Chapter 11 — The Shadow Among Them
Chapter 11 — The Shadow Among Them
The photograph remained on the table.
Nobody touched it.
Nobody wanted to.
Because the message written on the back had created something more dangerous than fear.
Doubt.
“You are looking for a traitor. But you haven’t noticed the person standing beside you.”
The words echoed in everyone’s mind.
Alexander looked around the room.
His mother.
His brother.
Marcus.
Clara.
The people closest to him.
The people he trusted.
One of them could be hiding something.
And that thought was almost impossible to accept.
“Everyone leaves,” Alexander said suddenly.
The room went quiet.
Marcus looked at him.
“Everyone?”
“Yes.”
Alexander picked up the photograph.
“Until we know who is responsible, nobody moves around the palace alone.”
Thomas crossed his arms.
“You’re finally accepting the possibility.”
Alexander looked at him.
“I’m accepting that someone wants us to turn against each other.”
Thomas studied his brother.
“And if they’re right?”
Alexander’s expression hardened.
“Then we find out.”
Later that evening, the palace became a place of suspicion.
Employees who had worked there for years were questioned.
Security records were reviewed.
Every entrance and exit was checked.
But the more they searched…
the less they found.
It was as if the person behind everything knew exactly how to disappear.
Clara noticed something strange while reviewing security footage with Marcus.
The cameras near the underground archive had been disabled for exactly seven minutes.
“Seven minutes,” Clara said.
Marcus nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why seven?”
Marcus looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
“If someone wanted to steal something, they would disable the cameras longer.”
Marcus studied the footage.
Clara continued.
“They weren’t trying to hide what they were doing.”
“What were they trying to do?”
“They wanted us to notice.”
Marcus became quiet.
Because she was right.
The person behind this was not just stealing information.
They were controlling the investigation.
Meanwhile, Alexander confronted Thomas privately.
“You knew more than you told us.”
Thomas looked at him.
“I told you what mattered.”
“No.”
Alexander’s voice became sharper.
“You told me enough to make me suspicious, but not enough to understand everything.”
Thomas looked away.
“Because some things are difficult to explain.”
“Try.”
A long silence followed.
Finally, Thomas spoke.
“When I discovered the financial crimes, I also discovered someone was protecting the operation.”
“Who?”
Thomas looked at him.
“Someone inside the family.”
Alexander froze.
“What?”
“I don’t know who.”
“Then why say it?”
“Because I saw evidence.”
Alexander shook his head.
“You’re asking me to believe someone in this family betrayed us without knowing who it was?”
Thomas looked hurt.
“I’m asking you to accept that people can hide things.”
The words bothered Alexander.
Because they were true.
That night, Eleanor found Alexander alone in his office.
He was staring at old family photographs.
“You’re blaming yourself.”
He looked up.
“Maybe I should.”
Eleanor shook her head.
“No.”
“I was supposed to protect this family.”
“You were a son before you were a protector.”
Alexander looked down.
“I lost Thomas.”
“You didn’t lose him.”
She smiled sadly.
“He came back.”
“But only after twelve years.”
Eleanor placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Sometimes people get lost before they find their way home.”
At the same time, Victoria received a report.
Her investigator placed a folder on her desk.
“You were right.”
Victoria opened it.
“What did you find?”
“The person inside Hawthorne Palace.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
The investigator hesitated.
“Are you sure you want to know?”
Victoria smiled.
“I wouldn’t have paid you if I didn’t.”
He placed a photograph on the desk.
Victoria picked it up.
And for the first time in days…
her confidence disappeared.
Because the person in the photograph was not who she expected.
The next morning, Alexander received a message.
No phone number.
No identification.
Just one sentence.
“Meet me alone if you want the truth.”
Below the message was a location.
An abandoned building on the edge of the city.
Alexander knew it could be a trap.
Everything about it screamed danger.
But if there was even a chance to discover who was behind the attack…
he had to go.
Before leaving, Clara noticed him preparing to walk out alone.
“Mr. Hawthorne?”
He stopped.
“Yes?”
“Where are you going?”
He hesitated.
“Somewhere I need to go.”
Clara looked at him carefully.
“You’re going alone.”
It wasn’t a question.
Alexander said nothing.
She sighed.
“I know you’re trying to protect everyone.”
He looked surprised.
“But?”
“But sometimes protecting people means letting them stand beside you.”
The words reminded him of something Eleanor had said.
Trust.
Alexander looked at Clara.
“You should stay here.”
She shook her head.
“You already know I won’t.”
For a moment, he almost smiled.
Then his expression became serious.
“Clara, this could be dangerous.”
“So was stopping Victoria.”
She paused.
“And I still did it.”
Alexander realized something.
The same courage that had saved his mother was now helping save his family.
“Fine.”
He nodded.
“But you stay behind me.”
Clara smiled slightly.
“Deal.”
They arrived at the abandoned building thirty minutes later.
The place was empty.
Too empty.
Alexander walked inside carefully.
“Hello?”
No answer.
Then a voice came from the darkness.
“You brought her.”
Alexander froze.
Clara looked around.
A figure stepped forward.
And both of them recognized the person immediately.
Someone from Hawthorne Palace.
Someone they trusted.
Someone who had been beside them from the beginning.
Alexander’s face changed.
“No…”
The person looked at him sadly.
“I’m sorry, Alexander.”
A pause.
“But you need to know the truth.”
May you like
Clara held her breath.
Because the person standing before them was the last person they expected.
