Rebirth It All

Chapter 7: The Path to the Truth

The days blurred together in a haze of frustration and mounting desperation. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d overheard at the restaurant—Elliot’s cold calculation, the way he’d brushed off the idea of my return, the mention of the Torres acquisition. Something was off, and I needed to understand exactly what was going on before I was completely buried in this strange, unfamiliar life.

The thought of confronting Elliot head-on still felt too risky. I knew I couldn’t just waltz into his office and demand answers—not when I had no proof of who I really was. But there had to be a way to dig deeper, a way to uncover the web of lies that had entangled me.

It was time to start asking questions, quietly.

I spent the next few days around the city, visiting familiar places from my past—places that felt like echoes of the life I’d lost. I visited the old cafes where I used to meet with clients, the luxury hotels where I hosted high-profile events, and even the private office in the heart of the city, the one I had once shared with Elliot. But each time, I came up empty.

No one remembered Orion Kane.

It was as if I had never existed.

By now, the reality was impossible to ignore: if I was going to find my way back to that life, I had to uncover every thread of this twisted web. But that meant getting to the heart of the conspiracy that had taken my name and my company away from me.

It was early in the morning when I got my first real lead. I was walking past a small, rundown building—one I recognized from my old days as a storage facility for confidential documents when I was managing Orion Industries—when I noticed a familiar face emerging from the front door.

Rosa.

Her tired eyes met mine, and for a second, she seemed to hesitate, as if unsure whether to acknowledge me. I knew she didn’t recognize me—not as Orion, anyway. But I couldn’t ignore the connection that we shared, the way my heart had tugged at the sight of her.

“Rosa?” I called, forcing the name out.

She stopped, turning slowly. Her face was worn, her clothes threadbare, but there was something in her expression that told me she wasn’t just surviving—she was fighting, against something or someone.

Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”

I hesitated, trying to keep my composure. "I’m... I’m someone who knew Leo."

The name hit her like a physical blow. Her body stiffened, and her jaw tightened. “What do you want with him?” she asked, her voice low, filled with both caution and something darker—anger, maybe?

“I... I need to find out what happened to him. To Leo,” I said, my voice unsteady.

She studied me for a long moment, as if weighing whether or not to trust me. Then, with a heavy sigh, she stepped closer. “Leo’s not who you think he is, and neither is the life he’s been living. I don’t know what you’re looking for, but you’re asking the wrong questions.”

Her words were cryptic, but they lit a spark of hope inside me. Leo’s life was tangled in more than just the factory job, more than just the struggles of this poor neighborhood. Something was hidden beneath the surface, something far darker than I could have imagined.

“I need to understand what happened,” I pressed, my voice barely above a whisper. “What happened to him—and to me.”

Rosa’s eyes softened for a brief moment, and then she looked away. “Meet me tonight,” she said quietly. “I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

She turned and walked away, disappearing down the street, leaving me with a thousand questions. What could she possibly know? Why had she been so reluctant to speak?

That night, I found myself waiting at the same alleyway near the old building, my heart pounding in anticipation. I wasn’t sure what to expect—whether Rosa would show up, or whether this was just another dead end.

But she did come, though hours later than we’d arranged. When she emerged from the shadows, she looked even more exhausted than before, but her face was resolute.

I stepped forward. “What’s going on, Rosa? What happened to Leo?”

She led me to a nearby park bench, sitting down with a deep sigh. “You really want to know?” she asked. Her voice was quiet, almost resigned.

I nodded. “Yes. I need to know everything.”

She looked at me for a long time before speaking. “It’s not as simple as you think. Leo was always a good man—at least, he was when I first met him. But when the company started falling apart, when the pressure became too much, things changed. Orion Industries was bleeding money, and it wasn’t just bad luck. It was sabotage.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Sabotage?”

“Yes. Elliot... he had his hands in everything, pulling strings, whispering to people who could destroy the company. And the more he did, the worse things got.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “I know because I saw him. I saw him make deals with people I’d never met—people who wanted the company for themselves. And when Orion Kane—when you—disappeared, Elliot took full advantage.”

I felt the room spin. “So, Elliot... he’s been working against me this whole time?”

Rosa nodded gravely. “Yes. He’s been running the company behind the scenes, using your name and your wealth to further his own ambitions. He thought you were dead. Or at least, that you were gone for good. And that’s when Leo... that’s when he was forced to step in. He took your place, trying to keep everything afloat, trying to make sure that your company wouldn’t crumble.”

The weight of her words settled over me like a heavy blanket. Elliot had betrayed me. He’d taken everything I had worked for, and now, I was left to pick up the pieces of a life I could barely remember.

“But why Leo? Why not someone else?” I asked.

Rosa’s face softened, and she looked at me with a hint of sorrow in her eyes. “Because Leo was always meant to be more than just a replacement. He... he loved you, Orion. He believed in what you built. He was loyal to you in a way I don’t think anyone else could understand. But now, he’s trapped. And he’s not the man you think he is anymore.”

I sat there, stunned, my mind racing. Leo was loyal. Elliot had betrayed me. And now, I had to find a way to take back what was rightfully mine.

But I knew one thing for sure: I wasn’t just fighting to reclaim my company. I was fighting to save the people I had left behind—and to stop Elliot from destroying everything I had ever built.

The real battle was just beginning.