Chương 4
Daniel stared at her.
Above them, behind the glass walls, the investors were still waiting.
His company was still at risk.
His life was still divided into pieces that no longer fit together.
But one thought kept returning.
Someone had known exactly where to place a child, a letter, and a name from his past.
And they had expected him to ignore it.
And they had expected him to ignore it.
Daniel remained standing until he realized he was frightening Emma.
He sat back down slowly.
“Who else knows about this?”
Anna looked toward the windows.
“I don’t know.”
“That answer is becoming a problem.”
“I know.”
“You keep bringing me things I can’t verify.”
Anna nodded.
“That’s fair.”
The fact that she admitted it frustrated him more than an argument would have.
People usually fought harder when they were hiding something.
Anna seemed tired of defending herself.
She seemed like someone who had already spent too long trying to convince people who had decided not to listen.
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“What exactly did my brother have to do with your investigation?”
Anna looked at Emma before answering.
“Nothing at first.”
The hesitation made him focus.
“Then what changed?”
“Your brother’s name appeared in a document.”
Daniel felt his expression harden.
“What document?”
“I don’t have it anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because my laptop was taken.”
“Taken by who?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe someone stole your laptop and you just continued working?”
Anna gave him a tired look.
“No.”
“What?”
“I stopped.”
The answer was quiet.
Daniel waited.
“I stopped because I was scared.”
The admission surprised him.
Not because fear was unusual.
Because people rarely admitted it.
Especially people like Anna.
“I thought if I pushed harder, I would lose my job,” she said.
“And you did.”
“Yes.”
“Then why come here tonight?”
Anna looked at Emma.
“Because they found out I still had a copy.”
Daniel felt his pulse quicken.
“A copy of what?”
Anna did not answer.
The silence itself was an answer.
“Where is it?”
“I don’t have it.”
“Anna.”
“I gave it to someone.”
“Who?”
She looked away.
Daniel stood again.
“No.”
“What?”
“You don’t get to bring my daughter’s mother into my office, tell me my company might be compromised, mention my dead brother, and then stop answering questions.”
Anna’s expression changed.
Not fear.
Anger.
“You think this is about you?”
The question stopped him.
“My daughter has not slept properly in two weeks.”
Her voice stayed low, but every word carried weight.
“She thinks every knock on the door means someone is coming for us.”
Daniel said nothing.
“I lost my job.”
“I’m aware.”
“No, you’re aware of the paperwork.”
She leaned forward.
“You’re aware of a sentence in an email.”
The words struck close because they were true.
“You don’t know what happened after.”
Daniel looked down.
He hated that he did not have an answer.
“I sold my car,” Anna continued.
“I borrowed money from my sister.”
“I lied to my daughter because I didn’t want her scared.”
“Then tonight someone followed us.”
Daniel looked up.
“Someone followed you here?”
Anna nodded.
“I thought I lost them.”
“You thought?”
“I was wrong.”
A cold feeling moved through him.
“Where are they now?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel immediately turned toward Marcus.
The security guard was already moving.
“I’ll check outside,” Marcus said.
Daniel appreciated that he did not ask for permission.
He moved like someone who understood that emergencies did not wait for meetings.
Emma watched Anna.
“Are we leaving?”
Anna’s face softened.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
Her mother looked at Daniel.
That answer bothered him.
Because she looked like she was waiting to see what kind of person he would choose to be.
Daniel walked toward the reception desk and picked up the phone.
He called his assistant.
No answer.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Then he called the company security office.
A different person answered.
“Calder & Voss security.”
“This is Daniel Calder.”
A pause.
“Mr. Calder.”
“I need the building access records from tonight.”
“That requires authorization.”
“I’m authorizing it.”
“Sir, I need approval from—”
“Send them to my email.”
The person hesitated.
Daniel knew that hesitation.
It was the hesitation of someone trying to decide whether he was really in charge.
“I’ll need a request form.”
“Then fill one out yourself and attach the records.”
“Mr. Calder—”
“Do you want to explain to me tomorrow why you delayed a security request involving a child in my building?”
The line went quiet.
“Understood.”
Daniel ended the call.
Anna watched him.
“That’s the person you were before.”
He looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
“You solve problems when they are real.”
The comment should have felt like praise.
Instead, it felt like an accusation.
Because he wondered how long he had been solving only the problems people put neatly on his desk.
Marcus returned five minutes later.
His expression had changed.
That was enough.
“What happened?” Daniel asked.
“There was a man outside.”
Anna stood immediately.
“What man?”
“Gray jacket.”
She went pale.
“Did he see us?”
Marcus shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Daniel noticed something in Anna’s reaction.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
“You know him.”
Anna looked at the floor.
“Yes.”
“Who is he?”
“I don’t know his name.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
She took a breath.
“He was one of the people who came to my apartment.”
Daniel felt anger rise.
“When?”
“Two nights ago.”
“And you didn’t call anyone?”
Anna laughed once.
It was a painful sound.
“Who would I call?”
“The police.”
“And tell them what?”
“That someone I can’t identify stood outside my apartment?”
“That someone looked at my daughter through the window?”
Daniel stopped.
Anna swallowed.
“They asked if I still had the files.”
The lobby felt suddenly too open.
Too many windows.
Too many places for someone to watch from.
Daniel walked toward the front entrance.
Marcus stepped in front of him.
“Sir.”
May you like
Daniel stopped.
“He could still be out there.”
