Chapter Five

Lucy

"Ms. George. I've been expecting you."

The voice was deep, calm, and controlled. The kind of voice that commanded attention without ever needing to raise itself. My entire body went rigid. 

Slowly, I turned around. And for the first time in my life, I came face-to-face with Albert Craig.

For a moment, I simply stared. Not because he was a billionaire. Not because his face had appeared in magazines and business journals. But because he looked... normal. Well, a billionaire was normal. Tall, impeccably dressed, with dark hair and a sharp jawline.

The kind of confidence that couldn't be bought or faked. His gray eyes settled on me with quiet intensity. Studying, observing, and evaluating. It felt as though he could see straight through me. I immediately hated that feeling.

Albert stepped aside. "Please come in." I remained where I was. Suspicion won over manners. "You know, most people introduce themselves before inviting strangers to private meetings."

Something flickered across his expression. Amusement. "Fair point." His lips curved slightly.

"I'm Albert Craig." I folded my arms. "Lucy George." "Yes." The answer came a little too quickly. As if he already knew everything about me. Which, honestly, was becoming increasingly obvious. A long silence followed.

Finally, Albert gestured toward the open door. "Would you like to continue this conversation in the hallway?" I glanced around. Then sighed.

Unfortunately, he had a point. Reluctantly, I stepped inside.

The suite was larger than my entire apartment. Possibly larger than my parents' house. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline. Modern furniture filled the room. Everything looked expensive. Very expensive.

I suddenly became aware of my shoes, my clothes, and my entire existence.

Albert closed the door behind us. The soft click echoed through the room. My nerves instantly doubled. He noticed. Of course, he did. "You can relax."

I laughed. The sound came out sharper than intended. "That's easy for you to say." His eyebrows lifted slightly. "Why?"

"Because you're not the one who received mysterious phone calls, cryptic emails, and invitations to secret meetings." To my surprise, he nodded. "Fair." At least he wasn't pretending otherwise.

Albert motioned toward a seating area near the windows. "Would you like coffee?" "No." "Tea?" "No." "Water?" "No."

A corner of his mouth twitched. "You're making hospitality difficult." "Good." That earned an actual smile. A small one, but real. And unexpectedly attractive. I immediately ignored that observation. 

We sat across from each other. A low table separated us. The silence stretched. I broke first. "What do you want?" Straight to the point. No games and no small talk.

Albert leaned back slightly. His expression remained unreadable. "I wanted to meet you."

"Why?" "Because you're important." I blinked. "What?" The answer made absolutely no sense. Important? Me?

There were approximately eight billion people on the planet. I wasn't important. Not in the way he meant.

Albert folded his hands together. "I understand this is confusing."

"That's an understatement." Another hint of amusement appeared. I was beginning to suspect he found my irritation entertaining. The thought annoyed me a lot. "Start explaining," I said. Albert's gaze held mine. Steady and direct.

For a moment, I thought he might actually answer. Instead, he asked, "How much do you know about your father's business?" My stomach dropped immediately. Every instinct sharpened. Every nerve became alert. There it was. The reason. The connection. Dad.

"What does my father have to do with this?" Albert didn't answer immediately. A dangerous sign. The longer people waited to answer, the worse the answer usually was.

"Mr. George's company collapsed seven years ago." "I know."

"It wasn't an accident." The room went silent. I stared at him. Certain I'd misunderstood. "What?" Albert's expression remained calm. Too calm. "Your father's company didn't fail naturally." My pulse thundered. "No."

The word escaped automatically. A denial, a rejection, and a refusal. Because if that were true, everything I thought I knew was wrong.

Albert continued. "There were people involved." I shot to my feet. "No." This time louder. More forceful. "You don't get to walk into my life and start making claims about my family."

His gaze never wavered. "I expected this reaction." "Good." My hands trembled. Whether from anger or fear, I wasn't sure. "Because this sounds insane."

Albert remained seated. Calm and collected. Infuriatingly calm. "I have proof." The words hit harder than they should have. Proof, not theories, not assumptions. 

My heart pounded. Part of me wanted to hear more. The other part wanted to leave immediately. "Why are you telling me this?"

For the first time, something shifted in his expression. Not much, just enough. A flicker of guilt, gone almost instantly, but I saw it. And suddenly I knew. The realization hit like a freight train.

My blood ran cold. "You were involved." The words came out barely above a whisper. Albert didn't answer. He didn't deny it either. That was worse. I stared at him. Horror slowly replaced confusion.

"You were involved." This time it wasn't a question. His jaw tightened. A muscle ticked. Confirmation. Not complete, not direct, but enough.

My stomach churned. "No." I took a step backward. Then another.

The room suddenly felt suffocating, Impossible to breathe, Impossible to think. All I could see was my father sitting at our kitchen table. Defeated, broken, and destroyed by years of failure.

And the man sitting across from me knew something about it. Maybe had even contributed to it. Anger exploded inside me. Hot, immediate, and violent. "You knew."

Albert stood. "Lucy—" "You knew." His silence answered for him. The rage only grew. "You knew all this time."

"It isn't that simple." I laughed. A harsh, bitter sound. "Of course it isn't." Nothing ever was. Not when rich people were involved. Not when powerful people made decisions that ruined ordinary lives.

Albert took a step forward. I stepped back immediately.

The movement stopped him. Good. Because if he came any closer, I might actually scream. "You don't understand the full story."

"Then tell me." The challenge hung between us, heavy, sharp, and dangerous.!For several seconds, neither of us moved.

Then Albert said something that changed everything. Something I never expected to hear. Something that made my heart stop. "Your father isn't the only George who was targeted."

The room spun. I stared at him. Certain I'd heard wrong. "What?" Albert's eyes locked onto mine, grim, serious, and certain. "There was another person involved." 

My pulse hammered. A cold chill crawled down my spine. Another person? Who? Mom? Sophia? Someone else? Fear twisted inside me. The kind that arrives before disaster. The kind that warns you something terrible is coming.

Albert reached for a folder lying on the table beside him. Slowly, carefully, almost reluctantly. Then he placed it in front of me.

My gaze dropped to it. The folder was thick, packed with documents, evidence, secrets, and answers. Whatever was inside had the power to change everything.

I looked back at Albert. My voice shook. "What's in there?" His expression hardened. And when he answered, his words sent terror racing through me.

"The reason your family has been living a lie for seven years."