Chapter 5

Audrey's POV

"Dad, please," I pleaded as I stood in the middle of his study, my hands trembling at my sides. "Just tell me the truth."

My father remained silent. The silence was driving me insane.

"If you know who killed Sterling, then tell me," I begged again, taking a step closer.

He looked away.

"Why are you protecting them?" I asked, my frustration rising.

"I'm not protecting anyone," he replied quietly without meeting my eyes.

"Then tell me who it was." I insisted.

A long sigh escaped him before he finally spoke.

"Some truths destroy more lives than they save," he said, his voice sounding older than I had ever heard it.

"What does that even mean?" I asked, staring at him in disbelief.

"It means let the past stay buried."

"No," I said as tears filled my eyes. "My marriage is over, our company is falling apart, and I finally have proof that you didn't do it."

I held up the flash drive. For a moment, pain crossed his face before it disappeared.

"Stop investigating," he said firmly.

"What?" I whispered.

"Leave it alone." He warned me.

"You'd rather let everyone believe you're a murderer?" I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing. "You'd rather let Reid hate you forever?"

He said nothing and his silence answered everything.

"Fine," I said, my voice turning cold. "If you won't clear your name, I will."

Then I walked out.

An hour later, I called Reid.

"I have proof," I said the moment he answered.

"Proof of what?" he asked.

"My father didn't kill yours." I answered.

"Where are you?" he asked after a brief silence.

---

We met at Reid's penthouse office. The moment I stepped inside, my stomach dropped. Blair was there.

She sat comfortably on the sofa with one hand resting on her stomach and greeted me with a smile that was anything but friendly.

"Let's get this over with," Reid said impatiently as he stood by the window.

Ignoring Blair completely, I placed the flash drive on the desk.

"This contains surveillance footage from the day your father died," I explained. "It proves my father wasn't responsible."

For the first time, something flickered across Reid's face. Not hope, only skepticism.

"You found evidence after all these years?" he asked.

"Yes." I answered simply.

"That seems convenient," Blair said with a soft laugh.

"I wasn't speaking to you," I replied, shooting her a glare.

She only smiled. Without another word, Reid plugged the flash drive into his computer. I folded my arms, certain he was finally about to see the truth.

The folder appeared. Then... Nothing. He clicked through every file. There was nothing. The folder was completely empty.

"No," I whispered as I rushed forward. "That's impossible."

"What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?" Reid asked as he turned to me.

"The video." I answered.

"There isn't one." He pointed out.

"There was," I insisted as I grabbed the mouse and searched through the files myself.

Nothing was on it. The drive was blank.

"No..." I whispered, my breathing becoming uneven.

"Are you serious?" Reid asked, his expression darkening.

"It was there," I said desperately. "The investigator showed it to me."

"Oh, Audrey," Blair said dramatically, shaking her head. "I almost feel bad for you."

"Don't," I warned, refusing to look at her.

"I'm just saying this is embarrassing," she replied with fake sympathy.

I ignored her and focused on Reid. "You have to believe me."

"Believe what?" he asked coldly.

"The footage existed." I argued.

"Then where is it?" Reid demanded.

"I don't know," I admitted, hating how weak the words sounded.

"Of course," Reid said with a bitter laugh.

"Someone tampered with it," I insisted.

"Someone?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." I answered though I sounded stupid.

"By who?" Reid raise a eyebrow.

I opened my mouth... Then closed it. I didn't know.

"You wasted my time," he said, his voice turning icy. "You fabricated evidence to protect your father."

"I didn't," I pleaded.

"Enough," he snapped, the sharpness of his voice making me flinch.

After a long silence, he stepped closer. "I gave you a chance."

"I am being honest," I said quietly.

"Your family's company is collapsing. You know there's nothing left, and now you're desperate." His eyes burned with anger.

"That's not what this is," I argued.

"It is exactly what this is." He fired back.

"No." I cried out.

He let out a cold, humorless laugh. "You're too late."

"What does that mean?" I asked as a chill ran through me.

"My final act of revenge is about to begin," he replied before turning and walking away.

Just like that... He left me standing there again. Blair rose from the sofa with a satisfied smile.

"Maybe next time bring actual evidence," she said sweetly before adding, "Though I suppose there won't be a next time."

Then she followed him out. The door closed behind them. I stood there alone, trying not to fall apart.

I immediately called Cam.

"Audrey?" he answered immediately.

I burst into tears.

"He didn't believe me," I sobbed.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

I told him everything. When I finished, he was silent for a long moment.

"That's impossible," he finally said. 

"I know." I cried.

"The footage was real. Something happened to that drive." Cam said.

"I don't know what to do anymore," I admitted as I sank onto a bench outside the building.

"You keep fighting," he encouraged gently.

"For what?" I laughed hollowly.

"The truth."

"I'm tired, Cam." I admitted, closing my eyes.

"I know," he said softly before another silence passed between us. "I'll talk to Reid."

"There's no need," I replied, wiping my tears away.

"Someone needs to." Reid insisted.

"It won't matter." I told him sounding defeated.

"It might."

"It won't."

He sighed. "Let me try."

I didn't argue anymore.

"Thank you," I whispered quietly.

---

Three hours later, the news broke. I watched it from my hotel room, convinced I had read it wrong until reality finally sank in.

Whitmore Holdings had officially collapsed. Everything my parents had spent years building was gone. Acquired by Calloway Enterprises. Reid's company.

A photograph of my parents appeared on the screen, smiling proudly during the company's early days.

I broke down. Not because of the business but because it represented my family, my childhood, and my parents' legacy.

Now it belonged to the man who had destroyed it.

The following morning, I called a lawyer.

The conversation lasted less than ten minutes, and by the end of it, my divorce papers were being prepared.

When they arrived that afternoon, I signed them without hesitation.

There were no second thoughts. Only numbness. An hour later, the courier collected the papers along with a handwritten note. A final goodbye.

Two days later, I boarded a plane. I told no one where I was going. I carried only a suitcase and a handbag.

As the plane climbed into the sky, I watched the city grow smaller until it disappeared completely.

For the first time in weeks, I felt calm. Maybe this was what letting go felt like.

My phone vibrated. A delayed message from Cam. Without thinking, I opened it.

(Reid knows the truth now.)

My heart skipped.

Another message appeared.

(He knows your father didn't kill his father...)

Then the final one arrived.

(...and he's desperately looking for you.)