Chapter 28

I tried to put on a brave face and act like everything was normal, but inside, I was falling apart. I was surrounded by people who were connected to the company that had destroyed my life. I didn't know who to trust, and I felt like I was constantly being watched. Every time I saw a familiar face in the hallway, I felt a surge of fear and suspicion. How could I know who was on my side and who was against me? And how long would it be before I started to crack under the pressure?

As I walked into my office, I was greeted by the sight of my colleague, Michelle, seated at her desk. She looked up at me with a smile, but I could tell it was forced. I knew she had been absent from work the past few days, and I was curious to know what had happened. I forced a smile back at her and asked, "Hey, Michelle! How are you feeling? I was worried you called in sick, Everything okay?"

Michelle's smile faltered for a moment, and I could see her struggling to find the right words.

Michelle began to speak, her voice faltering. "I'm...I'm okay, I guess. I just...had some family stuff going on. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Her words were vague, and I could tell she was hiding something. I didn't want to pry, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. I decided to try a different approach. "It's no inconvenience at all. I just hope everything is alright with your family. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Michelle looked at me with a grateful expression. "That's really sweet of you. I appreciate"

I nodded and smiled.

I sat in front of my computer, my heart pounding as I typed in the search terms. I had to know the truth about what had happened to my real parents. As I hit "enter," I held my breath. The first result was a news article from several years ago, with the headline "Devastating Fire Takes Lives of Taylor Couple." I clicked on the link, my eyes scanning the article. It described the fire, and the devastation it had caused. There were pictures of the house, reduced to rubble, and the identities of the victims were revealed. My hands trembled.

As I read the names of the victims, I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. The article stated that Samuel and Abigail Taylor had died in the fire, along with their unborn child. It was them. They were my real parents. I sat back in my chair, my head spinning, I'm left with so many unanswered questions. Why had they been murdered? And why was I living with the people who had killed them? Was I the unborn child? It's says in the article they died on my birthday, if I'm the unborn child, what really happened?  It didn't make any sense.

Sarah couldn't dig more, I understand, if she was caught, her niece would've died. She can't answer my questions, who do I ask? Justin

Nah, I don't want to risk that, I don't think I can trust him.

I tried to process what I had just learned, I knew I had to be careful. If the wrong person found out what I was looking into, they could take drastic action. I thought about my adoptive parents. They genuinely took care of me and I didn't want to put them in any danger, he killed my real parents, it would be so easy to kill my adoptive parents, But I also needed to find out the truth. I had to be smart about this.

Snapping me out of my thoughts, a lady walked in.

"Drea Campbell, the chairman wants you in his office"

The words left the lady's mouth, I felt a sense of dread wash over me. What did the chairman want to see me for? I had no choice. I stood up, my legs trembling, and followed the woman out of my office and down the hall. We reached the door to the chairman's office, and I took a deep breath before the woman knocked. "Come in," a deep voice called from inside. I felt my heart pound in my chest as I opened the door and stepped inside. The chairman seated, his face expressionless.

Murderer

"Drea Campbell, seat"

He stretched his hands to the chair next to him.

"This would be the first time we are meeting here"

"Ye...yes sir"

He smiled.

"Don't be nervous. I called you here to apologize on my son's abruptly behaviour. He is not someone like that, I don't know what came over him"

"Apologize?" I stammered. "For Justin's behaviour?" It was the last thing I had expected to hear. "Sir, there's no need to apologize"

"Drea," the chairman said, leaning forward in his chair. "I know that Justin's behavior was inappropriate. And I'm not trying to excuse it. But he's never done anything like this before. He's always been a responsible young man. And I know that he feels terrible about how things turned out between the two of you. I'm not asking you to forgive him or give him another chance. I just want you to understand that this isn't his normal behavior. He's a good man."

I also don't know what came over Justin, I never remember him being like this, I guess time change people.

Joseph seemed like a good man, why would he kill my parents?

"We sorted it out"

I said wanting to just get out of the office.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Joseph said, his expression unreadable. "But I hope you'll consider what I said. And I think he could really make you happy, if you gave him a chance." His words were like a slap in the face. I had tried to be polite, but I was done. "I'm not interested," I said, standing up.

"If you would excuse me, I need to finish a lot, thank you"

I excused myself.

Ugh , What he is thinking would be the last thing I'd do.

----

I drove home from work, I pulled into my driveway and turned off the car. I sat there for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts. I needed to figure this out. I had to know what had happened to my parents. But where to start? I opened the door and walked into my apartment.

Summer's voice trailed off as I entered the apartment. She stared at me, a look of shock on her face. In front of her sat a man with grey hair and a kind smile. He was dressed in a dark suit, and his eyes were fixed on me.

"Drea..." Summer said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You grew up so well, Danielle"

He said.