Chapter 4 THRESHOLD OF SECRETS

Lucia's alarm jolted her from a fitful sleep before dawn. Her pillow was damp with sweat, her mind still echoing Brian's final words from yesterday: "Now, let's get started. The future of the company and much more depends on you."

She lay still for a moment, gathering courage. She wasn't sure what "getting started" would entail, but she knew there was no turning back. Folding back the covers, she reached for her phone with no new messages from Brian yet. Only the morning's meeting reminder.

Morning light filtered through the office's glass façade as Lucia arrived, her steps measured. The corridor was empty, but the hush felt ominous. In Brian's office, the red‑stamped folder waited on his desk. He looked up the instant she entered.

"Good," he said, voice calm. "I need you to assemble the shell‑company dossier. All five fronts address, directors, financials. Discreetly. I don't want this traced through official channels."

Lucia swallowed. "Understood."

He handed her a USB drive. "This contains preliminary data. Cross‑check it with internal ledgers. Flag any inconsistencies. And Lucia..." His gaze softened for the briefest moment. "Be precise."

Her heart pounded. "I will."

He nodded and turned back to his screen, as if dismissing her, but she sensed the weight of his watchful eyes.

Back at her desk, Lucia inserted the drive. Rows of cryptic file names blinked on her monitor. She opened the first folder-Phoenix Holdings Ltd.-and scanned the incorporation documents. Nothing illegal at first glance. But then she noticed the registered address: a vacant warehouse in an industrial district.

Why would a tech‑merger shell need a warehouse?

Her pulse quickened. She cross-referenced with Kursh's internal registry. No mention of Phoenix Holdings anywhere else.

So this is one of the "operational shells."

Her fingers flew over the keyboard, pulling up property records, satellite images, and corporate filings. Every link she uncovered deepened the mystery and her dread.

Late morning, Mark appeared at her cubicle, as if materializing from the shadows. His eyes were urgent.

"How's it going?" he whispered.

Lucia hesitated, glancing around. "I'm... compiling the dossier."

Mark's jaw tightened. "Be careful. You're poking around in places even I don't touch."

She met his gaze, torn between trust and fear. "I don't have a choice."

He exhaled sharply. "Then at least let me help you vet these documents. Two heads are better than one especially when you're dealing with Brian Bethel."

Relief and guilt warred in her chest. "Thank you."

He slid into the seat beside her, and together they dove into the next shell company: Aurora Ventures.

Afternoon brought a hush over the office as executives left for lunch. Lucia and Mark pored over Aurora's financials when a notification pinged on her phone:

"Coffee. My office. Now." -Brian

Her stomach dropped. She closed the laptop. "I have to go."

Mark placed a hand on her arm. "Stay sharp."

She nodded and stood, clutching the USB drive like a lifeline.

In Brian's office, the tension was electric. He motioned to a sleek coffee maker in the corner. "Help yourself."

Lucia poured the coffee, trying to steady her hands. When she turned, he was watching her, inscrutable.

"Progress?" he asked, voice low.

She swallowed and handed him the drive. "I've verified two of the five shell companies. Both show discrepancies."

He accepted the drive and walked to the window, looking out at the city. "Good. Soon, you'll see how deep this goes."

She watched him, feeling a swirl of admiration and dread. "I still don't know what Project Nexus truly is."

He didn't turn immediately. When he finally did, his eyes held a flicker of something like regret. "Nexus is more than an asset‑shuffle. It's a power network that controls markets, governments, and lives."

Lucia's breath caught. "Lives?"

He nodded. "And some of those lives belong to people you care about."

Her heart pounded. "What are you saying?"

He stepped closer, lowering his voice until it was a rasp. "Be careful who you trust. Because once you're in, there's no walking away without consequences."

That evening, Lucia found herself back at her apartment, the city lights shimmering through her window. The USB drive sat on her coffee table like a ticking bomb.

She replayed Brian's words: "Some lives belong to people you care about."

Her thoughts raced to her younger sister naïve, trusting. To her best friend, ambitious, loyal.

Could they be in danger?

She knew what she had to do. Tomorrow, she would confront Brian with questions he couldn't evade.

But as she drifted to sleep, the final image in her mind was of Brian's cold gaze, watchful, powerful, and more secret than ever. And she realized: she was standing on the threshold of secrets that could destroy them all.