Chapter 4 A Glimpse Through Cracks

The Vale mansion stood tall under the silver gaze of the moon, its pristine walls hiding stories that could bring empires down. Inside, Adrian Vale sat in his private study, fingers steepled under his chin, eyes scanning a set of confidential financial reports that didn't quite add up. The numbers were too perfect-flawless in a way that made them suspicious.

He had always trusted Caleb to oversee the auditing. Trusted. Past tense.

There was a soft knock.

"Come in," Adrian called, voice flat.

Liam stepped inside, barefoot, clutching a half-finished Rubik's cube. The younger Vale had always been brilliant with puzzles-except the ones that involved people.

"You're still up," Liam said, stepping into the warm light.

Adrian gave a tired nod. "Couldn't sleep."

Liam plopped onto the leather couch, rotating the cube in his hands. "You've been weird lately. What's going on?"

Adrian sighed. "Do you trust Caleb?"

Liam blinked. "Uh... yeah? I mean, he's basically family."

"Family doesn't always mean loyalty."

Liam froze. "Did something happen?"

Adrian stood and moved toward the window. The lights of the city blinked like secrets waiting to be discovered. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

---

Across the city, Elena stood before a mirror in her penthouse apartment, her silk robe hanging loosely around her shoulders. Caleb moved behind her, buttoning his shirt slowly, his lips brushing her bare shoulder.

"He's starting to suspect," she murmured.

"Let him." Caleb's tone was smug. "The more he suspects, the more desperate he becomes. Desperation leads to mistakes."

Elena turned to him, her eyes hard. "You forget who you're talking to, Caleb. If he finds out, everything we've built crumbles."

"Everything he built, you mean," Caleb corrected, pulling on his cufflinks. "We're just taking what's rightfully ours."

She narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Instead, she stepped closer and kissed him deeply-desperate, passionate, full of buried rage and lust. Their bodies collided as the robe slid off her shoulders, pooling to the floor. Caleb lifted her onto the marble counter with practiced ease, his mouth trailing heat down her collarbone. Their affair was fire-burning, unrepentant, and dangerously addictive.

---

Two days later, Adrian sat in a discreet café downtown, across from Clara Mendez, a private forensic accountant he'd hired in secret.

"There are some unusual inconsistencies," Clara said, pushing a file toward him. "Three dummy corporations. Funds being funneled. And two transactions traced to an offshore account in Zurich."

Adrian's jaw tightened. "Who has access?"

Clara paused. "Only two people, according to your system-Caleb Vale and Elena Dawson."

The name hit like a brick.

"Are you sure?"

"I don't make mistakes, Mr. Vale."

He leaned back, fingers gripping the edges of the file. Everything inside him went cold.

---

That night, Liam walked into Adrian's room unannounced, only to find his brother staring at an old photograph of the three of them-Adrian, Caleb, and Elena-taken at the company's fifth anniversary celebration.

"I never thought I'd say this," Adrian murmured without looking up, "but I think I've been blind for far too long."

Liam moved closer, eyes scanning the photo. "You still don't have proof."

"No," Adrian said, eyes hardening. "But I will."

---

At a lavish gala hosted by Vale Enterprises a week later, Adrian watched them.

Elena, radiant in a black velvet gown.

Caleb, confident in his Armani suit.

They played their roles flawlessly. Laughing. Toasting. Whispering in corners.

But Adrian saw through the veil now. Every smile was a lie. Every touch a betrayal. And beneath it all, a storm brewed within him-silent, dangerous, patient.

As the night wore on, he excused himself and went to the security room. There, he met Eric, his new head of surveillance.

"I want every movement tracked," Adrian ordered. "Especially theirs. No detail too small."

Eric nodded, understanding the weight behind the request.

Back on the floor, Caleb leaned toward Elena. "He's watching us."

Elena gave a soft smile, sipping her champagne. "Then let's give him something worth watching."

---

Later that night, Adrian sat alone in his study. He pulled open the drawer, retrieving a hidden flash drive. Inside it was something from years ago-an old security recording his father had kept locked away.

He hadn't watched it yet.

He hadn't needed to.

But tonight felt different. He plugged it in.

The grainy footage showed a heated argument between his father and... Caleb.

"...You're not ready. You never will be. You're reckless."

"I gave you everything! I was loyal! And you handed it to him!"

"You're not his father, Caleb."

Caleb lunged. The screen crackled. And then it went dark.

Adrian sat there, heart pounding, bile rising in his throat.

His father had known.

And now Adrian knew too.