Chapter 112 Unknown number
Aiden
I stood on the balcony, and I took a slow sip of my champagne, enjoying the crisp taste, when the silence was shattered by the aggressive roar of an engine. A black Rolls-Royce Cullinan tore through the front gates, its tires screaming against the gravel in a way that signaled pure desperation.
It didn't glide to a halt like usual; it jerked to a stop right in front of the main entrance. The driver didn't even wait for the car to fully settle before he was out of his seat and pulling the rear door open with a frantic energy I had never seen from him.
Elsie practically scrambled out of the vehicle. She didn't wait for a hand or an explanation; she just started running toward the front doors. The sight of her moving with such raw panic made me abandon my drink on the stone railing without a second thought. I didn't care if the glass tipped over.
I turned and rushed toward the stairs, my heart beginning to hammer against my ribs as I anticipated the worst. I navigated the grand staircase two steps at a time, my mind racing through a hundred different scenarios, all of them ending in disaster.
By the time I reached the main living room, the air felt thick enough to choke on. The entire family had already gathered. My mother was standing close to Elsie, her hand firmly gripping Elsie’s arm as if she were trying to pull her back from a ledge.
Caleb and Jacob were standing nearby, their expressions carved out of stone.
“Did you see their faces? Did you get a look at the car?” Mom asked, her voice trembling slightly despite her attempt to stay strong.
“No, Mom. It happened so fast that I barely had time to realize what was happening,” Elsie replied, her voice high and thin. Her hands were shaking so much that she had to clench them into fists to keep them from vibrating. “Someone truly wants me dead. This wasn't a warning shot; they were aiming for me.”
I stepped into the light of the room, drawing everyone’s attention for a brief second. “What is she talking about?” I asked, my voice low and dangerous.
Jacob turned to look at me, his jaw set in a hard line. “Elsie… or MedLyn, whatever we are calling her now… she was targeted, Aiden. She almost got shot. An unknown number sent her a threatening text right after the board meeting ended, and then they followed through on the threat.”
My eyes immediately went to her arm. I hadn't noticed it at first, but there was a red, angry graze visible on her skin. It had been cleaned, but the flesh around it was swollen and raw. I think the driver had given her a quick first aid treatment that looked perfect.
The sight of her blood made a cold, sharp anger settle in the pit of my stomach. This wasn't just corporate rivalry anymore; this was a declaration of war.
Mom guided Elsie to the oversized couch, forcing her to sit down before her legs gave out. “Take a deep breath,” Mom said gently, brushing a stray hair away from Elsie’s face. “You are inside the estate now. You are safe with us.”
Elsie nodded, though she didn't look convinced. She looked like someone who had just looked into the eyes of death and realized how close it had come.
Caleb stepped forward, “Tell us everything from the beginning, Elsie. Don't leave out a single detail,” Caleb instructed, his voice firm and unwavering.
Elsie took a shaky breath, staring at her lap for a moment before she started to speak. “I went to the cemetery after a meeting. I wanted some time alone, so I stayed longer than I originally planned. When I finally walked back to the car and we started to leave the grounds, a dark Toyota pulled up dangerously close to us. At first, I honestly thought they were just being an aggressive driver or trying to pass us on the narrow road.”
She paused, her throat working as she swallowed hard. “Then the rear window rolled down just an inch, and I heard the gunshots. It was the most terrifying sound I’ve ever heard. My driver reacted faster than I could think. He pushed me down toward the floorboards and floored the accelerator immediately. If he hadn't moved that fast, that bullet wouldn't have just grazed my arm. It would have hit my head.”
Mom covered her mouth with her hand, a small gasp escaping her. The room went silent for a heartbeat, the reality of the situation sinking in.
“Did they follow the car?” Jacob asked, his hand resting on the hilt of the small knife he always kept in his pocket.
“No,” Elsie whispered. “They disappeared as soon as we hit the main road. They didn't even try to chase us once the driver started weaving through traffic.”
