretending you were not drowning because everyone else was depending on you to stay afloat.

Our mother had been sick for almost two years. Her illness had taken away her strength, her job, and most of the savings our father had left behind before he died.

Since then, I had worked wherever I could.

During the day, I worked as a receptionist at a small dental clinic. In the evenings, I took extra shifts at a restaurant whenever they needed help.

I had once dreamed of studying interior design. I loved beautiful spaces, soft lighting, and the idea of turning empty rooms into places where people felt safe.

But dreams could wait.

My family couldn't.

At eight thirty that evening, I tied my black apron around my waist and hurried into the restaurant's staff room.

"You're late again, Amelia."

I turned to see Grace, the restaurant manager, standing beside the lockers.

"I'm sorry. The bus broke down."

She folded her arms.

"That's the third time this month."

"I know. It won't happen again."

Grace studied my face before sighing.

"Just get to work. We're expecting an important private event tonight, and I don't want any mistakes."

"Understood."

She handed me a small envelope.

"These are your instructions. The private event is at the Blackwood Grand Hotel. You're covering the evening service there."

I stared at the paper.

"The Blackwood?"

"Yes. Why?"

Nothing. I had only heard about the hotel from people who talked about expensive places they would never visit.

It was owned by Alexander Blackwood, one of the richest businessmen in the country.

His face appeared regularly in business magazines and on television. He was thirty-four, handsome in a cold, intimidating way, and famous for buying struggling companies and turning them into empires.

People called him ruthless.

Some called him a genius.

Others said he was dangerous.

I had no reason to care about a billionaire.

I only cared about the extra money the shift would bring.

"Don't worry," Grace said, noticing my expression. "You'll just serve drinks and keep your head down."

I nodded.

If the shift went well, I could finally pay part of my mother's hospital bill.

That was all that mattered.

The Blackwood Grand Hotel looked like a palace.

Its tall glass doors reflected the city lights, while golden chandeliers illuminated the marble floors. Men in expensive suits walked beside women wearing dresses that probably cost more than my monthly salary.

I suddenly became very aware of my cheap black shoes.

Still, I lifted my chin and followed the other staff members.

We were assigned to a private event on the top floor.

There were security guards at every entrance. Guests wore expensive watches and spoke in low voices. Even the waiters seemed afraid to make noise.

Something about the atmosphere felt strange.

It wasn't like an ordinary business party.

Nobody seemed relaxed.

At around ten thirty, I entered the main ballroom carrying a tray of champagne glasses.

A tall man stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He wore a perfectly tailored black suit. His dark hair was neatly styled, and his broad shoulders made him look even more intimidating.

I recognized him immediately.

Alexander Blackwood.

He was speaking to an older man with silver hair. The older man's face was red, and his hands moved angrily as he spoke.

I couldn't hear their conversation.

I wasn't interested in hearing it either.

I turned away and continued serving the guests.

Then I noticed something unusual.

Two men in dark suits were standing near the ballroom entrance. They weren't talking to anyone. Their eyes followed every person who entered or left.

One of them touched his earpiece.

I lowered my gaze.

Rich people had strange security arrangements. That was none of my business.

At eleven fifteen, Grace asked me to take a fresh supply of glasses to the service corridor behind the ballroom.

I pushed through a staff door and walked down the narrow hallway.

The music became quieter behind me.

Halfway down the corridor, I heard raised voices.

"You're making a terrible mistake," a man said.

I stopped.

The voice came from a room at the end of the hallway.

Another voice answered.

It was Alexander Blackwood.

"You should have thought about that before you betrayed me."

My fingers tightened around the tray.

I knew I should keep walking.

I knew I shouldn't listen.

But then I heard something that made my blood run cold.

"Please, Mr. Blackwood. I didn't know they would kill him."

Silence followed.

Then came a heavy crash.

The tray slipped slightly in my hands, making the glasses rattle.

I froze.

A moment later, the door at the end of the corridor opened.

I stepped behind a large decorative cabinet, barely managing to hide myself.

