The morning after the gala didn't feel like a new day.
Amelia had barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she found herself back in that grand hall, surrounded by glittering lights and quiet conversations, with Xavier's gaze following her across the room.
It was irritating how clearly she remembered everything.
The way he spoke.
The way he watched her.
The way he seemed to notice things she hadn't said aloud.
Amelia took a slow sip of coffee and glanced at the notes on her phone.
They were supposed to help her organize the article she had started working on, but her concentration kept slipping.
Steel Corporation.
The gala.
The strange conversations she had overheard.
And Xavier.
She rubbed her forehead.
She needed to stop thinking about him.
Her phone buzzed.
She looked down.
Amelia, we need to talk. Urgent. Beth.
Her stomach tightened.
Beth didn't use the word urgent casually.
Amelia grabbed her bag and left almost immediately.
They met at a small café tucked away in a quieter part of the city.
It was one of the few places where they could talk without constantly being interrupted.
Beth was already there.
That alone told Amelia something was wrong.
Beth was usually late, or at least casually on time. But today, she was sitting with her laptop open, her expression unusually serious.
Amelia slid into the seat opposite her.
"What is it?"
Beth closed the laptop.
"Something came up at work."
Amelia frowned.
"What kind of something?"
"I was helping with some old corporate records yesterday."
Beth hesitated.
"One of the files contained information about your parents."
Amelia's body went still.
"My parents?"
Beth nodded.
"I wasn't looking for anything about them. Their names were in some older documents connected to a business case."
Amelia leaned forward.
"What documents?"
"That's the problem. Some of the records are incomplete. Some pages are missing, and a few references don't match the information that was officially reported."
A cold feeling settled in Amelia's chest.
"What are you saying?"
Beth took a breath.
"I'm saying there may be more to your parents' deaths than you were told."
Amelia stared at her.
"No."
Her voice came out quieter than she expected.
"It was an accident. It was investigated."
"I know."
"Then why are you saying this?"
"Because the records don't completely line up."
Beth looked down at her hands.
"I can't tell you that they were murdered. I don't have proof of that. But there are inconsistencies."
Amelia's fingers tightened around her coffee cup.
"What kind of inconsistencies?"
"Old business connections. Names that appear in places they shouldn't. A company involved in one of the transactions also appears in documents connected to your parents."
Amelia swallowed.
"What company?"
Beth hesitated.
"Steel Corporation."
The room seemed to go quiet.
Amelia stared at her.
"That doesn't mean Xavier had anything to do with it."
"I didn't say he did."
"You were thinking it."
"Amelia, I'm telling you what I found. That's all."
Amelia leaned back.
Her thoughts were moving too quickly.
Her parents.
Steel Corporation.
Xavier.
The gala.
The anonymous email she had received.
Not everything is as it seems. Watch your back, Amelia Winters.
Could all of these things really be connected?
She shook her head.
It was too much.
Too many pieces with no clear picture.
"Don't jump to conclusions," Beth said quietly. "That's exactly what whoever is behind this would want."
Amelia looked at her.
"Whoever?"
Beth nodded.
"We don't know what we're dealing with yet."
That sentence somehow frightened Amelia more than anything else.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur.
When Amelia returned to Metro Daily, she tried to focus on her work.
She opened her laptop and pulled up the notes from the gala.
Steel Corporation.
Recent acquisitions.
Delayed projects.
Executives who avoided certain questions.
She started sorting through everything she had gathered.
But now every detail felt different.
Before, she had been looking for a story.
Now she was wondering whether the story had somehow found her first.
A few hours later, movement near the entrance caught her attention.
Several people from management were walking toward the lobby.
Amelia barely looked up until she heard a familiar voice.
"Mr. Steel, this way, please."
Her fingers stopped moving.
Slowly, she raised her head.
Xavier.
He had arrived with two men from his company, dressed in a dark suit and looking completely at ease.
Apparently, Steel Corporation was meeting with the newspaper's management about a business partnership.
Of course.
Amelia immediately looked back at her screen.
She wasn't going to stare.
She wasn't going to give him another reason to tease her.
Unfortunately, she felt his presence before she saw him.
"Amelia."
She looked up.
