Chapter 4: Uninvited Shadow
The footsteps were hesitant, accompanied by the rustle of silk fabric. A beam from a smartphone flashlight cut through the darkness of the subterranean hallway.
"Mateo? Are you down here?"
It was Clara Montgomery. She had changed out of her heavy designer ballgown into a simple trench coat and flat shoes, though her eyes were red from crying.
Mateo stepped out from behind a concrete pillar, clicking his flashlight back on. The sudden light caught her off-guard, making her gasp and cover her eyes.
"The gates were locked, Miss Montgomery," Mateo said evenly. "You climbed the perimeter fence?"
"I walked through the service gate. The guards know me," she said, her voice shaking with exhaustion. "Julian is at his penthouse downtown, drinking himself into a stupor and calling lawyers who won't answer their phones. But I didn't come here to defend him."
"Then why are you here?"
Clara pulled a small, worn leather journal from her designer purse and held it out toward him.
"When Richard Sterling died two years ago, I helped clean out his private safe," Clara explained, stepping closer. "Julian only cared about the stock certificates. But I found this. It belonged to your father, Gabriel Cruz."
Mateo’s heart skipped a beat. His father had died in an offshore construction accident twenty-five years ago—an accident the Sterling family had quickly written off as worker negligence before settling out of court for pennies.
Mateo reached out with a trembling hand and took the diary. The cover was stamped with his father's initials: *G.C.*
"Why keep this hidden for two years?" Mateo asked, his voice suddenly sharp with suspicion.
"Because until today, I believed Julian when he told me your family abandoned the project and ran away with the seed money," Clara admitted, tears glistening on her cheeks. "I didn't know Richard had framed your father. I didn't know the truth until I saw the look on Julian's face when you showed him that deed."
Mateo opened the first page. His father’s handwriting stared back at him: *May 14th — Richard demanded we cut safety corners on the deep-sea foundation. I refused. He threatened to ruin our family.*
May you like
The tragedy wasn't an accident. It was murder.
---
