The night fell faster than usual.
City lights shone like man-made stars, but for Ethan, all of them were just a backdrop to something far more important.
The truth.
He sat in his office at Ardent, surrounded by screens displaying documents, old reports, and digital archives that had just been pulled from external servers.
Daniel stood near the desk with a serious face.
"This is all we managed to gather," he said.
Ethan shifted the main screen.
"Start from the beginning."
Daniel nodded.
"Twenty years ago, Marcus and several shell companies owned by him formed a highly complex investment network."
A diagram appeared on the screen.
Dozens of small companies.
All interconnected.
But one name appeared repeatedly at the center of the network.
Helix Consortium.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"This is the same one we found from Sophia's old documents."
"Correct."
Daniel opened another file.
"We found something even stranger."
He zoomed in on one of the documents.
An old contract.
Dated twenty years ago.
The name of Sophia's mother's company was there.
And at the bottom of the contract…
There was a signature.
Marcus Sterling.
The room suddenly felt quieter.
Ethan read every line slowly.
"This isn't a regular investment contract."
Daniel nodded.
"It's a technology transfer agreement."
"Medical patents."
"Yes."
Ethan stared at the document longer.
"But this transaction was never officially recorded."
Daniel took a breath.
"Because it was never completed."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Daniel opened another file.
An old police report appeared on the screen.
Death case: Dr. Elena Ward.
Sophia's mother.
Date of death.
Three weeks after the contract was signed.
Ethan felt his jaw tighten.
"So this contract was signed…"
"Right before her mother passed away."
Daniel crossed his arms.
"And after that death, the patent rights suddenly disappeared from all public records."
Ethan looked at the screen.
"Deleted?"
"More precisely… transferred."
Daniel opened the final file.
The name of a new company appeared.
A global pharmaceutical company that is now one of the world's biggest players.
And its majority shareholder…
Marcus Sterling.
The room felt like it was freezing.
Ethan slowly stood up from his chair.
"He didn't just take that technology."
Daniel nodded.
"He built his entire pharmaceutical empire from it."
Ethan walked toward the large window.
Outside, the city kept moving without knowing the secret that had just been uncovered.
"If this is true…"
He turned back to Daniel.
"It means Marcus didn't just destroy Sophia's mother's company."
His gaze turned cold.
"He might also be involved in her death."
Daniel didn't answer.
Because the conclusion was too clear.
But before Ethan could say more, the office door opened.
Sophia walked in.
She was carrying two cups of coffee.
But as soon as she saw the atmosphere in the room, she immediately knew something was wrong.
"What's going on?"
Ethan and Daniel looked at each other.
Sophia approached.
"Why do you both look like you've just seen a ghost?"
Ethan stared at her for a few seconds.
This wasn't trivial information.
It was about her mother.
About a past that might be far darker than she imagined.
"Sophia…"
He opened his laptop and turned the screen toward her.
"You need to see this."
Sophia set the coffee down on the desk.
She started reading the documents.
Line by line.
The contract.
The date.
Her mother's name.
And finally…
Marcus's name.
Her face slowly turned pale.
"This…"
Her voice was barely audible.
"This is my mother's company's contract."
Ethan nodded slowly.
Sophia read further.
Then she stopped.
Her eyes froze on one date.
The date of her mother's death.
Her hands started to shake.
"This… three weeks before Mom died."
No one answered.
Sophia looked at Ethan.
"So…"
She swallowed.
"Marcus tried to take my mother's technology?"
Ethan spoke softly.
"And after your mother passed away… the technology reappeared in his pharmaceutical company."
Sophia stepped back.
"No…"
She shook her head slowly.
"My mother would never sell her technology to someone like him."
Daniel spoke carefully,
"These documents show your mother refused to finalize the contract."
Sophia looked at him.
"Then why is there a signature?"
Daniel took a breath.
"Because the negotiations had already begun."
The room became very quiet.
Sophia looked at the screen again.
As if hoping the words there would change.
But nothing changed.
Only one conclusion became increasingly clear.
"He took everything," she whispered.
"My mother's company… her research…"
Sophia covered her mouth.
"And maybe her life too."
Ethan immediately stood beside her.
"Sophia..."
But Sophia raised her hand.
She closed her eyes.
Took a long breath.
A few seconds later she opened her eyes again.
But now there was something different in them.
Not just sadness.
There was anger.
"How many people know about this?" she asked.
Daniel answered,
"So far, only us."
Sophia looked at Ethan.
"And Marcus."
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
Sophia stood straighter.
"Then we can't just keep this hidden."
Ethan frowned.
"This is strong evidence, but it's not enough to accuse him of murder."
Sophia gave a faint smile.
"I don't need to accuse him."
She pointed at the screen.
"If the world finds out Marcus built his pharmaceutical empire from technology taken from my mother's company after her death…"
She paused.
"That's enough to destroy his reputation."
Daniel looked thoughtful.
"A scandal like this could shake the global market."
Ethan crossed his arms.
"Marcus won't stay quiet if we do this."
Sophia looked at him.
"Are you scared?"
Ethan shook his head.
"I just want to make sure we're ready to face the consequences."
Sophia moved closer.
"Ethan."
Her gaze was sharp.
"For years I've lived without knowing what really happened to my mother."
She pointed at the documents.
"Now we might finally find the answers."
There was a moment of silence.
"And I won't stop halfway."
Ethan stared at her for a long time.
Then he gave a small smile.
"You sound like someone ready to start a war."
Sophia smiled faintly in return.
"Maybe I am."
Daniel sighed.
"Then we need a strategy."
Ethan sat back down in his chair.
He looked at the documents once more.
This wasn't just evidence.
It was a bomb.
A bomb that could blow up Marcus Sterling's reputation.
But it could also trigger far more dangerous reactions.
Ethan slowly closed his laptop.
"Alright."
He looked at Sophia.
"We'll use this."
Sophia nodded.
"But not now."
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Ethan gave a faint smile.
"Because if we take down Marcus…"
His gaze turned sharp.
"We have to make sure he can never come back."
Outside the window, the city lights continued to shine.
But far away somewhere.
Marcus Sterling was sitting in his office.
He held a new report.
About someone who had started digging into old documents.
His smile slowly appeared.
"Ethan…"
He whispered softly.
"So you finally found the first piece."
Marcus set the report down on his desk.
But his eyes remained calm.
Because he knew one thing that Ethan didn't yet know.
The documents they had found…
Were only a small part of the truth.
And the bigger truth.
Was still buried much deeper.