Kael never replied. That frightened me more than the explosion For weeks, every message I sent him received an answer.
Sometimes short.
Sometimes frustrating.
But always an answer.
Now…
Nothing.
I stared at my phone for nearly ten minutes before finally putting it down. Victor arrived at my house early the next morning.
He looked exhausted. Which meant he hadn't slept either. "Any response from him?" he asked immediately. I shook my head.
"No."
Victor became quiet. "That's not good."
"You really think he's involved?" "I think he's trapped." That answer surprised me.
"You don't think he's responsible?" Victor sighed. "I don't know."
"But if Kael wanted you dead, he wouldn't have warned you." That was true. Yet another question remained. If he wasn't behind the attack, who was? And why had he disappeared? Nora entered the kitchen carrying coffee. "I checked the news," she said. "The explosion is everywhere." Headlines filled every major outlet. Business Headquarters Targeted in Deliberate Attack.
Public sympathy had started growing. Ironically, whoever attacked me had accidentally turned people in my favour.
Victor noticed it too. "They expected fear."
"They created attention instead." But before I could answer, my assistant called.
"Lena, you need to come immediately."
"What's wrong?"
"The board members are panicking." Of course they were. Fear spreads faster than truth.
By noon, the emergency board meeting had become chaotic. "We need to suspend operations."
"We need outside protection." "We need stronger alliances." Everyone was talking.
Nobody was thinking.
I listened quietly. Then finally stood. The room became silent.
"No decisions will be made from fear."
Some looked relieved. Others looked frustrated.
"But what if another attack happens?" one director asked.
"Then we handle it."
"What if investors leave?"
"We adapt."
"What if this gets worse?"
I looked around the room carefully.
"Then we survive worse." Silence followed.
Because they weren't looking for certainty.
They were looking for confidence.
And confidence doesn't require guarantees.
It requires leadership.
For the first time in years, I saw something in their eyes.
Not fear.
Trust.
The meeting ended peacefully. But the real shock came afterwards. My assistant entered carefully.
"Someone is waiting for you."
"Who?"
"He refused to give his name." I frowned.
"Did security clear him?"
"Yes."
When I entered the private waiting room, my steps slowed.
Because I recognised him immediately.
Older.
Grey hair.
Sharp eyes.
The man from the newspaper article. The founder of The Circle.
Kael's father. My heart skipped. He stood slowly.
"So," he said calmly.
"You are finally becoming interesting."
Every instinct inside me screamed danger.
"What do you want?" I asked. He smiled slightly.
"The same thing I wanted from your father."
Silence filled the room.
"And what was that?" His eyes remained calm.
"To save him." That answer stunned me.
"Save him from what?" His expression changed slightly.
"From the enemy he never saw coming."
Cold fear crept into my chest.
Because this man wasn't acting like a villain. He looked Concerned.
Then he said the sentence that completely changed everything. "The Circle didn't attack you."
I froze.
"What?"
He nodded slowly.
"We are being attacked too." My mind stopped. "That's impossible."
"No," he said quietly. "It's inevitable."
Then he reached into his pocket and placed an old photograph on the table. I picked it up slowly. And nearly dropped it. Because standing beside my father Beside Victor
Beside Elara was Kael, as a child And behind them, standing in the shadows, was someone I recognised immediately.
Someone who was supposed to be dead.
My mother.
If you were Lena, would you believe Kael's father or would you think this is another manipulation?