Xavier stood beside her desk.
His eyes briefly moved over the papers in front of her.
"You look tired."
"I'm working."
"That wasn't an answer."
"It was the answer you're getting."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Still stubborn."
"Still annoying."
He almost laughed.
"You're on edge."
Amelia's expression tightened.
"I'm fine."
"You weren't this defensive last night."
"Maybe I had a better night's sleep then."
His gaze remained on her.
"You didn't."
It wasn't a question.
Amelia frowned.
"How would you know?"
"You look like someone who spent the night thinking too much."
Her pulse skipped.
For a moment, she wondered how much he actually knew.
Then she reminded herself that he was simply observant.
She closed the folder in front of her.
"You're here for a meeting. Shouldn't you be somewhere else?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"This is my workplace."
"And I'm here for business."
"Then we're both where we're supposed to be."
His expression shifted slightly.
He seemed amused by her answer.
Then his eyes dropped to the folder again.
"Steel Corporation?"
Amelia's heart gave a small jump.
She kept her face neutral.
"It's part of my assignment."
"Careful with what you publish."
The words were calm.
Almost casual.
But Amelia didn't miss them.
She looked up.
"Is that a warning?"
"No."
He paused.
"Advice."
"I didn't ask for either."
"I know."
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then someone from management called his name.
Xavier glanced toward the lobby.
"I have to go."
"Good."
His lips curved.
"You really enjoy dismissing me."
"Someone has to."
He gave her one last look before walking away.
Amelia watched him disappear toward the conference room.
Something about the conversation bothered her.
Not because he had threatened her.
He hadn't.
It was the fact that he had told her to be careful.
Why?
By evening, Amelia was exhausted.
She packed her things and left the office, hoping the fresh air would clear her head.
She had barely reached the sidewalk when she noticed someone across the street.
A man stood beneath the dim glow of a streetlamp.
Amelia slowed.
The figure stepped forward.
Kale.
Her surprise was quickly replaced by suspicion.
"What are you doing here?"
Kale glanced around before looking at her.
"You shouldn't be walking around alone."
Amelia frowned.
"Why?"
"There are people watching."
A chill ran through her.
"Who?"
"I don't know exactly."
"You don't know?"
"I know enough to tell you to be careful."
Amelia studied him.
Kale looked different tonight.
Less playful.
Less confident.
Almost nervous.
"Why are you telling me this?"
He hesitated.
"Because you don't know what you've stepped into."
Amelia's expression hardened.
"What does that mean?"
Kale glanced toward the street before lowering his voice.
"Some people don't like questions."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I can give you here."
He looked toward the dark windows of the buildings surrounding them.
"Don't trust everyone who offers you information. And don't assume the person warning you is automatically on your side either."
Amelia stared at him.
"What are you hiding?"
Kale's jaw tightened.
"Nothing I can explain right now."
"Then why come here?"
He looked at her for a long moment.
"To tell you to be careful."
Then he stepped back.
"That's all."
"Kale."
He stopped.
Amelia wanted to ask a hundred questions.
About her parents.
About Steel Corporation.
About Xavier.
About why he suddenly cared enough to warn her.
But before she could speak, Kale turned and walked away.
Amelia remained where she was.
She didn't trust him.
Not completely.
She had never fully understood him, even when he had been with Beth. There had always been something she couldn't quite place.
And now he was suddenly appearing outside her workplace, warning her about people watching her.
That was not a coincidence.
At least, she didn't think it was.
Amelia looked down the street.
For the first time, the city felt different.
Every passing car seemed suspicious.
Every unfamiliar face made her wonder if someone was watching.
She thought about Beth's discovery.
Her parents.
Steel Corporation.
The anonymous message.
Xavier's warning.
And now Kale.
There were too many pieces.
But she still had no idea how they fit together.
Amelia tightened her grip on her bag and started walking.
She had spent years believing she knew how her parents died.
Now she wasn't even sure she knew the truth about her own past.
And if someone had really been hiding something all these years, Amelia had no intention of letting them keep it buried.
She just had to figure out who she could trust before she started digging too deep.
Because sometimes, the most dangerous thing about uncovering the truth wasn't what you found.
It was who noticed you were looking.