Chương 4
The answer surprised Roman.
Maybe because it sounded like something he would have said years ago.
Daniel explained that Marcus had been collecting information for months.
Not just financial records.
Not just company decisions.
Personal things.
Places Roman went.
People he spoke to.
The time he spent away from business meetings.
At first, Daniel thought it was normal.
Roman was a powerful man.
Powerful people attracted enemies.
Security existed because threats existed.
But then Marcus started asking questions about Roman’s plans after retirement.
That was when Daniel became uncomfortable.
“Retirement?” Elena asked.
Daniel nodded.
“He said you wanted to sell several operations.”
Roman looked at Elena.
She did not look surprised.
That bothered him.
“You knew?”
“I suspected.”
“Why did you not tell me?”
“Because you never told me.”
Roman looked away.
That answer irritated him because it was fair.
For years, he had demanded loyalty while giving people only pieces of himself.
He expected others to understand decisions he refused to explain.
Elena noticed his expression.
“Do not turn this into guilt.”
“I am not.”
“You are.”
Roman looked back at her.
“You have known me too long.”
“Yes.”
She closed the folder.
“And that is why I know when you are about to blame yourself for other people’s choices.”
The room became quiet again.
Outside, traffic moved along the road beyond the estate walls.
Normal people were driving home.
Buying groceries.
Picking up children.
Complaining about work.
The world continued even though Roman Hail’s entire life had cracked open in one afternoon.
Daniel continued.
“Marcus thought you were becoming careless.”
“Careless?”
“He said you used to understand the rules.”
Roman’s face hardened.
“And now?”
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“He said now you cared about things that made you weak.”
Nobody needed him to explain.
They all knew what he meant.
Lily.
Me.
The parts of Roman’s life that did not involve control.
The next morning, Roman made a decision that surprised everyone.
He sent most of the security staff home.
Not fired.
Not arrested.
Sent home.
People inside Blackridge Estate immediately started talking.
Some thought it was a sign of weakness.
Some thought Roman was planning something worse.
Nobody knew what to believe.
That was the problem with fear.
It created rumors faster than truth.
I found him in the kitchen making coffee.
The sight was so ordinary that it almost felt strange.
Roman Hail, the man whose name appeared in newspaper investigations and whispered conversations, stood in a quiet kitchen wearing a plain black shirt and waiting for a machine to finish making coffee.
“You make your own coffee?” I asked.
He looked at me.
“Sometimes.”
“You have people for everything.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
He shrugged.
“Because some things are easier when nobody else does them.”
It was not a profound answer.
That was why I believed it.
Lily walked in wearing pajamas covered in cartoon animals.
She looked at Roman.
“You are still alive.”
Roman looked at her.
“That was the plan.”
She nodded seriously.
“Good.”
Then she climbed onto a chair and started eating cereal.
I almost laughed.
Almost.
The normalness of it felt impossible.
Roman watched her for a moment.
“She talks to everyone like they are equally important.”
“She is three.”
“Exactly.”
I poured myself coffee.
“Adults forget that.”
Roman did not respond.
He looked tired.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
Like a person who had spent years carrying a version of himself that was becoming too heavy.
Later that day, the investigation revealed the first major problem.
The truck driver’s statement disappeared.
Not lost.
Deleted.
The police report remained.
The hospital record remained.
But the recorded interview file was gone from the system.
Elena discovered it while reviewing the digital evidence.
“This was not random,” she said.
Roman stood behind her desk.
“Can it be recovered?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
She turned around.
“Roman, you have spent your life believing money can solve every problem.”
“It usually helps.”
“It helps with access.”
She pointed at the computer.
“It does not help with everything.”
He looked annoyed.
That was normal.
Roman hated being told there were limits.
“Someone with administrative access removed the file.”
“Who?”
“We are finding out.”
He looked at the screen.
“And if we find them?”
Elena held his gaze.
“Then you decide whether you want justice or revenge.”
The words bothered him because they were exactly the words he needed to hear.
Not because they were easy.
Because they were difficult.
That evening, the estate held a meeting with every remaining employee.
Roman stood in front of them without his usual security around him.
People looked nervous.
Some looked angry.
Some looked embarrassed.
He did not give a speech.
That surprised them.
“I know many of you are afraid,” he said.
Nobody moved.
“I know some of you saw things you did not report.”
A few people looked down.
“I also know fear has been part of this place for a long time.”
The sentence caused discomfort.
Because everyone knew it was true.
Roman looked around the room.
“That changes now.”
One employee raised his hand slightly.
A young woman from the administrative office.
“Are we in danger?”
Roman paused.
It was not a question he could answer with confidence.
“Yes,” he said.
The room tightened.
“But not from me.”
Nobody expected that.
He continued.
“If you know something, you can speak.”
A man near the back crossed his arms.
“And if we do?”
Roman looked at him.
“Then you will have to trust that I mean what I say.”
The man looked unconvinced.
That was fair.
Trust was not restored by one sentence.
Roman understood that.
For years, he had expected loyalty because he demanded it.
Now he was learning that loyalty built through fear disappeared the moment fear weakened.
After the meeting, Owen, the young security guard who had admitted staying silent, approached me.
“I need to tell you something.”
I looked at him.
“About the crash?”
He nodded.
May you like
“I saw Marcus near the gate that morning.”
“Why did you not say anything?”
