Chapter 5: The Accident That Wasn’t
For twenty seconds, I couldn’t speak.
The words from Daniel echoed through the phone.
*“Evidence that your father’s death wasn’t an accident.””*
My father’s death.
A subject I had buried so deeply that I almost convinced myself I had forgotten how much it hurt.
I was twenty-seven when he died.
A private plane.
A mechanical failure.
A report that took months.
A funeral attended by hundreds of people.
Everyone told me the same thing.
“Sometimes terrible things happen.””
I accepted it because I had no choice.
Because the alternative was too painful.
Because believing it was an accident was easier than wondering if someone had taken him from me.
I looked at Vanessa.
She was staring at the floor.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
Afraid.
“You knew.””
Her eyes lifted.
“What?””
“You knew my father’s death was connected.””
She immediately shook her head.
“No.””
“Don’t lie to me.””
“I’m not.””
“You’re standing there like you already heard those words before.””
Her lips parted.
Then closed.
That was enough.
“You knew.””
Vanessa looked away.
“I suspected.””
The anger that rose inside me was different from everything before.
The betrayal hurt.
The deception hurt.
But this?
This was something else.
“You suspected my father was murdered, and you said nothing?””
Her eyes filled.
“I didn’t know for sure.””
“You had information.””
“I was trying to find proof.””
“While pretending to love me?””
She flinched.
I regretted nothing about saying it.
Not because I wanted to hurt her.
Because I needed her to understand.
“You don’t get to decide which parts of my life I’m allowed to know.””
“I know.””
“Do you?””
My voice was louder than I intended.
Maria appeared at the kitchen entrance.
“Mr. Mercer?””
I looked at her.
“Call the driver.””
She looked confused.
“Where are you going?””
“My office.””
Daniel’s warning repeated in my mind.
Don’t go there alone.
But there were questions only I could answer.
Questions about my father.
Questions about my company.
Questions about the people I trusted.
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Take me with you.””
I looked at her.
The request surprised me.
“No.””
“Elijah.””
“No.””
“You need to hear what I know.””
“I needed you to tell me eighteen months ago.””
Her face tightened.
“I’m trying to help you.””
“Maybe.””
I paused.
“But I don’t know if you’re helping me because you care about me…”
I looked at the ring on her finger.
“Or because you’re afraid Marcus will lose.””
She looked like I had slapped her.
Maybe I had.
But some wounds needed truth, not comfort.
Twenty-five minutes later, I stood outside Mercer Aerospace headquarters.
The building was nearly empty.
It was past midnight.
The city lights reflected against the glass walls, making the tower look untouched.
Perfect.
That was always the illusion.
From the outside, everything looked strong.
Inside, cracks could be hiding everywhere.
Daniel was waiting near the entrance.
He looked exhausted.
That alone told me how serious this was.
Daniel had worked for me for nine years.
He had handled threats, corporate espionage, and security breaches.
I had seen him remain calm during situations that made other people panic.
Tonight, he looked worried.
“Where is everyone?”” I asked.
“I cleared the building.””
“Why?””
“Because whoever broke in knew exactly where to go.””
He handed me a tablet.
“Watch.””
The security footage played.
My office.
2:13 a.m.
Vanessa and Marcus.
I had already seen that.
Then another video started.
A different angle.
A man entering my office two nights ago.
Not Marcus.
Not Vanessa.
Someone else.
He wore a dark jacket and kept his face hidden.
“What did he take?””
Daniel looked at me.
“That’s the problem.””
“What?””
“He didn’t take anything.””
I frowned.
“He searched.””
“Yes.””
“For what?””
Daniel tapped the screen.
The footage zoomed in.
The man opened my father’s old desk drawer.
The drawer I rarely used.
The drawer where my father kept personal items.
“He knew where to look.””
I felt a chill.
“Who had access to that desk?””
Daniel hesitated.
“Very few people.””
“Name them.””
“You.””
“Obviously.””
“Your father before he died.””
“Dead.””
Daniel nodded.
“Your mother before she passed.””
“Dead.””
