CHAPTER 4

I left Edris’s office pretending I was fine, but I wasn’t, not even close.

His phone call and that slight change in his expression kept bothering my mind, that wasn’t normal.

Nothing about Edris Veltri was normal.

We were walking down the hallway when I slowed my steps.

“Excuse me.”

Edris stopped and turned slightly.

“What?”

“I need the restroom.”

He studied me for a second, as if he didn’t believe me, then he nodded once.

“Don’t take too long.”

I frowned.

“Excuse me?”

But he had already turned away.

Of course, he would always act like I was the problem.

I headed toward the restroom, and the hallway was empty.

I stepped inside quickly, closed the door, and waited for a few seconds to make sure no one was following me.

Then I moved.

I didn’t go to the restroom.

Obviously, I went the other way back toward his office.

My heart started beating faster as I walked urgently, afraid of getting caught.

“That phone call wasn’t normal and I needed to know why”, I said to myself while hurrying towards his office.

I reached his office door and gently opened it

Then I slipped inside quietly.

The room felt different without him in a scary way, like it was watching me.

I shut the door gently behind me, then I moved fast to his desk and drawers.

I opened the first drawer.

It was filled with files, normal documents, and business contracts. There was nothing useful there, so I shut it.

I opened the next drawer, more files.

“Still nothing”, I hissed and shut it back.

I exhaled sharply.

“Come on…”

I moved to the shelves.

All that was there were books, folders, and wards.

Still nothing.

I stepped back to think, frustration was already building in my chest, then I saw it.

His desk.

In the bottom section, there was a locked drawer.

I froze.

My eyes narrowed.

Of course.

I bent down and tried to pull it, but it was locked.

I stood up slowly.

“Seriously?”

I looked around the room.

My eyes landed on a small antique box on the side table.

I walked over and opened it.

There were keys of different sizes.

My heart beat faster.

I grabbed one and walked back.

My hands were steady.

Surprisingly, on the first try, I inserted the key into the lock and turned it.

Click.

It opened.

Excitement filled my face.

“Luck is on my side today”, I whispered to myself, giggling and dancing.

I stopped for a second, then tapped myself,

“Focus, Jules.”

I pulled the drawer.

It was stacked neatly with files.

I grabbed the first one and opened the documents.

I saw the dates and names.

I flipped through it quickly, but nothing made sense yet.

Then I saw it.

A photograph slipped out from between the pages.

I picked it up and was shocked.

It was me, I stared at it, looking so confused.

It wasn’t a recent picture, I knew that immediately.

My hair was different and shorter. My face was younger.

I was years younger before everything, before even Julian died and before I knew Edris Veltri existed like this.

My fingers tightened around the photo.

“What…”

I dropped the file and grabbed another one.

Another photo fell out.

“Me again?” I said to myself

This time at a public event. I didn’t even remember seeing him there.

I quickly opened another file—more photos of me, this time leaving school, attending a charity event, and standing outside a building I didn’t even recognize.

I could feel panic rising, I held my chest… and stepped back slightly.

“No… no…”

My hands started shaking, but I kept going.

One file after another, same thing, same pictures of me everywhere.

Years of my life, and I had never noticed him.

My mind couldn’t keep up.

Why would Edris have these?

Why would he even care?

Then I found it.

A single photograph inside a thin envelope. No file, just one.

My hand paused before I opened it.

Something about it felt different. I pulled it out slowly, and my breath stopped completely.

It was me again, but something was written on the back in neat black ink. I flipped it over and read it.

“The woman I’ll marry.”

WHAT!

My heart dropped.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

What?

My fingers tightened so hard the paper almost bent.

“No… that’s not possible.”

I shook my head.

“No, no, no.”

This didn’t make sense, none of it made sense.

I stepped back from the desk.

My head was spinning.

Then a low, calm voice came from behind me.

“Looking for something?”

My body went completely still, and I turned slowly.

Edris was there, standing in the doorway, watching me.

His eyes moved to the photograph in my hand, then back to me, not in a surprised or angry way.

Just… quiet.

I swallowed hard and asked,

“…You’ve been watching me.”