As the afternoon sun dipped towards the horizon, casting a golden hue over the city, Charlotte's investigation led her to a name that kept appearing in connection with Stone: Vincent Delgado. Delgado is one of the most wanted criminals in the city as he was involved in various kinds of criminal activities. Delgado was widely known to be a cold-calculator who possessed an impressive set of reliable contacts up to the top state echelon. Delgado's relationship with Stone was questionable, and these two clearly had a shadowy and even more sinister business.
Thus, Charlotte decided to follow this lead, although she was perfectly aware of the fact that it was not going to be possible to arrange anything like this alone. She went back to an old source, a private investigator she had spoken to before, Jake Marlowe. Jake was the typical 'grouchy' character with a pessimistic view on life, but he was a surprisingly shrewd operative. He had an array of people he knew and that knew him, but they were rarely seen interacting.
In an unknown part of the city, Charlotte told Jake her doubts and some threats. Jake sat quietly and listened. When she had finished explaining, Jack was looking at her with a passive face, but when she was done explaining, he slowly nodded his head.
"This is big, Charlotte. If Stone is mixed up with Delgado, you're looking at a whole new level of danger. But I'll help you. Just be ready for whatever comes," he said, his voice a gravelly whisper.
At least there was no longer any doubt in Charlotte's mind about what she needed to do and yet, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry deep down inside. It is equally important and as far-reaching as that of Jake's involvement. An important friend is with her, but the situation is serious. That is why, for the next hour, they sat and planned their next moves, sharing cups of hot coffee. Jake has many acquaintances in the underworld, and they could have useful information, but they need to be more cautious.
When they stepped out of the diner, the lights of the city surrounded them; a culturally rich, yet dangerous night was in front of them. Charlotte realized that with each step she takes, she gets closer to the truth and, at the same time, with each step she gets into riskier waters. Pedestrians filled the streets of the city, ordinary people lost in their own lives with secrets, unknown to the girl.
Going back to her apartment, Charlotte first ensured that all her doors and windows were locked, the safety that she once had and admired now just a mere illusion. She opened her laptop and, getting comfortable in her chair, prepared to continue her search. The feeling of anticipation was crawling in this meeting, and everything that was said and done was like a revelation of a fragment of Alexander Stone's personality.
Late into the night, Charlotte's phone buzzed with a new message. Her heart skipped a beat as she read it: "Keep digging, and you'll find more than you bargained for." The warning was clear, but so was her resolve. She was in too deep to turn back now. The stakes were higher than ever, and the shadows around her investigation only deepened the mystery.
Charlotte's story was only starting, and the stakes rose with every discovery that was made. However, her resolve did not wane; her energy came from the sheer desire of wanting the truth at all costs.
Delving deeper into Delgado with Jake's assistance, Charlotte was surprised by what she found. They soon found out the existence of shell companies together with offshore accounts, all of which connected to Stone's business. The more they delved into the case, the more perilous the situation turned out to become.
It was on one evening that she returned home to her apartment only to find that her door was slightly opened. Gaining the courage, she slowly opened it and looked around nervously for the looter or anyone else. The apartment was as the girl had left it, but she had a feeling something was off. The woman immediately looked at the items she had left in the car and saw that none of them were missing. But as she headed to her desk, she froze. There it was: a red rose on top of the notes. The flower that was standing before her, bright, colorful, looking rather out of the ordinary, gave her goose bumps.
The message was clear: anyone observing her was surely aware of her intentions at any one time. There was this constant feeling of fear which was complemented with desire and determination. She phoned Jake and persuaded him to give her some shelter for a few days before they decided what to do next. Jake's safe house was a rather plain, functional apartment that seemed to have no signature of Jake inside. It was the sort of place where it was difficult for anyone to find you, and even if they did, they could not lay a finger on you.