Through the narrow gap, I saw Alexander Blackwood emerge.

His expression was frighteningly calm.

His white shirt was stained with something dark near the cuff.

Blood.

My stomach turned.

Behind him, two men dragged someone across the floor.

It was the silver-haired man from the ballroom.

His head hung to one side, and one of his shoes had fallen off.

"Get him out of here," Alexander ordered.

One of the men hesitated.

"Sir, what about the cameras?"

Alexander turned slowly.

"I don't pay you to ask questions."

The man immediately nodded.

I covered my mouth.

This couldn't be happening.

The silver-haired man wasn't moving.

I wanted to run. I wanted to scream. I wanted to wake up and discover that I had imagined everything.

Then something caught my attention.

The dead man's hand moved.

Just slightly.

His fingers opened, and a small black object fell from his palm.

It slid across the polished floor and stopped near the cabinet.

Near me.

I stared at it.

A small black flash drive.

One of the men looked down.

"Sir, he had something."

Alexander's eyes followed the direction of the man's gaze.

For one terrible second, I thought he was looking directly at me.

"Find it," he said.

The men began searching the floor.

I slowly bent down and picked up the flash drive.

I didn't even know why I did it.

Maybe it was instinct.

Maybe it was fear.

Maybe some part of me understood that whatever was on that tiny device was important enough for someone to die.

I slipped it into my apron pocket.

Then I stepped backward.

My shoe struck an empty glass bottle.

It rolled across the floor.

The sound was small.

But in the silent corridor, it was deafening.

Everyone turned.

"Who's there?" one of the men shouted.

I ran.

I didn't think about the tray. I didn't think about the money I needed or the hospital bill waiting at home.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

Behind me, footsteps thundered through the hallway.

"Stop!"

I pushed through the staff entrance and nearly collided with another waiter.

"Hey! What's wrong?"

"Move!"

I rushed down the emergency staircase, my heart pounding so hard I could barely breathe.

When I reached the ground floor, I slipped through a side exit and stumbled into the cold night air.

Rain had begun to fall.

I didn't stop until I reached the main road.

My hands were shaking.

I looked back at the hotel.

The building stood tall and beautiful against the dark sky, its golden lights glowing as if nothing terrible had happened inside.

I pulled the black flash drive from my pocket.

What had I just done?

A man was dead.

Alexander Blackwood had been there.

And I had taken something that someone was willing to kill for.

My phone vibrated.

I nearly dropped it.

It was an unknown number.

A message appeared on the screen.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: You shouldn't have been in that hallway tonight, Amelia.

My blood ran cold.

I stared at the message.

How did they know my name?

Another message arrived.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Return what you took. Don't make this harder than it needs to be.

I looked around the empty pavement.

A black SUV was parked across the street.

Its headlights were off.

The windows were tinted.

I couldn't see who was inside, but I could feel someone watching me.

My phone vibrated again.

This time, there was a photograph.

It showed me standing outside the hotel just moments earlier, holding my phone.

Someone had been following me.

Someone had been watching me the entire time.

Then another message appeared.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: We know where you live.

My breath caught.

Daniel.

My mother.

They knew about my family.

I quickly shoved the flash drive into my pocket and started walking, trying not to look frightened.

But when I reached the corner, the black SUV started moving.

Slowly.

Quietly.

Following me.

For the first time in my life, I understood what it meant to be truly helpless.

I had spent years fighting poverty, illness, and a thousand small problems that threatened to destroy my family.

But this was different.

This time, the danger wasn't coming from unpaid bills or an empty bank account.

It was coming from powerful men who could make people disappear.

And somewhere inside the Blackwood Grand Hotel, Alexander Blackwood knew that a witness had escaped.

I didn't know whether he wanted to silence me or find me.

I only knew one thing.

Someone had seen my face.

Someone knew my name.

And they were coming for me.

My life had changed the moment I picked up that flash drive.

I just didn't know that the man at the centre of the nightmare would soon become the only person standing between me and death.