Chapter 7 Father, Son, and Secrets

The next morning was colder than usual.Not outside, inside. Inside Jace's chest, inside his thoughts.

He didn't sleep. He couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his father's blurred figure on that screen. Every time he blinked, he heard Crane's voice. Calm and smooth. Just like it had always been.

But now Jace knew.

Something had happened that night. Something he wasn't supposed to find and someone was warning him to stop digging.

But he couldn't stop. He wouldn't, not when it seemed everything was coming to light.

When River walked into the kitchen, Jace was already dressed and staring blankly at the untouched coffee pot.

"You okay?" River asked.

Jace didn't answer right away. Then, softly, "I used to trust that man. Crane. He taught me how to present at board meetings. How to read contracts. How to handle power without blinking."

River poured coffee. "And now?"

Jace met his eyes. "Now I think he murdered my father."

The silence stretched between them.

River pushed a mug across the counter. "Then we take him down."

Jace nodded once. "I need access to all the old company footage. Every floor, every file. Anything that connects to Crane."

"I'll help you dig," River said. "But first... we talk about you."

Jace froze. "What?"

"You didn't sleep. You haven't eaten. You're unraveling."

"I'm fine," Jace said automatically.

River stepped closer. "No, you're functioning. That's not the same thing."

Jace swallowed hard. "I can't fall apart."

"Then lean."

Jace looked at him sharply.

River's voice was softer now. "If you won't break, then lean on something or on someone. You're not alone in this."

It took everything Jace had not to react.

Because the truth? Those words hit too deep. Too hard. He didn't want to need anyone. But part of him already did.

They spent the day working from the penthouse. River reviewed the security feeds Sasha delivered. Jace combed through old internal emails, board notes, archived reports. Most of it was sanitized and claned.

But something felt wrong.

A pattern in the way things disappeared. Certain time stamps were always missing. Certain emails always forwarded to the same account, Crane's private server.

At exactly 3:17 p.m., Jace froze mid-click.

River noticed. "What is it?"

Jace pointed. "That name. 'Marlin.' It's in the transfer log three times."

"So?"

"It was my father's codename for private contacts. He told me never to trust anyone who used it without his permission."

River leaned closer. "You think someone's impersonating him?"

"I think someone knew the codename after my father died and I think they've been accessing files using his backdoor keys for five years."

River's jaw tightened. "We need to find out who."

Jace nodded.

But before they could dig deeper, Sasha walked in, her face pale, holding a tablet.

"You both need to see this," she said. "Now."

She dropped the tablet on the counter. A news site was open. The headline was still fresh:

BREAKING: "Anonymous Source Alleges Jace Maddox's Father Was Murdered By Board Member"

River cursed under his breath. Jace's face went blank.

"Who leaked it?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sasha said. "But the media's eating it alive. They're dragging Crane. The board is panicking."

Jace's fingers tightened around the counter edge. "It wasn't us. We didn't leak anything."

"Then someone's moving ahead of us," River said.

Sasha pointed to the byline. "It was published by a freelance reporter, Noah Lang."

Jace's eyes narrowed. "He used to write about my father. Tech exposés. He vanished right after the funeral."

River grabbed his keys. "We find him."

"I'll trace his last known address," Sasha said.

They moved fast. Within the hour, River had Jace in the back seat of a secured car, Sasha feeding him directions, tension rising with every street they passed.

The building was old, tucked between warehouses on the edge of Brooklyn. It was abandoned and quiet.

River scanned the area, gun hidden under his coat, then nodded for Jace to follow him up.

They climbed the narrow stairs. The hallway smelled like dust and mildew.

Apartment 6C.

River knocked. There was no answer.

He knocked again,louder this time.

Then a voice from inside, rough and scared. "Go away!"

Jace stepped forward. "Noah, it's Jace Maddox. I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk."

Silence.

Then locks clicked. Slowly.

The door cracked open.

A man with hollow eyes and an unshaved jaw peeked out. "You shouldn't be here."

Jace kept his voice calm. "You leaked the story. Why?"

Noah hesitated. Then opened the door fully.

"I didn't leak it," he said. "I sent it as a warning."

Jace blinked. "To who?"

"To you," Noah said. "Because you're next."

River stepped forward. "Start talking."

Noah backed up, rubbing his face. "I've been hiding for years. Your father trusted me. He gave me files. A list of people he thought were watching him. But before he could release it, he died."

"What was on the list?" Jace asked.

Noah turned to him, eyes full of fear.

"A name. One name."

"Crane?"

Noah shook his head.

River stiffened. "Then who?"

Noah whispered:

"Dominic Hale."

River went still.

Jace looked between them. "Who's that?"

River's face had gone blank. Too blank.

He didn't answer.

Jace stepped closer. "River?"

River's jaw clenched. His voice was low.

"He's my father."