Chapter 4 I'm not hiding anything

I clutched the photo tighter as soon as I heard footsteps retreat down the hall. Zayden was gone-for now. But his question still rang in my ears:

"What did you just hide?"

I told him it was nothing. He didn't believe me, but he didn't press. That scared me more.

When the door clicked shut, I pulled the envelope back out from the drawer. The photo stared at me again-my father and Mr. Wu shaking hands under a company banner. Behind them, the words Lim Group collapses under debt and fraud screamed from a cut-out newspaper article.

The past was clawing its way back, and I was holding the proof in my hands.

My phone buzzed.

Qi.

I snatched it up and pressed the phone to my ear without greeting.

"Well, well, someone's eager," she chuckled. "Guess who has answers?"

I sank into the bed, tension holding my spine rigid. "Talk."

She cleared her throat dramatically. "So, remember you asked me to check up on the Wu family company, specifically your dearly beloved husband and his charming father?"

"Qi," I warned.

"Okay, okay. So here's what I dug up. There was a merger talk years ago-between Lim Group and Wu Industries. It never went public, but whispers suggest Mr. Wu pulled out of the deal last minute. And guess what? Lim Group was left with a pile of debt right after that. Suspiciously convenient, don't you think?"

My fingers tightened around the phone. "So he sabotaged it?"

"Hard to say," Qi said with a teasing edge. "But it's giving power play. Also, there were rumours your father was desperate. Like, selling assets behind closed doors desperate."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I remembered. I'd heard whispers. Saw the cracks before the collapse. But hearing it like this... it was different.

Qi sighed. "I emailed you a flash drive dump. Old internal communications. Some investor memos that might interest you. Don't say I don't love you."

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"Oh please, don't get soft on me now."

The call ended.

Meanwhile, somewhere dimly lit and decorated with bad decisions, Qi leaned across a plush velvet booth and raised her brows at Clarisse.

"Remember I told you Elara wanted info on Wu's company?" she said, twirling a cocktail straw. "Fed her some spicy crumbs today."

Clarisse smirked, tossing her phone on the table. "And?"

"I gave her just enough to keep her chasing shadows. Told her about the merger and how her dad begged. Played it like I was doing her a favour."

"She believes you?"

"She wants to," Qi said, sipping smugly. "That's her weakness. She trusts me because I've always been the loud one, the fun one, the friend who never asked for much."

Clarisse's lips curled. "Perfect. We'll push her just enough to keep unraveling."

"What's next?"

Clarisse leaned in. "Her unraveling isn't enough. I want her isolated. Doubtful. And when the time's right, we'll let Zayden see just how much she's been hiding."

They clinked glasses like witches at midnight.

Back at the penthouse, I plugged in the flash drive, heart racing.

Documents opened like silent ghosts: merger drafts, investment pullouts, cold boardroom emails signed off by R. Wu. One message stood out-"If Lim can't meet the adjusted terms by the 17th, we withdraw our stake. No extensions."

Seventeen days later, Lim Group went under.

I stared at the screen until my vision blurred.

My father hadn't just lost everything. He was set up to fail. And the Wu family had watched him drown.

I didn't hear the door open.

"Funny thing about drawers," Zayden said, voice low behind me. "You think they're safe, until someone else has the key."

I whirled around.

He was standing by my desk, holding my drawer keys-the ones I thought were still tucked inside my old journal.

My pulse jumped. "How did you-"

"You really think I wouldn't make copies in my own house?" His tone was calm. Too calm.

I backed away instinctively, the drawer still slightly ajar, the envelope stuffed halfway in.

"What do you want, Zayden?"

His eyes burned into mine.

"I want to know," he said slowly, "what you're hiding from me."