Evelyn paced the length of her office, the sound of her heels muffled by the plush carpet. The gala had left her feeling off-balance, her thoughts continually drifting back to Adrian and the way his presence seemed to ground her, even as it unsettled her. But she didn't have time to dwell on such distractions now.
On her desk lay a dusty leather-bound journal and a flash drive she had found in her father's old study. The journal was filled with indecipherable symbols and fragments of words that seemed like some sort of code. The flash drive, however, had been even more cryptic.
When she plugged it into her laptop earlier, a series of encrypted files had appeared, all with innocuous names like Family Records and Business Proposals. But when she tried to open them, a password prompt blocked her way. Evelyn's gut told her these weren't ordinary documents.
She had sent the files to a trusted tech consultant, asking for discreet assistance in breaking the encryption. Now, as she waited for their call, she felt the weight of her father's secrets pressing down on her.
Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"It's me," the tech consultant said. "You were right—these files are anything but ordinary. Whoever encrypted them knew what they were doing. It's going to take time to crack, but I've uncovered some metadata that might interest you."
"Go on," Evelyn said, gripping the edge of her desk.
"There are references to a company called Hartwell Industries and two names that come up repeatedly: Robert Chase and Jonathan Black."
Evelyn's breath caught. "Jonathan Black?"
"Yes. Do you know him?"
Evelyn hesitated. "No, but I'll look into it. Keep working on the files and let me know as soon as you make progress."
As she hung up, her mind raced. Jonathan Black. The name felt like a missing piece of a puzzle she hadn't realized she was solving. But what did it have to do with her father? And why did she have a sinking feeling that Adrian might know more than he let on?
Later that evening, Evelyn sat alone in her penthouse, the journal and a glass of wine before her. The cryptic entries taunted her, each one a riddle she couldn't solve. She didn't hear the knock at the door until it repeated, louder this time.
She opened it to find Adrian standing there, holding a bag of takeout.
"You missed dinner," he said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.
"I didn't realize it was part of your job description to monitor my meals," Evelyn said, crossing her arms.
Adrian shrugged. "It's in the fine print."
She rolled her eyes but didn't protest when he placed the food on the counter.
As they ate, the tension that had hung between them since the gala seemed to ease. Adrian cracked a joke about her notoriously strict diet, and to her surprise, she found herself laughing.
But her moment of levity faded when Adrian's gaze drifted to the journal on the counter.
"What's that?" he asked casually.
Evelyn hesitated, but something in his expression made her answer. "Something I found in my father's study. I think it's a code, but I haven't figured out how to crack it yet."
Adrian picked up the journal, flipping through its pages. His brow furrowed, and for a moment, Evelyn thought she saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes.
"This is... interesting," he said, his tone carefully neutral.
"Interesting how?" she pressed.
Adrian placed the journal back on the counter and leaned against the island, his expression unreadable. "Just interesting. Let me know if you need help with it."
Evelyn's instincts told her he wasn't being entirely truthful, but she let it slide. For now.
As Adrian left for the night, Evelyn stared at the journal and flash drive, her determination solidifying. Whatever secrets her father had been keeping, she was going to uncover them.