He looked at me.
“And Vanessa.””
The silence returned.
I looked away.
“Why would she know?””
Daniel didn’t answer immediately.
That bothered me.
“Daniel.””
“There’s something else.””
“What?””
He opened another file.
A scanned document appeared.
My father’s handwriting.
My heart stopped.
“Where did you get this?””
“From the hidden compartment in the desk.””
I stared.
“The same desk someone searched?””
“Yes.””
“What is it?””
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“It’s a letter.””
“To me?””
“No.””
I opened the document.
The first line made my hands shake.
*“Elijah, if you are reading this, then I failed to protect you.””*
I stopped breathing.
My father had written my name.
Not my company.
Not a business partner.
Me.
I continued.
*“You will hear many stories about what happened. Some will be from people who loved me. Some will be from people who hated me. Trust neither side completely.””*
My eyes moved down.
*“The person who destroys you will not come through the front door. They will come through the people you welcome inside.””*
I looked at Daniel.
Neither of us spoke.
I kept reading.
*“Never give anyone complete access to Mercer Aerospace. Not your employees. Not your friends. Not even the person you plan to marry.””*
My heart sank.
The words felt impossible.
My father wrote this years before I met Vanessa.
Years before she entered my life.
Years before I even considered marriage.
“How did he know?””
Daniel looked at me.
“He didn’t.””
I stared at the letter.
“Then why mention it?””
Daniel’s answer was quiet.
“Because your father had been investigating Marcus Vale’s network for years.””
I continued reading.
The next paragraph was missing.
Torn away.
Someone had removed part of the letter.
“Whoever searched the desk knew about this.””
Daniel nodded.
“And they failed to find it.””
I looked at the security footage again.
The stranger.
The hidden compartment.
The missing piece.
Someone was still searching.
And they weren’t finished.
My phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
One sentence.
*“Ask Vanessa what happened the night your father died.””*
My entire body went cold.
Daniel saw my face.
“What is it?””
I showed him.
His expression changed.
“Do you know who sent it?””
“No.””
Another message arrived.
This time, with a photo.
I opened it.
The picture showed my father’s plane before the crash.
I had seen that image before.
But this one was different.
There was something marked in red.
A small area near the engine.
A note written underneath.
*“The failure was not mechanical.””*
I stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
*“Vanessa knows the truth.””*
My fingers tightened around the phone.
Because suddenly, I remembered something.
Something small.
Something I had ignored.
Two months after I met Vanessa, she asked me a strange question.
A question I thought was random.
She asked:
“What really happened to your father’s plane?””
At the time, I laughed.
I told her the official story.
An accident.
She looked relieved.
I thought she was being sympathetic.
Now I wondered.
Was she checking whether I knew?
Daniel looked at me.
“Mr. Mercer.””
I didn’t answer.
“Whoever sent those messages wants you to distrust Vanessa.””
I looked at the photograph.
Then at the letter.
Then at the security footage.
The truth was becoming more complicated.
Vanessa had lied to me.
That was undeniable.
But someone else was moving in the shadows.
Someone who wanted me to find this.
Someone who wanted Vanessa exposed.
The question was why.
My phone rang.
This time, it wasn’t Daniel.
It was Maria.
I answered immediately.
“Maria?””
Her voice was shaking.
“Mr. Mercer…”
“What happened?””
“I found something.””
“What?””
A pause.
Then she whispered:
“Something Vanessa left behind before she tied me up.””
I straightened.
“What is it?””
Maria took a breath.
“It’s a photograph.””
My heart started beating faster.
“Of what?””
Her voice dropped.
“Of your father.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Where are you?””
“In the house.””
“Don’t touch anything.””
“Sir…”
“Maria, listen to me.””
Another pause.
Then she said:
“Mr. Mercer, you need to come home.””
“Why?””
Her answer made every instinct in my body wake up.
“Because your father wasn’t alone the night he died.””
I gripped the phone.
“What do you mean?””
Maria whispered:
“The photograph shows him standing beside someone.””
May you like
A pause.
“And that person is still alive.””
