CHAPTER 4:The Girl in the Folder

POV Elena

I woke up with one decision already made,I was going to raid Adrian's office today.

I don't care what he says anymore because every time i ask him for answers i end up getting just silence and I'm tired of that.If Adrian won't tell me the truth, I'll just find it myself.I have a plan.So i wait

Breakfast comes and goes,claire knocks on my door twice but I pretend to be asleep.Around ten,I hear some voices downstairs,its adrian on another phone call but hes not in his office

Perfect.

I leave my room quietly

The mansion’s strangely quiet during the day. Most of the staff stay in the kitchen or the laundry room and the guards stay outside,I memorized the hallway after yesterday's argument so I know exactly where Adrian's office is.

The door’s closed.

I place my hand on the handle.

Locked.

“Seriously?”

I look around.

Nothing,then I see a small fingerprint scanner beside the handle,of course a billionaire has fingerprint locks inside his own house.

Trust issues much.

I sigh.

“So much for that”

I turn to leave when I hear footsteps downstairs,my heart jumps.

I quickly hide behind a large plant close to the hallway,not more than two seconds after two men walk towards the office.

One of them is Adrian and the other man is someone I've never seen before.

They're talking quietly.

“…send me the report before tonight”

“I'll handle it”

A couple seconds later,Adrian's phone rings,he answers it immediately and leaves the office while the other man follows him.

Neither of them notices that the office door didn't fully close behind them.

So i wait until they're gone,then I literally sprint to the door.

The door opens with one gentle push,my heartbeat is so loud I'm sure someone will hear it.

His office smells like coffee and cedar wood,everything’s so neat.

Everythings so Adrian.

Theres a huge desk in the middle of the office and a bookshelve covering one part of the wall

Then a large window overlooking the garden.

It looks exactly like Adrian.

Cold.

Organized.

I close the door behind me.

“Okay...where do you hide your secrets?”

I start with the desk,he first drawer contains only pens,notebooks and business cards.the second drawer has files with company names I don't recognize,too many papers and too many numbers.

I keep searching.

The third drawer is locked.

I pull harder.

Nothing.

“Come on”

I search a bit for any key but theres nothing then I notice a smaller cabinet beside the bookshelf and It isn't locked.

Inside of it there are more folders,igo through them quickly,meetings.contracts,business reports.

None of them mention my father so I put them back exactly how I found them,then a picture frame catches my eye,It's facing down so I pick it up.

It's a photo of Adrian and my dad,they're much younger.

Both of them are laughing,I've never seen Adrian laugh before.I stare at him longer than I should,they look like brothers.

Happy brothers.

I put it back.

A strange feeling settles in my chest,Dad really trusted him.

Then i check another drawer thats built on the bookshelf,this one actually opens easily,theres a brown folder inside this one.

No label.

My fingers freeze.

This feels important,so i slowly open it,the first photo slides into my lap.

Me.

I'm wearing my graduation gown.

My mouth falls open.

“What?”

I grab another photo.

It's from my birthday dinner last year.

I'm laughing with Sophia.

Another one.

I'm sitting beside Dad at a charity gala.

Another.

I'm in the crowd at a basketball game wearing a green jersey.

My chest tightens.

There are lots of them.

Pictures from different places.

Different days.

Why?

Why does Adrian have pictures of me?

I keep flipping through them.

Some are printed.

Some are even polaroids.

One picture has my father's handwriting on the back.

She finally graduated. You would've been proud.

I stop breathing.

My dad wrote that.

Another photo.

She still refuses to smile for pictures.

Another.

Her first charity event without her mom.

I start crying without me even realizing it

Wsit dad sent these to him?

But why?

I don't understand.

I hear the office door open.

“Elena”

I spin around so fast the folder falls to the floor and the photos scatter everywhere.

Adrians standing at the door.

His face goes completely still.

For one second neither of us moves,then he walks toward me.

“What are these?” I ask.

He kneels and starts picking up the pictures.

I grab one before he can.

“No.”

“Give me the photo”

“No”

His voice becomes firmer.

“Give it to me Elena”

I step backward.

“Why do you have pictures of me?”

“They weren't meant for you to see”

I laugh.

“That's your answer?”

He reaches for the folder.

I pull it away.

