Chapter 6: The Question I Couldn't Answer

Severin didn't move when I reached for my bag.

"Sit down, Vespera."

I paused with the strap over my shoulder. "I thought we were finished."

"We are finished discussing the marriage proposal. I'm asking you something else."

He pushed the papers aside and leaned back in his chair. His expression hadn't changed much, but I had spent enough time around him in my previous life to recognize when he had decided not to let something go.

"What do you know about the next thirty days?"

I slowly lowered my bag.

"Why thirty?"

"Because that's the period you've been referring to since you walked in here. You keep talking about preparations as though we're running out of time." He tapped the desk. "Thirty days until what?"

I considered lying. The problem was that he was already suspicious, and another vague answer would only make things worse.

"I think we're heading towards a major emergency."

"What kind?"

"Several things could happen. Transportation disruptions, shortages, medical facilities becoming overwhelmed. Possibly a breakdown in public services."

He stared at me.

"That's not exactly unusual."

"I know."

"Then what makes you think this time will be different?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it again.

How could I explain that I had watched hospitals become killing grounds? That I had seen people fighting over bottles of water and strangers dragging their injured relatives through streets filled with infected bodies?

I couldn't tell him that without explaining how I knew.

"I've been following supply movements and business reports," I said. "Some companies are changing their payment terms. Others are cancelling deliveries or reducing available stock. There are unusual delays in certain sectors."

"Which sectors?"

"Medical supplies, fuel, transportation equipment. Nothing conclusive yet."

"Have you brought any of this to the authorities?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have enough evidence to convince them."

"Yet you expect me to believe you."

"I'm asking you to check."

He gave a short, humourless laugh. "You make that sound very convenient."

I frowned. "What would you prefer? That I pretend everything is fine because I can't prove what hasn't happened yet?"

"I'd prefer to know where this information is coming from."

"So would I."

He looked at me for a moment, apparently deciding whether I was being difficult on purpose.

I rubbed my forehead. I was tired, and the conversation wasn't going the way I had imagined. In my head, I had planned to give him enough information to make him take the threat seriously. I hadn't considered how many questions he would ask.

Or how difficult it would be to answer them without telling him the truth.

Severin stood and walked around the desk.

"Let's leave the predictions aside for a moment. Tell me what you think is wrong with my preparations."

I blinked. "You want me to assess the facility?"

"I want to know whether you've actually looked at what you're investing in."

"I have."

"Then tell me."

I reached into my bag and pulled out my notebook. A few pages had become bent from carrying it around, and I smoothed them against the desk before opening it.

"Your water storage is inadequate for the number of people you intend to accommodate. You're also relying too heavily on outside deliveries."

"We have multiple suppliers."

"Have you confirmed their current stock?"

"Yes."

"All of them?"

He didn't answer.

I pointed to the list. "A supplier can promise you two hundred units today and tell you tomorrow that their warehouse has been cleared by another buyer. You need alternatives, preferably ones in different locations. You also need to know which transport companies can actually deliver if the main roads become inaccessible."

He pulled the notebook closer.

I showed him the medical supply section, then the fuel requirements and the maintenance schedule I had drafted from the information available to me.

He read quietly for a while.

"Where did you get the name of this supplier?"

"Business records."

"And this one?"

"An old procurement contact."

He looked at me. "You know a lot of people."

"I've been in business for years."

"Apparently, you've been busy."

"Is that a complaint?"

"No. I'm trying to work out why you suddenly decided my little project needed saving."

I took the notebook back before he could turn another page.

"Your project isn't little."

"That's not what I asked."

"I know."

He rubbed his jaw. There was a faint shadow of stubble along it, and I caught myself looking longer than I should have.

I lowered my eyes.

"There's something else," I said. "You need to pay attention to unusual medical cases. Fever, confusion, sudden aggression. If you hear about patients attacking medical staff or becoming violent without an obvious explanation, don't dismiss it as an isolated incident."

His expression sharpened.

"Are you describing an infection?"

"I don't know."

"Then why are you so certain it matters?"

"Because it could."

"Vespera, people develop fevers every day. People become violent. Hospitals deal with difficult patients constantly."

"I know what hospitals deal with."

My voice came out sharper than I intended.

He went quiet.

I looked down at the notebook. "Sorry."

Severin pulled out his chair and sat again.

"Have you had someone close to you become seriously ill?"

I didn't answer immediately.

I remembered a woman in a hospital corridor, screaming that her husband wasn't acting like himself. I remembered the nurse trying to keep the doors shut while someone slammed against them from the other side.

"Not recently," I said.

He watched me, but he didn't pursue it.

That small restraint made the tightness in my chest worse. I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to warn him about the evacuation, the attacks, and the day he disappeared. Instead, I sat across from him with a notebook full of information and a growing collection of lies.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"Because I think you're building something that could help people."

"That explains your investment. Not the marriage."

I closed the notebook.

"Does everything need an explanation today?"

"If you're asking me to marry you, yes."

I looked at him. "You don't have to accept."

"I know."

"Then stop looking at me as though I've cornered you."

"You walked into my office, offered me a property, volunteered your money, and proposed marriage before I had finished my coffee. What expression would you like me to wear?"

Despite myself, I laughed.

He looked mildly offended.

"I'm serious."

"I know. That's what makes it funny."

For the first time since our conversation began, his mouth twitched. It disappeared almost immediately, but I saw it.

Then he glanced at the clock.

"I need to verify some of what you've told me."

"Of course."

"And I won't make a decision about the marriage until I've done that."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

He gathered the papers into a neat stack. "There's another thing."

I waited.

"Have you told anyone else about these concerns?"

"No."

"Not your family? Friends?"

"No."

"Why?"

I hesitated. "They wouldn't believe me."

"Have you tried?"

"No."

He looked unconvinced, but before he could question me again, his phone vibrated. He checked the screen and dismissed the call.

"One of my contractors," he said. "I'll deal with it later."

I picked up my bag.

"Thank you for hearing me out."

"I haven't agreed with you."

"You don't have to."

He stood as I approached the door.

"Vespera."

I turned.

"Why did you choose me?"

The question had been following me since our first meeting. I had hoped he would stop asking it.

I gripped the bag strap.

"Because I believe you're capable of keeping people alive."

"That's a rather generous assessment of someone you barely know."

"I've seen enough."

"Seen what?"

I looked at him, and for a moment the office seemed to disappear. I could almost hear the shouting, the breaking glass, and the infected pounding against the vehicle.

"You don't always put yourself first," I said.

His expression changed.

"That's not necessarily a good thing."

"I know."

He studied me, then glanced down at the marriage papers.

"I'll have someone look into your background. Independently. I hope you understand."

My stomach tightened, but I nodded.

"That's your right."

"Good."

I opened the door.

"And Vespera?"

I looked back.

"If you remember anything else that could affect the facility, tell me. Don't wait until you've convinced yourself it's worth mentioning."

"I will."

This time, I left before he could ask another question.

My phone vibrated while I was waiting for the lift. I expected a message from Corvin, but the number on the screen was unfamiliar.

You should be careful about your involvement with Severin Veyr.

I frowned and read it again.

A second message arrived.

Some people would prefer his project never gets completed.

The lift doors opened. I stepped inside, then took a screenshot before the messages could disappear.

I didn't know who had sent them or how they knew about my meeting.

But someone was watching.

And Severin had just decided to investigate me.