CHAPTER 6: THE PRICE OF MY SILENCE

The moment Amelia Carter signed her name, she realized that half a million dollars could be the most expensive money she had ever received.

At eight o'clock the following morning, a black Mercedes waited outside her apartment.

Amelia stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar of her simple cream blouse. She had barely slept. Her mind was filled with questions, and none of them had comforting answers.

Daniel appeared behind her.

"Are you really going with him?"

She looked at his reflection.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I need to make sure we're safe."

Daniel folded his arms.

"Are you sure he's someone we can trust?"

Amelia turned around.

"No."

His eyebrows rose.

"Then why are you going?"

She picked up her handbag.

"Because sometimes we don't get to choose who helps us. We just have to be careful about the price."

Daniel looked worried.

"Promise you'll call me."

"I promise."

She hugged him tightly before leaving.

Inside her handbag was the black flash drive. She had decided not to leave it behind again. She didn't know whether Alexander already knew everything about it, but she wasn't going to surrender it without understanding what was inside.

Alexander was waiting in his private office when Amelia arrived.

He wore a charcoal-grey suit, a white shirt, and a dark tie. His expensive watch rested against his wrist, and his hair was neatly styled.

He looked as though he had spent the morning making important decisions.

Amelia, on the other hand, felt as though she had spent the entire night fighting a losing battle with her thoughts.

"You're late," he said without looking up.

"Good morning to you too."

He raised his eyes.

"You're three minutes late."

"Would you like me to apologize to your clock?"

His expression remained serious.

"Sit down, Amelia."

She took the chair opposite his desk.

A thick folder lay between them.

"Is that the agreement?"

"Yes."

"Have you made the changes I requested?"

"I haven't agreed to any changes yet."

She frowned.

"Then why did you ask me to come?"

"Because I prefer to discuss business face-to-face."

He opened the folder.

"Let's begin."

Alexander turned the first page towards her.

"The financial arrangement is straightforward. Five hundred thousand dollars will be transferred into an account in your name once the agreement is signed."

Amelia looked at him.

"All of it?"

"Yes."

"And my mother's medical expenses?"

"Paid directly to the hospital. You won't have to worry about treatment costs."

"What about Daniel's education?"

"His school fees and reasonable educational expenses will be covered."

She looked down at the document.

There were more details than she expected.

The agreement also included accommodation at Alexander's private residence, personal security, transportation, and a monthly allowance.

It was almost impossible to believe.

But Amelia had learned that people rarely gave away something valuable without expecting something in return.

"What exactly do you want from me?" she asked.

Alexander placed his hands together.

"First, you will not discuss the incident at the hotel with anyone outside my legal and security teams."

"Not even my family?"

"You can tell them you're receiving protection because of a security concern. You cannot share confidential details about Richard Hale's death or the investigation."

"Second?"

"You will cooperate when I ask questions about what you witnessed."

"Even if I don't know the answers?"

"Especially then. I need you to tell the truth."

She almost laughed.

"You want honesty from me?"

"I do."

"That's interesting, considering how much you're hiding."

His eyes narrowed.

"Be careful, Amelia."

"I'm being careful. That's why I'm asking questions."

He closed the folder.

For a moment, the office became silent.

Then he opened it again.

"Continue."

Amelia pulled the agreement closer.

"How long will I have to stay at your residence?"

"Until the threat is removed."

"That's not a specific answer."

"It's the only answer I can give you."

"What if the threat lasts for a year?"

"Then you'll stay for a year."

"And if it lasts five years?"

His jaw tightened.

"Do you intend to spend the next five years arguing over possibilities?"

"I intend to know what I'm agreeing to."

Alexander leaned back.

"You're beginning to test my patience."

"Then perhaps you should stop expecting me to sign away my life without asking questions."

His eyes held hers.

Most people probably never challenged him like this. Amelia could see it in his expression.

But she wasn't going to make herself smaller just because he was rich.

She picked up a pen.

"I want a time limit."

"Explain."

"Six months initially. After that, we review the arrangement. If the threat is still active, we discuss an extension."

He considered it.

"Agreed, provided the security assessment supports it."

"Next. I want access to my phone, my email, and the internet. I won't be cut off from the outside world."

"Reasonable."

"I want to contact my mother and Daniel whenever I choose."

"That's already included."

"I want to visit them."

"With security."

She nodded.

"Fine. But nobody listens to my private conversations."

Alexander's expression changed.

"That depends on the security situation."

"No. You can protect me without listening to every conversation I have."

He tapped his fingers against the desk.

"You're asking for a level of privacy that may interfere with your protection."

"And you're asking me to live in your house. I think privacy is a fair request."

He looked at her for several seconds.

"Limited privacy, provided there is no immediate threat."

Amelia wrote it down.

She moved to the next page.

"What happens if you break the agreement?"

Alexander looked surprised.

"Excuse me?"

"If you refuse to pay the money, if you threaten my family, or if you use this arrangement to control me, what happens?"

"I don't make promises I don't intend to keep."

"That's not a legal answer."

His expression darkened.

"You really don't trust me."

"Would you trust a stranger who offered you half a million dollars after you witnessed a dead man being dragged through his hotel?"

He said nothing.

Amelia continued.

"I want an independent lawyer to review this agreement. If either of us breaks the terms, there must be consequences."

Alexander slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened them, his irritation was obvious.

"Do you understand how many things I have to deal with today?"

"Then you should have hired someone else to negotiate with me."

His eyes sharpened.