“Answer me”

His jaw tightens.

“Elena”

“No.You don't get to say my name and avoid the question”

“Give me the folder”

“Tell me why you have my pictures Adrian”

“Are you some creep?”

Silence.

I hate silence.

“Have you been following me?”

“No”

“Then explain these”

I hold up the graduation photo.

“This”

“The basketball game”

I grab another one.

“My birthday”

Another.

“The charity gala”

Another.

“Why do you have my pictures?”

His eyes close for a brief second.

“I wasn't following you”

“Then how did you get them?”

He doesn't answer immediately.

The silence feels louder than shouting.

“Were you watching me?”

“No”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“No.I expect you to listen”

“Then talk”

His shoulders rise and fall with a slow breath.

“Your father sent them to me”

“huh?”

“Daniel sent them”

I blink.

“That doesn't make sense”

“I spent years working overseas”

“So?”

“He wanted me to know how you were doing”

I stare at him.

“He sent you pictures of me?”

“Yes”

“For what?”

“He knew I couldn't be around”

I don't understand.

“Why would he do that?”

“He said...”

Adrian stops talking.

“What’d he say?”

“He said you reminded him of your mother”

I freeze.

He continues quietly.

“He was worried about you after she died so he wanted someone else who loved you to know you were okay”

Loved me?

The words stay in my head.

I don't know what to do with them.

“You're lying”

His eyes meet mine immediately.

“I'm not”

I look back at the photos.

The handwriting’s my father's.

He really sent them.

Dad really kept Adrian updated about my life.

“You never told me”

“Yh because it wasn't my place”

“So you just….kept them?”

“Yes”

“Why?”

He answers me almost immediately.

“Because they mattered”

I dontlike how honest that sounds coming from him

I hate that part of me believes him.

I put the photos back into the folder with my hands literally shaking

“This is weird”

“I know how it looks”

“It looks like you've been collecting pieces of my life”

His expression softens only a bit.

“I wasn't collecting you”

“Then what?”

“I was keeping what Daniel sent me”

I look away from him.

I don't know what to believe anymore.

Everything I thought I knew about Adrian keeps changing day by day

“You could've told me”

“You weren't ready”

“You don't get to decide when I'm ready”

“No”

He looks tired.

“But I do decide what keeps you safe”

“There you go again”

I push the folder on his chest.

“Always deciding”

He catches it.

I walk toward the door.

“Elena”

I stop.

“I never wanted you to find out like this”

I don't answer.

Because somehow that sentence hurts more than the pictures.

I don't realize I'm crying until I reach my room.

I slam the door behind me and slide to the floor.

Dad.

How many things did you keep from me?

How many conversations did you have with Adrian that I never knew about?

Theres a knock on my do few minutes later.

“Go away”

The door opens anyway.

Alexander walks in holding a bowl of strawberries.

“I figured you wouldn't throw fruit at me”

“Don't test that theory”

He sits on the couch beside my bed

“You look terrible”

“Thank you”

“Rough day?”

I tell him.

Everything.

The folder.

The pictures.

The handwriting.

Alexander isn't surprised.

“You knew?”

“Yes”

I stand up.

“Everyone knew except me?”

“Daniel asked us not to tell you”

“Why?”

“He thought you'd misunderstand”

“Well,congratulations.I definitely misunderstood”

Alexander sighs.

“Adrian kept every picture your dad sent”

“That's not normal"

“Well for Adrian...it is”

I frown.

“What does that mean?”

“My brother doesn't keep many personal things”

“So?”

“That folder’s probably the most personal thing in his office”

I don't know why that makes my heart beat faster.

“Don't make it sound sweet”

“I'm not”

He stands.

“I'm saying Daniel trusted Adrian with the most important person in his life”

Me.

The room becomes quiet.

Alexander walks to the door before stopping.

“One more thing”

“What?”

“The night you graduated...Adrian wanted to fly back for your ceremony”

I stare at him.

“He couldn't make it because of work”

I don't know what to say.

After he leaves,I sit on the bed.

My phone buzzes.

A message from an unknown number.

Stop looking for your father.

My blood runs cold.

A second message appears.

Next time Adrian won't get to you first.

The phone slips from my hand.

Someone knows exactly where I am.