Chapter 5 — The Mysterious Message

I stared at the message on my phone.

If you want to know the truth about your father, come alone.

Below it was an address.

My heart pounded.

I should have shown it to Alexander.

I knew that.

After everything he had told me, after learning that my father had visited his office before disappearing, I should have trusted him.

But there was something inside me that refused to wait.

I needed answers.

My father had been gone for three months.

Every night, I wondered where he was.

Was he alive?

Was he hiding?

Had something happened to him?

And now someone claimed to know the truth.

I quickly put my phone away before Alexander could see it.

I didn't know whether I was making the right decision.

But I knew I had to go.

---

I waited until Alexander was busy inside his office.

Then I quietly left the building.

I ordered a car and gave the driver the address from the message.

The location was on the outskirts of the city.

As we drove farther away from the busy streets, the buildings became fewer.

I looked out the window nervously.

The address led to an old warehouse.

I paid the driver and stepped out.

The warehouse looked abandoned.

There were no cars nearby.

No people.

Just silence.

I checked my phone.

No new messages.

I took a deep breath and walked toward the entrance.

The door was slightly open.

I pushed it.

It creaked loudly.

“Hello?”

No answer.

I stepped inside.

The warehouse was dark and cold.

I could hear water dripping somewhere in the distance.

“Is anyone here?”

Suddenly, a light turned on.

I froze.

A man was standing several meters away.

He wore a dark coat, and his face was partially hidden by the shadows.

“You came.”

I swallowed.

“Who are you?”

He didn't answer.

Instead, he walked toward a table and placed a folder on it.

“Your father left this.”

My heart stopped.

“What?”

“The night he disappeared.”

I slowly approached the table.

My hands trembled as I opened the folder.

Inside were photographs.

Documents.

Bank statements.

And several letters.

I picked up the first photograph.

It showed my father standing beside several businessmen.

One of them was Alexander's grandfather.

My breathing became shallow.

“Why are they together?”

The stranger remained silent.

I looked at another photograph.

This one showed my father shaking hands with Daniel Hayes.

Daniel.

Alexander's CFO.

I felt sick.

“What's going on?”

“Your father discovered something about Blackwood International.”

“What?”

“Money was being moved through several secret accounts.”

I stared at the documents.

“Money laundering?”

The man nodded.

“Your father discovered the accounts and tried to expose them.”

“Then why did he disappear?”

“He was threatened.”

My hands began shaking.

“Who threatened him?”

The man looked toward the warehouse entrance.

“You shouldn't have come alone.”

I turned.

“What?”

Before he could answer, headlights suddenly appeared outside.

A black vehicle stopped near the entrance.

The man's expression changed.

“They followed you.”

My heart raced.

“Who?”

He grabbed the folder.

“Run.”

“What?”

“Run!”

We heard footsteps outside.

Several men entered the warehouse.

The stranger grabbed my arm and pulled me toward a side door.

I struggled to keep up.

“Who are they?”

“People who don't want you to know the truth.”

We ran through a narrow hallway.

Behind us, someone shouted.

“Stop!”

I panicked.

The stranger opened a metal door.

“Go!”

I ran outside.

Cold air hit my face.

I looked around.

There was nowhere to go.

Then I heard a familiar voice.

“Emma!”

I froze.

Alexander.

He was running toward me.

His face was filled with anger and fear.

“What are you doing here?”

I couldn't answer.

He reached me and grabbed my shoulders.

“Are you hurt?”

I shook my head.

“How did you find me?”

“Your phone.”

I stared at him.

“You tracked me?”

“I was worried when you disappeared.”

“I didn't tell you where I was going.”

“I know.”

He looked furious.

“Why did you come here alone?”

“I received a message.”

“What message?”

I hesitated.

Alexander's expression softened slightly.

“Emma, please.”

I took out my phone and showed him.

He read the message.

His jaw tightened.

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“I wanted to find out the truth about my father.”

“You could have been killed.”

“I know.”

“No, you don't.”

His voice cracked.

“You don't know what I felt when I couldn't find you.”

I stared at him.

He looked genuinely afraid.

Not angry.

Afraid.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He pulled me into his arms.

I froze.

His arms wrapped tightly around me.

For a moment, I forgot everything.

The warehouse.

The mysterious man.

My father.

The contract.

All I could feel was Alexander.

“I thought something happened to you,” he whispered.

I slowly placed my arms around him.

“I’m okay.”

He held me tighter.

Then he pulled back.

His eyes met mine.

“Don't ever do that again.”

I nodded.

“I promise.”

A sound came from behind us.

We turned.

The mysterious man was gone.

So was the folder.

Alexander looked around.

“What happened?”

I shook my head.

“He gave me information about my father.”

“What information?”

I told him everything.

His expression became serious.

“Daniel.”

“Yes.”

“Your father discovered secret accounts.”

“Yes.”

Alexander looked toward the warehouse.

“This is bigger than I thought.”

“What do we do?”

“We go home.”

“But—”

“Now.”

He took my hand.

This time, I didn't resist.

---

Back at the mansion, Alexander brought me into his study.

He locked the door.

“Tell me everything you remember.”

I described the man, the photographs, the documents, and what he had said.

Alexander listened carefully.

When I finished, he walked toward his desk.

“There's something you need to know.”

“What?”

“Daniel Hayes has access to every major financial account in the company.”

My heart sank.

“You think he's involved?”

“I don't know.”

“But you suspect him.”

“Yes.”

He opened his laptop.

“I've been investigating irregular transactions for months.”

He showed me several records.

“These payments were hidden through shell companies.”

I stared at the screen.

“Who owns them?”

“We don't know.”

“Can you find out?”

“I can try.”

He paused.

“There's another problem.”

“What?”

“The accounts were created using authorization from my grandfather's office.”

I froze.

“Richard?”

Alexander nodded.

“That's why I didn't want you involved.”

I looked at him.

“Do you think your grandfather is involved?”

“I don't know what to think anymore.”

Silence filled the room.

Then my phone buzzed.

Both of us looked at it.

A new message.

This time, there was no text.

Only a photograph.

My father.

Alive.

Standing in an unknown room.

My hands began trembling.

“Alexander…”

He took the phone from me.

His eyes widened.

“He's alive.”

I stared at the photograph.

Tears filled my eyes.

For three months, I had wondered whether my father was still alive.

Now I finally had proof.

But beneath the photograph was one sentence.

You have 48 hours to find him.

Alexander looked at me.

“We're going to find him.”

I nodded.

But before he could say anything else, another message appeared.

Come alone, Alexander Blackwood.

Then a final message arrived.

Or Emma's father dies.

The room became silent.

Alexander's expression turned cold.

Whoever was behind this wasn't just threatening my family anymore.

They were coming after us.

And this time, the countdown had already begun.