Chapter 4 – Shadows of the Past

Anna sat motionless at her desk for a long time.

The document still remained open on her screen. She read the names over and over again, as if hoping the letters would somehow change.

But they didn’t.

László Kovács.

Her father’s name.

Her hands began to tremble over the mouse.

“This… can’t be real…” she whispered.

All her life, she had believed her father to be an honest man. A businessman who built his company with hard work, only to have everything destroyed by bigger corporations.

And now…

It seemed her father might have been part of the deal.

Anna quickly closed the document.

Her chest tightened. She couldn’t decide what she felt.

Anger.

Fear.

Or maybe just confusion.

The office was silent. The hallway outside no longer echoed any sounds. Most of the employees had long since gone home.

Anna took a deep breath.

“Calm down…” she whispered to herself.

If this information was true, she would need to discover even more.

It was no longer just about the Orlov family.

It was about her father too.

Anna turned off the computer and gathered her things.

As she stepped out of the office, the hallway was completely empty. Half the lights were off, and the building was cloaked in a strange, cold silence.

She walked toward the elevator.

As she pressed the button, a voice spoke behind her.

“You’re still here?”

Anna spun around.

A middle-aged man stood behind her, dressed like a security guard.

“Yes,” Anna replied. “I stayed a little later to finish some work.”

The man scanned her carefully.

“You’re new here, right?”

Anna nodded.

“Yes. I just started a few days ago.”

The man’s expression suddenly shifted. It was as if he were trying to remember something.

“Interesting…” he said slowly.

Anna furrowed her brow.

“What do you mean?”

The man stepped closer.

“You… you look very familiar.”

Anna’s heart skipped a beat.

“Really?”

“Yes,” the man said. “To someone I used to know a long time ago.”

Anna’s hands tightened.

“Who?”

The man squinted, as if searching his memory.

“The name… was Kovács.”

Anna’s throat went dry.

“Kovács?”

The man nodded.

“Yes. László Kovács.”

Anna almost froze.

“You knew him?” she asked softly.

“Not really,” the man said. “But I saw him in this building a few times. That was many years ago.”

The elevator bell rang, breaking the tense moment.

The doors opened.

Anna stepped inside quickly.

“Good night,” she said to the man.

But as the doors closed, she felt her heart racing.

Her father had been in this building.

That meant the connection to the Orlov family was real.

The elevator descended slowly.

Anna looked at her reflection in the glass panel.

Suddenly, she felt as if she knew nothing about the man she had believed to be her father all her life.

When the elevator reached the ground floor, Anna stepped out.

The night air was cold.

The city noises were muffled in the distance.

She started walking toward the bus stop.

A few steps later, she stopped.

Across the street, a black car was parked.

Inside, someone was sitting.

Watching her.

Anna shivered.

She quickened her pace, but she could still feel the gaze.

A few seconds later, the engine started.

The car slowly drove away.

Anna looked back.

She couldn’t see the driver’s face.

But one thing was certain.

Someone was watching her.

And this was only the beginning.

Anna remained still after the door closed.

For a moment, the silence in the room felt heavier than before.

Something about the conversation disturbed her. David Orlov was not the kind of man who revealed his intentions easily. Every word he spoke seemed carefully measured, every glance calculated.

She slowly exhaled and looked down at the documents in her hands.

This was only the beginning.

If she wanted revenge, she would have to step deeper into the world of the Orlov family.

And once she did… there would be no turning back.