CHAPTER IV

The Billionaire's Hidden Granddaughter

Episode 4 – A Dangerous Secret

The screeching sound of the speeding motorcycle echoed through the busy street.

Nomie's books were scattered across the pavement as Cedrick held her protectively by the arm.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

"Nomie..." Cedrick asked, still catching his breath. "Are you hurt?"

She slowly shook her head.

"I... I think I'm okay."

Cedrick looked down at her trembling hands.

"You're shaking."

"I was just... surprised."

He bent down and gathered her books before handing them back to her.

"You should be more careful when crossing the road."

Nomie smiled weakly.

"I know."

"Thank you..."

Cedrick smiled.

"I couldn't just stand there."

Unknown to both of them, a man wearing a black hoodie watched from across the street. He quietly took out his phone.

"She survived."

A cold voice answered from the other end of the call.

"Continue watching her."

The line went dead.

---

That evening...

Nomie returned to her small apartment near the university.

Unlike the mansion she grew up in, her apartment was modest.

A single bed.

A wooden study table.

A tiny kitchen.

It was simple...

Yet it gave her peace.

She looked at the small wooden cross hanging above her desk.

Kneeling beside her bed, she closed her eyes.

"Lord..."

"I don't understand why all these things are happening."

"But I know You're with me."

"Please protect the people around me... especially Grandfather."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

She quickly wiped it away.

"No matter what happens..."

"I will never lose my faith."

---

Meanwhile...

Inside the Dawson Estate...

Don Emilio was in a private meeting with his security chief.

"We reviewed the CCTV footage."

"The motorcycle rider removed the license plate before entering the campus area."

Don Emilio's face became serious.

"So it wasn't random."

"No, Sir."

"And the hooded man?"

"We still haven't identified him."

The old billionaire slowly stood.

"For twenty-five years..."

"I've protected my granddaughter from every danger."

"I refuse to fail now."

He opened an old safe hidden behind a painting.

Inside was a faded photograph of a smiling couple holding a little girl.

The security chief lowered his head.

"They're asking about the Dawson inheritance again..."

Don Emilio stared at the picture.

"They never stopped."

"And if they've finally found Nomiie..."

"They won't stop until they get what they want."

---

The following day...

Cedrick couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.

During lunch break, he found Nomie studying alone in the library.

"Mind if I join you?"

She smiled.

"Of course."

He sat across from her.

"You really scared me yesterday."

"I'm sorry."

Cedrick looked directly into her eyes.

"Why do you always apologize even when you did nothing wrong?"

Nomie blinked.

"I just don't like causing trouble."

Cedrick smiled.

"You're different."

"Different?"

"Most people would blame someone else."

"You just keep smiling."

Nomie laughed softly.

"My grandfather always says..."

'Kindness is never wasted.'

Cedrick quietly repeated the words.

"Kindness is never wasted..."

He smiled.

"I like that."

Neither of them noticed...

Fatima had just entered the library.

From behind a bookshelf, she watched Cedrick laughing with Nomie.

Her smile slowly disappeared.

---

That afternoon...

Fatima met with her closest friends.

"I saw them together again."

One of the girls sighed.

"Cedrick is only helping her."

"Maybe."

Fatima answered.

"But why does he smile differently when he's with her?"

Her friend leaned closer.

"If Nomie disappears from the picture..."

"Everything goes back to normal."

Fatima looked shocked.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing dangerous."

The girl smirked.

"We just need everyone to believe she's not as innocent as she pretends to be."

Fatima remained silent.

For the first time...

She didn't stop her friends.

---

Later that evening...

Nomie received an unexpected phone call.

"Hello?"

"Miss Dawson."

Her eyes widened.

Only a few people knew that name.

"Who is this?"

"I'm calling on behalf of your grandfather."

"He wants you to come home this weekend."

"Is everything alright?"

There was a brief silence.

"I'm afraid..."

"We cannot discuss it over the phone."

The call suddenly ended.

Nomie stared at her phone, confused.

At the same moment...

Someone quietly slipped a sealed brown envelope under her apartment door.

She opened it.

Inside was a single photograph.

It showed her...

Standing beside her grandfather...

Taken years ago inside the Dawson Estate.

On the back of the photo were five handwritten words.

"I know who you are."

Nomie's hands trembled.

She had been careful.

She had changed her name.

She had hidden her identity.

So how...

How had someone discovered her secret?

Outside her apartment building, a black luxury sedan remained parked in the darkness.

Inside, the mysterious hooded man watched the light in Nomie's room turn off.

He smiled faintly.

"The game has finally begun."

End of Episode 4

Cliffhanger: Someone has uncovered Nomie's true identity. Is the mysterious stalker connected to the Dawson family's past... or is an even greater enemy about to emerge?