Chapter 15 - THE LEDGER OF NAMESThe discovery changed everything.
Ethan stared at the photograph.
“My father.”
The boss looked at him.
“Then our families were connected.”
“Before either of us was born.”
Maya carefully photographed every page of the ledger.
Names.
Dates.
Payments.
Meetings.
Secret locations.
The deeper they went, the worse it became.
A senator had received money through a charity.
A judge had received property.
A defense contractor had received government contracts.
A television executive had received private intelligence.
The boss stared at the pages.
“They bought everyone.”
Maya shook her head.
“Not everyone.”
She pointed to one name.
Her own.
The boss looked at her.
“You?”
She nodded.
“I was supposed to disappear.”
“Why?”
“Because I found this three years ago.”
Ethan suddenly looked toward the entrance.
“We need to leave.”
Maya closed the ledger.
“Why?”
“Because we're not alone.”
A man walked into the archive room.
Suit.
Gray hair.
Calm expression.
The boss recognized him.
The security chief.
He smiled.
“You've made this surprisingly easy.”
The boss stepped forward.
“You killed my mother.”
“No.”
“You tried to kill the girl.”
“No.”
“You erased my memory.”
“No.”
The boss's face tightened.
“Then what did you do?”
The chief smiled.
“I protected the system.”
Maya raised her camera.
“Everything is recorded.”
The chief laughed.
“You still believe recordings matter.”
He pressed a button.
Every electronic device in the room shut down.
Maya stared at the dead screen.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
The chief looked at the boss.
“You gave me the ledger.”
The boss realized.
The memory card.
The devices.
The uploads.
It had all been a trap.
The chief stepped closer.
“You were never meant to destroy the network.”
“What was I meant to do?”
“Replace it.”
The boss stared.
The chief continued.
“Your father wanted a successor.”
“My father is dead.”
The chief smiled.
“No.”
The room fell silent.
“He's waiting.”
The boss's expression changed.
“Where?”
The chief pointed toward the underground passage.
“Below the city.”
The girl stepped forward.
“You're lying.”
The chief looked at her.
“No, sweetheart.”
He smiled.
“Your father is the only person who can tell him who he really is.”
The girl looked at the boss.
Then whispered:
“Don't go.”
The boss crouched.
“I have to.”
She shook her head.
“Mommy said if he ever asks you to follow him, you must never go.”
The boss looked at the chief.
“What did my father ask you to do?”
May you like
The chief smiled.
“Bring you home.”
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