2026-07-09 15:55:05
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36. Message Deleted
Sebastian left enough cash beneath his untouched coffee cup to cover the bill and stepped out of the cafe to follow Calvin secretly.He didn't head toward City Hall. Not yet. Following Calvin through the front entrance would accomplish nothing except announce his presence. And he didn't want Calvin to notice his presence there. Instead, he circled the block.The municipal building occupied an entire corner, with a public entrance in front and a service alley running behind it. Delivery vans unloaded boxes near a loading dock where maintenance workers pushed carts stacked with file boxes.Sebastian slowed his pace.He wasn't looking for Calvin anymore as he was looking for information.An old aged janitor walked through the rear door carrying two overflowing trash bags. He muttered to himself as one split open, scattering crumpled papers across the pavement.Sebastian instinctively stepped forward. “Let me help.”The old man sighed with relief. “Appreciate it.” The old man smiled at him.
35. The First Move
Sebastian stared at the words on his phone until the screen dimmed.Emergency request submitted by: Blackstone Asset Recovery Division.He read the line again.Then a third time.The truck service depot had been invisible for years with no bidding war, no inflated valuation and no rumors. He had found it by thinking beyond the repair shop, exactly as his boss, Marcus had advised him in their previous meeting.So why had Blackstone suddenly stepped in?Now coincidence no longer deserved the benefit of the doubt here. Sebastian set the phone on the coffee table and opened his notebook.He drew two columns across a blank page with headings :1.Known Facts.2.Assumptions.His father had always insisted on separating the two. Under Known Facts, he wrote:~MetroLink Phase Three expansion was real.~Freight traffic would increase.~The depot supported future logistics.~Blackstone had requested the auction's withdrawal.~The request was submitted after his inspection.He looked at the second
34. The Court Order
Sebastian's grip tightened around the phone. “A court order?” he repeated.“Yes.” Arthur Collins lowered his voice even further. “I've worked at Union Trust for almost twenty years. I've never seen anything handled this quickly.”Sebastian glanced around the nearly empty industrial road before starting walking. “Start from the beginning.”Arthur took a slow breath.“They arrived shortly after the bank opened.”“How many?” Sebastian asked, clenching his fist.“Three.” Arthur responded immediately.“Were they police?” Sebastian inquired further.“No.”Arthur answered.“Then lawyers?” Sebastian asked.“I... don't think so.”Arthur stuttered and hesitated before continuing further. *They wore business suits, the expensive ones. One of them carried legal documents while another never spoke a single word. He just stayed silent and watched everything.”Sebastian rubbed his forehead with his free hand. “What did the court order authorize?”“It wasn't permission to open the box.” Arthur responde
33.
Everything inside Sebastian seemed to stop. The founder of Graystone Logistics, the man Marcus trusted and the man Sebastian had met inside warehouse 17. The old man who had quietly handed him a worn brass key. His warning still echoed inside his mind.“Never let anyone know you met me.”The words echoed through Sebastian's mind as clearly as they had that day. His fingers tightened beneath the table. He forced himself to keep his expression steady.If Edward had hidden himself...There had been a reason. Breaking that promise now could destroy whatever Edward had spent years protecting.Sebastian finally spoke. “Edward Gray… was your father ?”Evelyn nodded. “Yes. I changed my name to Evelyn Carter before becoming a journalist as I don't want to reveal my real identity. " A sadness settled across her face. “When Graystone collapsed...he disappeared.No goodbye. No explanation.One day he simply never came home.”She looked down at her hands. “The police searched. So did I. But no one e
32. Evelyn's Father
The morning sky was still painted in pale shades of yellow when Sebastian walked outside a quiet cafe, overlooking the river. Unlike, their first meeting which was all of a sudden happened, this time he arrived early. Not because he doubt Evelyn's intention or distrust her but because his father had taught him that arriving first revealed details arriving on time never could.He chose a seat facing both the entrance and the street. The waiter filled his coffee cup as the steam curled upward from the cup. Sebastian left it untouched.His eyes wandered over the people outside instead.There were office workers hurried past , cyclists crossed the bridges, delivery vans running fast, children going to school. Nothing looked unusual still his habit made him notice everything. Ten minutes later, the cafe door opened and Evelyn finally showed up and walked inside.She wore a dark blue coat over a cream sweater, her hair tied loosely behind her head. She looked tired. But calmer than the frig
31. The Question that Matters
The apartment fell quiet again after dinner. Sebastian rinsed the plate, wiped the kitchen counter, and returned to the dining table. The city outside had settled into its familiar rhythm of distant traffic and flickering lights. His laptop still displayed the map of freight corridors, the neglected truck service depot marked with a small red circle.He closed it as the investment could wait until morning but some questions couldn't. His father's notebook lay where he had left it. Sebastian reached for it and opened to the first page. The familiar handwriting greeted him once again. His gaze lingered on his father's words when suddenly Marcus’s words rang inside his head.“Graystone made sure David Kane no longer existed.”Sebastian slowly turned to a blank page. For weeks, he had been chasing clues, photographs, keys, auction records, Box - 417. He had spent all his energy asking one question. What did my father hide ?And now another question quietly replaced it and it was a more i
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