Chapter 3 Cracks in the Frame

The sun filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Vale Enterprises, casting long, golden streaks across the polished marble floors. The building was as pristine and imposing as its owner-Adrian Vale. Everything about it whispered luxury and power. But Adrian felt none of that this morning. The usual hum of purpose in the corridors felt distant, muffled, like he was submerged under water.

He sat in his office, staring at the wall-sized city view, but his thoughts were far away.

Three days had passed since his father's funeral. Three days since his world had shifted again.

He still couldn't shake the feeling that something about his father's death wasn't right. The autopsy said cardiac arrest, but his gut said otherwise. George Vale had been many things-ruthless, calculated, guarded-but weak wasn't one of them. And the look on his mother's face in the only photo he had left of her haunted him more with each passing night.

"Elena's waiting in the conference room," Caleb said, slipping into the office like a shadow.

Adrian turned slowly. "Thanks. I'll be there."

Caleb hesitated. "You good?"

Adrian's eyes searched his cousin's face. "You tell me."

Caleb laughed lightly. "Still playing chess with ghosts, Adrian?"

Adrian gave a humorless smile. "Only when the living start feeling like pawns."

With that, he rose and left, leaving Caleb behind with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

---

In the conference room, Elena was already seated, her long legs crossed, her dress as immaculate as her poise. Her dark eyes flicked up to him, unreadable.

"You're late," she said, voice smooth as silk.

"You're early," he replied, sinking into the seat across from her.

They stared at each other for a beat too long.

"We need to finalize the Tokyo merger," she said, placing a folder in front of him.

But Adrian didn't reach for it.

"Elena..."

She looked up sharply. "Yes?"

"How long have we been together?"

Her brow furrowed slightly. "Why?"

"Just answer."

She exhaled, leaning back. "Seven years. Give or take."

"Do you ever wonder what we'd be without the company? Without the suits and strategies and obligations?"

She tilted her head. "Are you doubting me?"

"I'm... questioning everything."

Her lips parted slightly. "Because of your father?"

"Because nothing feels real anymore."

Elena's mask slipped, just for a second. "Adrian, we've built something. Together. Don't let grief distort what we are."

But her words, although tender, felt rehearsed.

Adrian studied her carefully, as if seeing her for the first time.

---

Later that night, Adrian stood in his penthouse kitchen, whiskey in hand. Liam sat at the counter, nursing a soda.

"I found Mom's bracelet," Liam said quietly.

Adrian froze. "Where?"

"In the old cellar. Behind Dad's wine racks. It was covered in dust, but... it was hers."

Adrian's chest tightened. That bracelet had gone missing the night their mother had supposedly died.

"Are you sure?"

"I'd bet my life on it."

Adrian gritted his jaw. "Why would it be there?"

"I don't know. Unless... she never left."

A sharp chill sliced through the room. Adrian placed the glass down, the ice clinking sharply.

"Keep this to yourself, Liam."

"Why?"

"Because someone went to great lengths to bury the past."

---

The next day, whispers began to circle in the media.

An anonymous leak suggested Vale Enterprises had been involved in offshore fraud and illegal arms shipments a decade ago-during George Vale's tenure.

Adrian's phone didn't stop ringing. Board members wanted answers. The press wanted a statement. And Caleb... Caleb just smirked.

"Damage control?" Caleb offered.

"No." Adrian's voice was cold. "We don't run from shadows."

---

Meanwhile, Elena stood on a balcony across town, phone pressed to her ear.

"He's suspicious," she said. "But not certain."

The voice on the other end chuckled. "Then we keep the illusion intact. Just a little longer."

Elena's hands trembled slightly, though her voice didn't betray her. "And what if he finds out?"

"Then Adrian Vale will fall. Like his father."

The call ended.

Elena stood motionless, staring at the city. She'd once loved Adrian-or at least, she thought she had. But love had a price. And for her, it came wrapped in betrayal and resentment.

---

Back at the office, Adrian sat alone in his father's old study-one few dared to enter.

He traced the edge of a photograph on the desk. His mother. Smiling. Alive.

Why was there no obituary?

Why no body?

A hidden drawer caught his attention, something he hadn't noticed before. He pulled it open.

Inside was a small journal, bound in faded leather. Pages filled with scribbled notes, business figures... and a single letter addressed to "A.V."

He opened it with trembling fingers.

> My son,

If you've found this, I'm likely gone. But know this-nothing is what it seems. Trust is a currency easily corrupted. Your uncle-Caleb's father-was involved in things even I couldn't stop. And your mother... your mother knew too much.

They came for her first. I tried to protect you both. I failed.

Watch those closest to you. Especially the ones who smile too easily.

-G.V.

Adrian's heart pounded. This wasn't just about business or betrayal. This was war. One hidden under years of manipulation and bloodlines.

He looked up-and Caleb stood in the doorway.

"You shouldn't be in here," Caleb said, voice calm but eyes sharp.

Adrian rose slowly, folding the letter into his pocket. "Neither should you."

A heavy silence passed between them.

Caleb's eyes narrowed. "Careful, cousin. You're starting to sound like the old man."

Adrian's voice was ice. "Maybe that's exactly who I need to be."

---

That night, thunder cracked across the sky.

Adrian stood alone on his rooftop, drenched in rain, lightning flickering in the distance like omens.

He clenched the letter in his hand as his mind raced through memories, conversations, and quiet betrayals.

One thing was now clear-his father's death, his mother's disappearance, the sudden leak of scandals-it was all connected.

He wasn't just defending his empire anymore.

He was unraveling a conspiracy laced with family blood.

And someone-someone close-wanted him silenced next.