That detail bothered me more than anything else. Random attackers or amateurs would have been sloppy. They would have chased her or made a scene. But these people were precise. They had waited for her at a vulnerable location and then vanished once the job was botched.
“There was a message on her phone,” Caleb said, breaking the silence. “Show them what they sent you.”
Elsie reached into her bag with a trembling hand and pulled out her phone. She unlocked it and handed it to Caleb, who read it silently before passing it to me. I looked down at the screen and felt a chill slide down my spine that had nothing to do with the evening breeze.
‘Welcome back. You should have stayed dead.’
“This isn’t random at all,” I said, handing the phone back to Caleb. “They knew exactly where she was going. They knew she was at the cemetery, and they knew her routine for the day. This was a calculated strike.”
Mom stood up slowly, her face pale. “So someone has been watching our house. Someone has been following her every move since she returned.”
“Yes,” Caleb replied, his eyes narrowing. “And they wanted to send a message that they can get to her whenever they want.”
My mind immediately went to the one person who had every reason to want Elsie gone. A name I hadn't let myself think about in a very long time because it brought back too much bitterness.
Lena.
“She always blamed Elsie,” I said, the name tasting like ash in my mouth. “She blamed her for her father’s death. She blamed her for her life falling apart. Lena spent years festering in that hatred.”
Jacob looked at me sharply, his eyes searching mine. “You really think Lena is behind this? You think she has the resources to pull off a hit?”
“She has the motive,” I replied firmly. “And remember, she disappeared right after her father’s burial. She didn't just move away; she vanished. No one has heard a word from her in years. That kind of silence usually means someone is busy planning something they don't want anyone to see coming.”
Mom frowned, looking conflicted. “I know she was angry, but would she really go this far?”
“Hatred like hers doesn't fade with time, Mom. It just gets worse,” I said. “She felt like Elsie took everything from her. If she’s been hiding and watching us all this time, she’s probably been waiting for the perfect moment to strike.”
Elsie had been sitting quietly through the discussion, listening to us debate her life as if she weren't even there. I watched her closely, expecting her to break down, but instead, I saw her expression begin to harden. The fear in her eyes was being replaced by a cold, stubborn resolve.
“I’m not leaving,” she said suddenly, her voice cutting through our bickering.
We all turned to look at her.
“I know that’s exactly what they want,” she continued, standing up slowly. “They want me to be scared. They want me to hide in a dark room and beg for mercy. I won't give them that satisfaction. I fought too hard to come back here.”
Mom sighed, stepping toward her. “Elsie, this is not about your pride or showing off. This is about keeping you alive. We need to be smart.”
“I know,” Elsie said, her jaw tightening. “But running away didn’t save me the last time I was in trouble. It just made me a target for someone else. I’m staying right here, and I’m going to finish what I started at that board meeting.”
Caleb studied her for a long moment, a look of grim respect crossing his face. “If that is your decision, then we do this properly. From this moment on, security on this estate will be doubled. Every movement any of us makes will be tracked and guarded. Whoever did this will eventually make a mistake, and when they do, we will be ready.”
Jacob nodded in agreement. “They always slip up. No one stays hidden forever.”
Elsie stood up, her posture straight even though I knew she had to be exhausted. “I need a shower,” she said quietly.
“I’ll walk you up to your room,” Mom said, taking her hand.
As they left the room, Jacob followed them to start coordinating with the security team on the ground. That left Caleb and me alone in the flickering light of the living room. The silence that followed was heavy with the things we weren't saying.
“You’re convinced it’s Lena, aren't you?” Caleb asked.
“I am,” I replied honestly.
“Track everything,” Caleb said finally, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Check the security feeds from the cemetery, check every camera on the route she took home. If Lena is back, she’s somewhere in this city, and I want her found before she gets a second chance to pull that trigger.”
“And if it turns out not to be her?” I asked.
“Then we find out who else has the nerve to fire a gun at someone under our roof,” he replied.
I nodded, but my mind was already elsewhere.
Elsie wasn’t just back. She was a target.
And whoever pulled that trigger today had only tested the waters.
The real storm was coming.