Chapter 3: Buried Truths
(Elena's POV)
I stared at the audit file, my mind already calculating the next steps.
Dimitri was testing me. Seeing how far he could push before I broke.
But he had underestimated me.
I wasn't some corporate attorney who would buckle at the first sign of pressure. If he wanted a fight, I was prepared to drag him through the trenches.
Maya cleared her throat, snapping me back. "Elena, there's something else."
I looked up.
She hesitated before sliding another file across my desk. It wasn't part of the audit. The folder was thinner, older.
A strange unease settled in my stomach as I reached for it. The weight of the past pressed against my fingertips even before I flipped it open.
I did.
And my breath hitched.
Nathan.
My brother's name, bold across the top of an official-looking document. A case number I recognized but hadn't seen in years.
The accusations against him. The ones I had worked tirelessly to bury.
A tight knot formed in my stomach as I flipped through the pages. They had everything. The original report. The alleged victim's statement. The grainy, inconclusive photos that had somehow been enough to nearly ruin my brother's life.
My vision blurred at the edges. This case was supposed to be dead.
I had made sure of it.
Maya's voice was quiet. "Someone's trying to bring it back."
Not someone. Dimitri.
I exhaled slowly, closing the file. "Where did this come from?"
"It was sent anonymously. But it wasn't a warning, Elena. The media already got wind of it."
I went still.
Maya continued, "A reporter called this morning, asking for a statement."
My blood ran cold.
Dimitri wasn't just playing mind games. He was setting the stage for something bigger.
First, the audit. Now, my brother's past.
He was trying to dismantle me piece by piece.
I took a slow breath, forcing my pulse to steady. "Tell the press we have no comment."
Maya hesitated. "But if this gains traction—"
"It won't." My voice was sharper than I intended, but I needed her to understand. I wasn't going to let this story grow legs.
I pushed the file aside and stood. "Get me everything on the audit. I want names. Who's leading it, which agency signed off, and where the order came from."
She nodded and hurried out.
I reached for my phone.
It was time to make a call.
If Dimitri Vasiliev wanted a war, I'd give him one.
---
The call with Nathan didn't last long.
He was furious, just as I expected. But under the anger, there was something else. Fear.
Fear that history was repeating itself. Fear that this time, we wouldn't be able to bury it.
Fear that I wouldn't be able to protect him.
I assured him I would. Told him to stay out of sight and keep his mouth shut.
Then I hung up and sat there, staring at the darkened screen of my phone.
The silence in my office was suffocating.
I had handled cases bigger than this. Gone up against people more powerful than Dimitri. But something about this… felt different.
Like I wasn't just fighting a battle.
I was walking into a war.
My fingers curled into a fist. I couldn't afford to hesitate.
I pulled out my laptop and started going through the audit files. But my mind kept drifting. Who leaked Nathan's case?
Not Dimitri. He was using it, yes, but he hadn't found it. Someone had given it to him.
Which meant someone close to me had betrayed me.
The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Maya? No. She had been with me for years. Loyal to a fault.
Someone else, then. Someone I had trusted.
I leaned back, rubbing my temples. My exhaustion was starting to catch up with me, but I shoved it down. I didn't have time for fatigue.
The door opened, and Maya stepped in.
"Elena." She looked paler than before. "We have a bigger problem."
I exhaled. "Bigger than the audit and my brother being dragged through the mud?"
She placed another file on my desk.
A court order.
A warrant.
I snatched it up, scanning the words.
And my stomach dropped.
This wasn't just an investigation anymore.
The government was coming for me.
---
I didn't realize how long I had been sitting there until Maya spoke again.
"Elena, what do we do?"
I forced my fingers to unclench from the paper. Think. Think.
The audit was a distraction. The real move was this. The warrant. They weren't just looking into my firm's finances.
They were coming for me.
For my credibility.
For my career.
For my freedom.
A slow, sinking feeling crept into my chest. If this escalated, it wouldn't just be my brother at risk. They could come for my mother.
She had nothing to do with this, but people like Dimitri didn't care about collateral damage. If they thought using her would break me, they wouldn't hesitate.
The thought made my stomach churn.
I needed to stop this before it spiraled.
I took a deep breath, setting the warrant aside.
"Maya," I said quietly.
She straightened. "Yes?"
"Close the firm early today."
She blinked. "Are you sure? We still have—"
"I'm sure."
The tension in my shoulders was unbearable. I needed air.
Maya hesitated but nodded. "Alright. I'll inform everyone."
I didn't wait for her to leave before grabbing my coat. The walls of my office suddenly felt too tight, the weight of everything pressing down on me.
I walked out without another word.
---
The drive to my apartment was a blur.
By the time I stepped inside, exhaustion hit me like a freight train.
I leaned against the door, exhaling shakily. Everything was building up.
The audit. Nathan's case. The warrant.
Dimitri.
I closed my eyes.
I wasn't scared of a fight. I had been fighting my whole life. But this wasn't just about me anymore.
Should I back down?
The thought made my stomach turn. No. I wasn't a coward. I wasn't someone who ran at the first sign of danger.
But for the first time in a long time, I wasn't sure what to do.
Nathan. My mother. The people I cared about. What if Dimitri went after them next?
What if this was only the beginning?
I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
I needed to figure this out. Fast.
But right now…
Right now, I just needed to breathe!