The moment Lia entered the dimly lit storage room, she felt a chill run down her spine. The smell of old and forgotten files filled the room, and though it was not the aroma that made Lia apprehensive, it was the memory it brought along.
Leo trailed behind, as quiet as ever, his presence a combination of protection and intimidation. Lia's heart pounded in her chest. He didn't need to say a word, the pressure of his expectations weighing down upon her, and yet, beneath it all, there was trust. Something fragile, something impossible, something that she could neither ignore nor define.
"Do you think you're right on this?" Lia whispered lightly, her fingers touching the filing cabinet. "We shouldn't be here anyway. You realize that?"
Leo's eyes locked with hers, dark and unswerving. "The past has a habit of catching up with you, Lia. And if we don't confront it. then we'll never be able to move forward."
Her stomach tightened as she pulled open the top drawer, showing the neatly filed folders with names and dates marked on each one. The folders containing information on Vanessa's deceits, discrepancies in finances, and old contracts long forgotten loomed back at her like spirits from a past that nobody wanted to remember.
"Leo, these files," she said, her words hardly above a whisper. "They are more than I expected. This is more than sabotage—it's systemic sabotage. This has been orchestrated for months, perhaps years."
Leo drew closer, his touch drifting along her shoulder as he leaned in to examine the papers. It was fleeting, and his touch sparked Lia's pulse. "I know, and I need you to stick with me. Whatever goes down, I won't let anything happen to you."
Lia looked up at him, her heart thudding. "What's wrong?" "Nothing. Just that I have a feeling. That woman's involved in something big. If I can find the key, I might uncover enough to bring her down." Lia's mind raced. He had a way of lighting a room, of illuminating a face, that warmed the inside of her chest. But there were files needing attention and the danger that lurked in the wake of Vanessa's plans.
"Somebody's watching," Leo whispered, and for a moment, he was as alert as a cat watching for prey. His eyes darted towards the darkness in the room, towards the shadows where secrets lurked. Lia swallowed hard as she realized that Leo was not talking figuratively. A noise, the click of a door, too deliberate to be an accident, caused them both to freeze.