Chapter 20

Chapter 20
The rest of the ride passed in silence. Liam drove her home, and the soft droning of the radio was the only sound between them. Neither of them spoke, but the silence was comfortable.

When Stella stepped into her apartment, she went to her room and immediately opened her phone.

She typed a message to Uncle Paul.

“Thank you for what you did. And for giving me a chance to visit them.”

“They would have been happy about your visit, too.”

“What about the nanny and her granddaughter, Alice?”

A reply came a minute later.

“I gave them back to their families.”

Stella stared at the screen for a long time.

If it weren’t for Kings Corporation, Alice was supposed to be about her age. Pursuing her own dreams, going on to college, maybe already starting a family, or travelling the world. 

But the poor girl had died in her place.

Stella’s grip on her phone tightened until her knuckles turned white.

Just then, her phone began to ring.

“Aunty Wendy,” she called as she answered.

The other person was silent for a while.

There was silence on the other end for a while.

“That place…” Wendy finally whispered. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes,” Stella said quietly. “They would have loved it.

“Do you think they are at peace?” her aunt asked, her voice trembling.

“I don’t know,” Stella admitted. “But they’re together.”

The last sentence seemed to shatter something on the other end. Aunty Wendy began sobbing, and after a moment, Stella joined her too. This was the first time they had cried together. At first, they had only been focused on escaping, then survival, and after things got better, there was just no space to grieve.

“The police ruled the case a murder-homicide,” Stella said hoarsely, after she had calmed down a little.

Aunty Wendy stopped. Then her voice came out ragged. “They—they… How dare they?‘

“They smeared his name to close the case,” Stella said. “I want justice. I can’t let them get away with this. Their killers are still out there, walking free.”

“I just want you to be safe,” Aunty Wendy sighed. “I don’t want to lose you, too.”

“I understand,” she said gently. “But who’s to say they’ll never find out about us? Now it’s not just me and you. There’s also Uncle Mark and the twins…” 

She took a deep breath. “For all of us, they need to be destroyed.”

A month passed. 

Stella had resumed work with increased motivation and resolve.

She and Liam seemed to have an extra level of closeness between them after meeting at the cemetery. 

Outside meetings with clients, which used to involve only John, now included her. And John came to the company less and less with each passing week. She was finally fully entering her role as his head secretary. 

One afternoon, shortly after lunch, she was at her desk reviewing a proposal when Liam’s door creaked open and his head peeked out.

“Come in in thirty minutes.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied automatically, but internally, she was surprised.

Stella wondered why he was calling her in. Her tasks were usually assigned through email, on the phone, or when he passed by. Face-to-face instructions were always reserved for John. Did it mean she had gained a bit more of his trust?

Thirty minutes later, she stood up and went to his office.

Liam was seated at his desk, a sleek black and gold access card resting beside him.

“This is my access card,” he said, sliding it across the table. 

Unlike the standard employee cards, this one didn’t have a picture. It only had his name. Liam Carson, written in gold against the black.

“We would be working on the development of a new resort in collaboration with one of our partners, Turner Corporation,” he continued. “I need you to go to the archive and pull any files related to past collaborations with them.”

Stella froze for a second.

Turner Corporation.

That had been the company with which her parents' construction company had collaborated with during their last project before they were murdered. She would never forget the name. Initially, she had considered going there to work, but knew they were just a pawn for someone more powerful. The killers themselves had mentioned a Mr. Carson, and at that time, there were only three people who answered to that name.

She steadied her voice. “Is there a problem with the partners?” 

“We’ll have to find out. The bid was approved by my uncle before I returned. There might be details I’m unaware of.”

Stella nodded.  “Understood.”

She took the access card and walked out.

As she moved down the hallway, she tried hard to steady her racing heart.

This was it.

She was finally going to enter Archive Room 1.

Unlike Archive Room 2, which she entered regularly to store and retrieve files, Archive Room 1 needed the access card of a high-level member.

Archive Room 1 had no surveillance cameras. The contents were too confidential, including materials involving executive-level projects, private shareholder contracts, and bidding information. But it didn’t need them. The security was top-notch.

The room was large, even larger than Archive Room 2. It was arranged like a library, everything placed alphabetically. At the far end of the room, there was another secret room. It was a metallic door without handles. And could only be accessed by the registered biometric scanner. 

What secrets were hidden behind that door?

After she had selected all the folders related to their collaborations with Turner Corporation over the years. 

She started searching for another name. There was a computer in the room which made searching easier, but she didn't dare use it. Anyone could check the search history, and it would be traced back to her. 

Going by the traditional method would work too. She followed the letters until she reached the shelf marked L. Not far down the line, she saw the drawer marked L&A Construction.

Her breath caught. “She found it... her parents’ company.”

Her hand hovered just a second before she reached out and pulled the drawer open.

It was empty

Her heart fell as she stared into the empty space.

She stood there for a moment, trying to contain the frustration rising in her chest. She had been too naive. Thinking that all she had to do was get the access card. Kings Corporation would never leave out incriminating evidence about itself for just anyone to see.

Then, slowly, she gathered the relevant Turner Corporation files and left the room.

Back at the office, she knocked and stepped into Liam’s room to return his card.

“Your face is pale,” Liam noted as he looked up. “Do you feel sick?”

Stella shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said quickly.

“I’ll tell them to regulate the temperature in the archive room for next time,” he said seriously, taking the card back. “Let’s look through them together.”

She sat across from him and began to help organize the files.

She kept her head down, working mechanically, but her mind was working in overdrive. 

Where had the contents of the drawer related to her parents’ company gone? And who had hidden them?

Her gaze lifted slowly and landed on Liam. Did he hide it after he returned? No, it couldn’t have been him. He was too young when everything had happened.

His voice cut into her thoughts.

“Is there something on my face?” he asked with a small smile.

Stella blinked, startled. “Nothing, my mind was elsewhere.”

Liam raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further.