Chapter Five: The First Victim

Neither of us spoke.

The words from outside the office seemed to drain every sound from the room.

"They found a body in the underground parking garage."

Marcus waited outside the door, unaware of the silence that had settled between us.

I looked at Ronan.

His expression had changed completely. The rivalry, sarcasm, and suspicion that usually defined him had disappeared, replaced by something far more dangerous.

Calculation.

He was already thinking several moves ahead.

"When?" I asked through the door.

"About five minutes ago," Marcus answered. "Security discovered the victim beside Elevator Three. The police have been notified, but Chairman Hale ordered everyone on the executive floor to remain inside the building."

Five minutes.

The timing was too precise.

The intruder had escaped my office only moments earlier.

Whoever had attacked me had barely enough time to reach the underground parking garage.

Unless...

The victim had already been dead before the attack.

I unlocked the office door.

Marcus nearly stumbled inside before stopping abruptly when he noticed Ronan standing beside me.

For a brief second, confusion crossed his face.

"Mr. Ashcroft?"

Ronan answered calmly.

"We were discussing the interruption to the meeting."

Marcus clearly did not believe him, but he wisely chose not to question either of us.

His attention shifted to the office.

The overturned furniture.

The broken glass.

The scattered documents.

His face lost all color.

"What happened here?"

I answered before Ronan could.

"Someone broke into my office."

Marcus stared at me.

"Should I call security?"

"They're already occupied."

"I'll call them anyway."

"No."

The single word stopped him.

"If the person who entered this office is working with someone inside security, I don't want them touching anything."

Marcus swallowed.

"You think this was planned?"

"I know it was."

His eyes moved across the room once more before settling on the empty compartment inside my briefcase.

"You've lost something."

"A confidential file."

His expression darkened.

"The acquisition report?"

I nodded.

Marcus cursed under his breath.

That alone told me he understood the seriousness of the situation.

The report contained months of financial analysis, negotiation strategies, and internal weaknesses of every company bidding for Helix BioTech.

In the wrong hands, it could destroy Silverfang's position before negotiations even resumed.

Ronan folded his arms.

"We should see the body."

Marcus looked at him in surprise.

"The police haven't arrived yet."

"Exactly."

I understood his reasoning immediately.

Once the police secured the scene, access would become restricted. Whatever evidence remained could disappear beneath procedure, bureaucracy, or corruption.

If someone powerful was involved, official investigations could become unreliable very quickly.

"We're going," I said.

Marcus hesitated.

"The chairman specifically instructed everyone to remain—"

"I heard the chairman."

"And?"

"I don't work for him."

Marcus sighed quietly.

"Sometimes I forget that."

Ronan gave him the faintest smile.

"I don't."

---

The executive elevator descended in complete silence.

No one spoke.

The polished steel doors reflected three very different expressions.

Marcus looked nervous.

I looked exhausted.

Ronan looked as though he were preparing for battle.

When the doors opened onto the underground parking level, flashing emergency lights painted the concrete walls in alternating shades of blue and red.

Security guards had formed a loose perimeter around Elevator Three.

Most of them recognized me immediately.

"Chairman Vale."

I nodded.

"What happened?"

The head of security stepped forward.

"We received reports of an unconscious individual approximately ten minutes ago."

"Identity?"

"He carried Helix BioTech credentials."

"Name?"

The guard consulted a tablet.

"Elias Mercer."

The name meant nothing to me.

Ronan frowned.

"I know him."

Every head turned toward him.

"He was Helix's senior compliance officer," Ronan continued. "He supervised regulatory audits and internal investigations."

I looked at the body lying several meters away.

A white sheet covered most of it, but one arm remained visible.

There was no blood.

No obvious injury.

"What killed him?"

"We're not sure," the guard admitted.

"He simply collapsed?"

"So it appears."

Ronan walked closer before kneeling beside the body.

"You shouldn't touch anything," the guard warned.

"I'm not."

He studied the exposed hand without making contact.

"Elias was left-handed."

The guard blinked.

"How do you know that?"

"The watch."

We all looked.

The expensive silver watch rested on the victim's right wrist.

Most people wore watches on their non-dominant hand.

Ronan continued.

"His wedding ring is missing."

"There isn't one."

"There was."

"You knew him personally?"

"No."

Ronan stood.

"I read every executive profile before today's meeting."

I had done the same.

Yet I had missed those details.

That irritated me more than I cared to admit.

He looked around slowly.

"Something isn't right."

I followed his gaze.

The victim's briefcase lay several feet away.

Untouched.

His wallet remained inside his jacket.

His expensive phone still rested in his pocket.

Nothing had been stolen.

"If this was robbery," Ronan said quietly, "the thief was remarkably selective."

"It wasn't robbery," I replied.

"No."

He looked directly at me.

"It was a message."

Before I could answer, another voice echoed through the garage.

"There he is."

Chairman Hale emerged from between two parked vehicles, followed by three board members.

His silver hair was perfectly combed despite the obvious chaos surrounding him.

His sharp eyes settled on me immediately.

"There you are, Adrian."

"I was on my way."

"I expected that."

His gaze shifted briefly toward Ronan.

"I didn't expect company."

"The murder concerns every bidder," Ronan replied evenly.

Hale ignored him.

Instead, he stepped closer to me.

"I've already informed the board."

"Informed them of what?"

"That today's negotiations are suspended."

"By whose authority?"

"Mine."

A muscle tightened in my jaw.

"You don't have that authority."

"I do if the chairman is incapable of performing his duties."

The words hung in the air.

Marcus inhaled sharply.

Several security guards looked away.

I understood exactly what Hale was doing.

He wasn't questioning my decision.

He was questioning my competence.

At the worst possible moment.

"You believe I'm incapable?" I asked.

"I believe you've been behaving... strangely."

His eyes lingered on me.

"You disappeared without explanation."

"My office was attacked."

"So you claim."

The accusation landed exactly as he intended.

"So I claim?"

"No one witnessed this supposed attack."

I glanced toward Ronan.

"He did."

Hale smiled politely.

"Our corporate rival is hardly an impartial witness."

The old man had come prepared.

Every sentence was carefully chosen.

Every doubt deliberately planted.

If the board began questioning my judgment tonight, the acquisition would be the least of my problems.

Then one of the forensic technicians called out from beside the body.

"Sir!"

Everyone turned.

The technician held up a small transparent evidence bag.

Inside it was a black security access card.

He looked toward us.

"We found this beneath the victim."

The head of security took the bag and examined the card.

His face immediately changed.

He slowly raised his eyes toward me.

"Chairman..."

I frowned.

"What is it?"

He swallowed.

"This is an executive access card."

"I can see that."

"It belongs..."

His voice faltered.

"It belongs to you."