Nevertheless, the risk became higher, and still Charlotte, along with Jake, did not give up and progressed on their research. This way, they obtained several encrypted messages between Stone and Delgado which pointed to a huge exchange expected to occur. The texts themselves were vague, but one of the messages contained coordinates: and an hour, an old warehouse by the waterfront, after dark. This was the opportunity they had been expecting, as they could easily catch Stone and Delgado unaware while they were in the middle of the alleged fraud.
Charlotte realized this was the opportunity she had been waiting for, to finally discover the truth. She and Jake decide they should go to the place and wait until Stone and Delgado arrive in order to execute their mission. It was arranged that on the night of the meeting they would take a hideout in a building which gave them a view of the warehouse. This one felt like an intense buildup of nerves as they stood there staring at the door. The atmosphere, charged with tension, alerted the two and each whisper as well as the lurking darkness seemed to cast a spell over them.
Hours passed and suddenly, just when Charlotte could start doubting the information provided in the tip, five black SUVs arrived. Out of them came some men dressed in black suits and among the men, she couldn't help but notice Alexander Stone and Vincent Delgado. Her heart beat vigorously in her chest, but she kept on taking photos of the meeting. The two heroes who were portrayed as powerful IOA operatives were reserved and composed. Their body language reflects confidence which is never shown but always felt.
At that point, the sound of footsteps behind them almost made Charlotte freeze on the spot. She then got the shock of her lifetime to find a man rising from the darkness with a gun pointed at her. Jake lunged forward and forced her down as a loud sound of a gunshot was heard and the window which was close to them broke into pieces. They took to their heels and ran in panic; their hearts were racing due to the adrenaline rush. The once calm and cold warehouse had now turned into a war zone where they waged their battle.
And then the lights went out, and Charlotte, attempting to capture the scene for the police, lost her camera and the proof of the attack. When she and Jake got out of the building, they felt weak and scared. Clinging to the hope of freedom in the backseat of the car, Charlotte's thoughts were consumed by what she and Jack had just seen. Where once there had been so much light in the sky, so many glittering stars they could hardly help but navigate by, there was now only a suffocating darkness that seemed to get closer the further they got from the docks.
In the safehouse that Jake got, they took their time to overview the few pieces of evidence that they had collected. Now, it was quite obvious that this was not what Stone and Delgado expected themselves to be a part of. But the twist was unveiled when Jake was able to decrypt a bit of the intercepted messages. The content was chilling: schemes for money laundering, which involves money from large-scale political figures and other international criminals.
Stress and paranoia began to set in full blow as the days following were filled with constant running around and confusion. Charlotte and Jake realized that what they had found was truly significant; something that could potentially anger the most powerful people in the city. Each lead they pursued seemed to lead right to their most primal and worst fears. The learning of Stone and Delgado along with corrupt politicians created a network of crime that was global in nature.
Charlotte's phone buzzed with another message. Her hands trembled as she read it: "You should have listened. Now it's too late."
Panic surged through her, but she forced herself to stay calm. "We have to go public with this," she said, her voice steady despite the fear. "We need to expose them before they can stop us."
Jake nodded; his expression grim. "Agreed. But we need more concrete evidence. We have to get back to that warehouse and see what we can find."
As they made plans to return to the docks, a sudden noise outside the safehouse made them both freeze. Jake moved to the window, peering out into the darkness. "We've got company," he whispered, pulling out his gun.
The sound of heavy footsteps approached, and Charlotte's heart raced. They were out of time. As the door burst open, she grabbed her laptop and notes, ready to make a run for it. But as she turned to flee, a figure stepped into the doorway, blocking their escape.
"Going somewhere?" the man sneered, his gun trained on them. Behind him, more figures emerged, their faces hidden in the shadows.
It was only a few minutes before Charlotte's mind started to whirl thinking of the way to escape from this dreadful situation. The full stop left her hanging on the precipice of indecision. The investigation had become dangerous and taking the next important steps had become a matter of life and death for them.
The city was busy with life outside, and it never cared about the fate that had befallen her. As the tension in the room rose, Charlotte again understood that the war was yet to end. This truth which she was now so desperately in search of was now within her grasp, but the price to pay for such knowledge was far more than she could afford.