The unstoppable vengeance of Micheal Krux.

34: Secrets Don’t Stay Buried

Chapter 34; Secrets Don’t Stay Buried

Layla tried reading the report again for what felt like the tenth time, but the words no longer made sense to her. She eventually dropped the file on the desk and leaned back into her chair with a frustrated sigh.

Michael Krux had walked into her office barely an hour ago, yet it felt like he had left a storm behind.

“You were there.”

That sentence kept replaying inside her head no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.

At first she wanted to dismiss everything he said as another manipulation tactic, but the problem was that her mother’s reaction earlier had ruined that option for her. Her mother looked terrified the moment Michael mentioned the accident, and Layla knew her mother too well to mistake that kind of fear.

The silence.

The hesitation.

The way she avoided certain questions.

Something was definitely being hidden from her.

Layla stood up from her chair and walked toward the large glass window behind her desk. Abuja’s evening traffic moved slowly beneath the building while the city lights gradually came alive one after another, but instead of calming her, the sight only made her thoughts louder.

A soft knock came from the door.

“Come in,” she said without turning around.

Daniel stepped into the office carefully. “Miss Layla, your father asked me to bring you home immediately.”

Layla frowned slightly and turned toward him. “Did he say why?”

“No, ma’am,” Daniel replied. “But Mr. Luxter sounded upset.”

That alone was enough to make her uneasy.

Her father rarely called for her personally unless something serious had happened.

Layla grabbed her handbag and phone before leaving the office.

The atmosphere inside the Luxter mansion felt tense the moment she arrived.

Even the workers looked uncomfortable. Nobody lingered around the hallways longer than necessary, and conversations stopped the second she walked past. It reminded her of the days when Luxter Energy was facing investigation years ago, back when every small mistake felt capable of destroying the company.

Something had happened.

Layla walked into the main living room and immediately slowed down.

Gabriel was seated on one of the couches with his sleeves folded halfway up his arms while her father stood near the fireplace holding a glass of whiskey. Neither man looked relaxed.

The moment they saw her, the room became even quieter.

“Finally,” her father muttered.

Layla looked between both men carefully. “What’s going on?”

Gabriel rubbed his jaw tiredly before speaking. “You met Michael Krux today.”

It was not a question.

Layla slowly faced him. “Who told you that?”

Gabriel gave a dry laugh. “Layla, half the company knows already. He walked into your office in broad daylight.”

Her father’s expression darkened immediately.

“That boy has too much confidence for someone who should not even be alive,” he muttered under his breath before taking another sip from his drink.

Layla froze.

The words hit her so suddenly that she almost wondered if she heard wrongly.

“What did you just say?” she asked slowly.

Her father looked irritated immediately, like he regretted speaking too freely.

“I said he’s becoming a problem,” he replied coldly.

“No,” Layla said firmly. “That’s not what you said.”

Gabriel shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

“Layla…”

She ignored him and kept staring at her father.

“You said he should not be alive,” she continued. “Why would you even say something like that?”

Her father looked away for a brief second before hardening his face again.

“You’re overthinking it.”

“Am I?” she asked sharply.

Nobody answered.

And that silence bothered her more than shouting would have.

Layla slowly removed her handbag from her shoulder and dropped it on the couch beside her.

“Somebody better start explaining things to me,” she said.

Her father let out an impatient breath. “There’s nothing to explain.”

“Then why does everyone suddenly look nervous whenever Michael’s name comes up?” Layla fired back. “Why did mom react strangely earlier? Why does it feel like I’m the only person in this family who doesn’t know what happened five years ago?”

The room went still.

Gabriel lowered his eyes briefly while her father’s grip tightened around the whiskey glass in his hand.

That was when Layla realized it.

They knew.

Both of them knew something.

And neither of them had any intention of telling her willingly.

Her chest tightened slightly as several thoughts started connecting in her mind at once.

The accident.

The missing memories.

Michael’s sudden return.

The report with her name on it.

Then she looked directly at Gabriel.

“You knew too, didn’t you?” she asked quietly.

Gabriel looked exhausted suddenly.

“Layla, it’s complicated.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Gabriel stood up slowly from the couch and walked toward her.

“We were trying to protect you,” he said calmly.

Layla stared at him in disbelief.

“Protect me from what exactly?”

Neither man answered immediately.

Her father suddenly finished the remaining whiskey in his glass before speaking.

“Michael Krux came back for revenge,” he said coldly. “That’s all you need to know.”

Layla frowned. “Revenge for what?”

Again, silence filled the room.

But this time she refused to let them escape it.

“For once in your life,” she said firmly, looking directly at her father, “stop talking to me like I’m a child and answer me honestly.”

Her father’s jaw tightened.

Gabriel looked like he was already regretting where this conversation was going.

Then finally, Gabriel spoke quietly.

“Because we ruined his life first.”

Layla’s heartbeat slowed for a second.

She turned toward him slowly, almost unable to believe what she had just heard.

“What?”

Gabriel closed his eyes briefly before looking back at her.

“The accident destroyed everything for him,” he admitted quietly. “His name, his future, his family… everything.”

Layla felt her stomach tighten.

“And what exactly did our family have to do with that accident?” she asked.

Nobody answered immediately.

Her father suddenly snapped.

“That boy should have stayed buried instead of crawling back to destroy this family after everything we already did for him.”

Layla stared at him.

“Did for him?” she repeated.

For the first time that evening, Gabriel looked genuinely uncomfortable.

Then Layla slowly took a step backward as another thought entered her mind.

A terrible thought.

She looked directly at her father.

“What exactly did you people do to Michael Krux?”