Chapter Fifteen: Twenty-Four Hours

The room went silent.

No one took their eyes off the photograph.

The timer on the black box continued counting down.

23:59:37...

23:59:36...

Zara's stomach tightened.

"Is... is that a bomb?"

Evelyn slowly shook her head.

"We don't know."

Adrian had already picked up his car keys.

"We're leaving."

Detective Adebayo stepped into the office just as Adrian reached the door.

"I figured you wouldn't wait."

"I don't have time to wait."

"The bomb squad has already been contacted."

"I'm still going."

The detective studied him for a moment before nodding.

"Fine."

"I'm coming with you," Zara said.

Adrian looked at her immediately.

"No."

"I can help."

"You've done enough."

"I'm still coming."

He sighed.

"You really don't listen."

"You noticed."

For a brief second, the corner of his mouth lifted.

Then his expression turned serious again.

"Stay close to me."

---

The drive to the clinic felt much longer than it actually was.

Rain had started falling, covering the windshield with tiny droplets.

No one spoke.

The only sound inside the SUV was the steady movement of the wipers.

Zara sat beside Evelyn in the second row while Adrian stared straight ahead.

She glanced at him.

His hands were steady.

His face wasn't.

For the first time since she'd met him, he looked afraid.

Not for himself.

For someone he loved.

---

Police cars surrounded the small private clinic.

Red and blue lights flashed across the wet pavement.

The area had already been evacuated.

As soon as Adrian stepped out of the SUV, a police officer approached him.

"Mr. Knight."

"Where's my grandmother?"

"She's safe."

Relief washed across his face.

"Can I see her?"

"She's inside."

"And the box?"

The officer pointed toward an isolated examination room.

"The bomb squad hasn't touched it yet."

Detective Adebayo arrived a few moments later.

"We'll all stay behind the safety line."

Adrian nodded reluctantly.

Zara followed him into the building.

The clinic smelled strongly of disinfectant.

Doctors and nurses hurried quietly through the corridors.

Near the end of one hallway sat an elderly woman wrapped in a grey blanket.

The moment she saw Adrian, tears filled her eyes.

"My boy."

He crossed the room in seconds.

Without saying a word, he knelt beside her and hugged her gently.

Zara looked away.

The moment felt too personal.

After nearly a minute, Adrian spoke.

"Did they hurt you?"

His grandmother smiled weakly.

"They fed me."

"They treated me well."

"They kept apologizing."

Everyone in the room exchanged confused looks.

Detective Adebayo frowned.

"They apologized?"

She nodded.

"Especially one young man."

Ethan.

Zara was almost certain of it.

"He kept saying..."

The older woman paused, trying to remember.

"...'I'm sorry, ma'am. This shouldn't have involved you.'"

Adrian slowly closed his eyes.

Zara could tell he was thinking about the shooting.

Maybe Ethan really wasn't the person giving the orders.

---

A loud voice echoed from the next room.

"We're ready."

The bomb disposal team had arrived.

Everyone moved farther back.

The black box sat alone on a metal examination table.

The timer now read:

22:48:19

The lead technician carefully examined it.

"No visible wires."

He slowly opened a small inspection camera.

"No pressure switch."

Another technician frowned.

"That's strange."

"What?"

"I don't think this is an explosive."

The room became quiet.

The lead technician slowly lifted the lid.

Everyone held their breath.

Inside...

There wasn't a bomb.

There wasn't any weapon.

There was only a single envelope.

The technician looked relieved.

"I think it's safe."

Detective Adebayo stepped forward wearing protective gloves.

He carefully removed the envelope.

Across the front, elegant handwriting read:

For Adrian Knight Only.

Adrian accepted it without speaking.

He unfolded the letter.

His expression changed almost immediately.

"What is it?" Zara asked softly.

He didn't answer.

Instead, he handed the letter to the detective.

Adebayo read it silently.

Then looked back at Adrian.

"Do you know who wrote this?"

Adrian nodded once.

"My father."

Zara blinked.

"I thought he was dead."

"He is."

She looked even more confused.

"Then..."

"This letter is twenty years old."

Silence spread through the hallway.

Detective Adebayo looked at the date.

It was true.

The paper had yellowed with age.

The handwriting looked faded.

"What does it say?" Zara asked.

Adrian hesitated before answering.

"My father wrote..."

His voice caught slightly.

"...that if anything ever happened to him..."

He swallowed.

"...I should never trust the board of directors."

Evelyn's eyes widened.

"What?"

"He believed someone inside the company planned his death."

The words landed like a heavy stone.

Zara looked from Adrian to the detective.

"So this started years ago?"

"Long before I became CEO."

Detective Adebayo folded the letter carefully.

"If this is authentic..."

"It changes everything."

Before anyone could continue, one of the younger officers came running down the hallway.

"Sir!"

The detective turned.

"What happened?"

"We've identified the car used in last night's attack."

"And?"

"It belongs to one of Knight Technologies' senior executives."

Adrian frowned.

"Who?"

The officer looked down at his notebook.

"It's registered to..."

He stopped speaking.

"Registered to who?" Adrian repeated.

The officer looked up.

His face had gone pale.

"Sir..."

"It belongs to..."

He took a slow breath.

"...Miss Evelyn Brooks."

The hallway fell into stunned silence.

Evelyn stared at the officer in complete disbelief.

"What?"

Adrian turned to look at her.

For the first time since they had met...

He didn't know whether to trust the person standing beside him.