Elena Kane didn't sit down.
She walked into Adrian's office like she owned the building.
Which was impressive.
Considering even Adrian acted annoyed.
"You're staring."
Her eyes locked onto me immediately.
Sharp.
Observant.
The kind of person who noticed everything.
"I'm trying to figure out why you're here."
A small smile appeared.
"Good answer."
She finally sat across from us.
Placing a thick folder on the table.
Thicker than the one Adrian gave me weeks ago.
And somehow—
That made me nervous.
Adrian looked at the folder.
Then at Elena.
"Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
"It is."
Adrian immediately rubbed his forehead.
"Fantastic."
I looked between them.
Confused.
"What am I missing?"
Elena opened the folder.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Documents.
Financial records.
Internal reports.
Company transactions.
Thousands of pages.
My stomach tightened.
Because this wasn't gossip.
This wasn't rumor.
This was evidence.
"My father spent ten years collecting this."
Elena's voice remained calm.
Professional.
"Ten years trying to prove what happened."
I looked down again.
"What exactly happened?"
For the first time—
The confidence disappeared from her face.
"Trust."
A pause.
"Then betrayal."
The room became quiet.
"My father and Richard Ashford built their first company together."
Richard.
Not Mr. Ashford.
Not sir.
Just Richard.
That told me everything.
"They started with nothing."
Another pause.
"They were best friends."
That surprised me.
Because it was difficult imagining her father having friends.
Elena noticed my expression.
And almost laughed.
"Exactly."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Then one day my father discovered assets missing."
A pause.
"Ownership records changed."
Another pause.
"Money moved."
The folder suddenly felt heavier.
"And nobody believed him."
"No."
Elena's eyes hardened.
"They believed the man with better lawyers."
Silence.
Because unfortunately—
That sounded realistic.
Adrian folded his arms.
"The point?"
Elena looked at him.
Then at me.
"The point is that Richard Ashford isn't untouchable."
The room felt colder.
Because for months—
Her father felt invincible.
Like someone who always won.
And now—
For the first time—
Someone was saying otherwise.
Elena slid one document across the table.
Toward me.
"Read the highlighted section."
I did.
And immediately froze.
A familiar name.
Ashford Holdings.
Another familiar name.
Victor Kane.
Then a third name.
A name I'd never seen before.
Sophia Ashford.
My pulse quickened.
Her mother.
Why was her mother involved?
I looked up instantly.
"What is this?"
Elena exchanged a glance with Adrian.
Not a comfortable glance.
A worried one.
And suddenly—
I knew I wasn't going to like the answer.
"Your girlfriend's mother signed something twenty years ago."
A pause.
"Something she may not have understood."
The room went silent.
Because now—
This wasn't just business.
This wasn't just revenge.
This was family.
And family secrets were always the most dangerous.
My phone vibrated suddenly.
One new message.
Unknown number.
Her.
I opened it quickly.
One sentence.
Just one.
"Something strange is happening at home."
My heart immediately sank.
Because after everything we'd learned today—
That message felt less like a warning.
And more like the beginning of a disaster.
Elena noticed my expression.
"What happened?"
I looked at the screen.
Then slowly met her eyes.
"I think we're already running out of time."