For a moment, Amelia thought he might dismiss her entirely.

Instead, he reached for his phone.

"Victoria, find a lawyer who can review Miss Carter's requested changes."

He ended the call.

"Happy now?"

"Not yet."

He stared at her.

She looked back at the document.

Twenty minutes later, Victoria returned with a lawyer.

His name was Jonathan Reed. He was in his early forties, wore thin-framed glasses, and carried a leather briefcase.

He reviewed the agreement and listened as Amelia explained her conditions.

To her surprise, he took her concerns seriously.

After several changes, the final document included:

The five hundred thousand dollar payment.

Full payment of her mother's approved medical expenses.

Educational support for Daniel.

Private accommodation at Alexander's residence.

Personal security and transportation.

Access to her family and private communication.

An initial six-month term, subject to a security review.

Independent legal advice and consequences for serious breaches by either party.

There was one more condition Amelia insisted on.

"I want it written clearly that I'm not surrendering ownership of the flash drive."

Alexander looked up immediately.

The lawyer stopped writing.

"What flash drive?" he asked.

Amelia's stomach tightened.

She had spoken too quickly.

Alexander slowly rose from his chair.

"Amelia."

She met his eyes.

"I want to know whether the agreement says anything about property I own."

He studied her.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"And you know I haven't agreed to give it to you."

The room became uncomfortable.

Jonathan cleared his throat.

"I can include a clause stating that any physical evidence in Miss Carter's possession remains hers until a separate written agreement is reached."

Alexander looked at the lawyer.

"Put it in."

Amelia blinked.

She hadn't expected him to agree so easily.

But when Alexander returned his attention to her, she noticed something in his eyes.

He wasn't pleased.

He was simply choosing not to fight that battle yet.

By noon, the agreement was ready.

Amelia read every page twice.

Her name appeared beside Alexander's.

Amelia Carter.

Alexander Blackwood.

Their signatures would soon be bound by a legal document.

She held the pen above the final line.

"One last question."

Alexander looked impatient.

"What now?"

"What happens if I discover that you were involved in Richard's death?"

His expression became completely still.

"Then you tell me what you discovered."

"And if I discover that you were responsible?"

He leaned forward.

"Then you'll have to decide what you intend to do with that information."

"That isn't an answer."

"It's the only one you're getting."

Amelia looked at the agreement.

She thought about her mother's hospital bed. Daniel's frightened face. The broken lock on their apartment door.

She thought about how hard she had worked to keep her family together.

She didn't want Alexander's money.

She wanted the life it could buy back for them.

Slowly, she signed.

Alexander took the pen and signed beneath her name.

Jonathan collected the documents and placed them inside his briefcase.

"The agreement is now executed," he announced. "Both parties will receive a copy."

Amelia leaned back.

It was done.

She had just signed an agreement with one of the most powerful men in the country.

She had accepted his money.

His protection.

His conditions.

And the uncertainty that came with all three.

She didn't feel relieved.

She felt trapped.

Alexander stood and buttoned his jacket.

"Victoria will show you to your new accommodation. Your belongings will be collected from your apartment this afternoon."

Amelia frowned.

"You're moving my things without asking?"

"I assumed you would want your belongings."

"I'll decide what I want brought over."

He gave a small nod.

"Fine."

She picked up her handbag.

"And Alexander?"

He looked at her.

"Yes?"

"I haven't forgotten what happened at your hotel. I haven't forgotten the blood on your shirt, and I haven't forgotten Richard Hale."

His expression was unreadable.

"Neither have I."

"Good. Because this agreement doesn't mean I believe you're innocent."

He stepped closer.

"Believe whatever you want, Amelia. Just remember that there are people far more dangerous than me."

She lifted her chin.

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"No."

He opened the office door.

"Victoria will take you upstairs."

Amelia walked past him, but his voice stopped her.

"One more thing."

She turned.

Alexander looked directly into her eyes.

"From now on, every word you say could have consequences. The people we're dealing with don't forgive mistakes, and they don't leave witnesses alone."

She swallowed.

He continued.

"Don't discuss Richard. Don't discuss the investigation. And don't trust anyone who suddenly becomes interested in your life."

Amelia thought about Sebastian's smile.

"Does that include your brother?"

A faint tension appeared around Alexander's eyes.

"Especially my brother."

She stared at him.

Before she could ask anything else, he stepped back into his office.

The door closed.

Victoria led Amelia towards the private elevator.

"Your room is ready," she said kindly.

Amelia looked at her.

"Do you work for him?"

Victoria smiled faintly.

"I've worked for Mr. Blackwood for six years."

"Do you trust him?"

The woman hesitated.

Then she pressed the elevator button.

"I trust him to get what he wants."

The doors opened.

Amelia stepped inside.

It wasn't exactly the answer she had hoped for.

As the elevator rose, she looked at her reflection in the polished metal walls.

She was still the same woman who had walked into the Blackwood Grand Hotel to earn extra money.

But she wasn't the same woman anymore.

Her life now involved a murder investigation, a missing flash drive, a powerful family, and a contract that had tied her future to a man she barely knew.

Her phone vibrated.

A message from an unknown number appeared.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Congratulations on your new agreement with Alexander Blackwood.

Amelia's fingers tightened around her phone.

Another message followed.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: You should have asked him what happened to the last woman who tried to protect his secrets.

The elevator doors opened.

And suddenly, Amelia wasn't sure she wanted to know what waited beyond them.

Because someone had been watching her sign the contract, and they knew exactly what she had just agreed to.