Chapter 10 — The Enemy Inside Reed Global

PART 1

The truth had finally appeared.

But instead of bringing peace…

It created more questions.

For years, Emily believed she was searching for the person who destroyed Astra.

Now she knew.

There was no single enemy.

There was a chain.

A network.

A group of people who had been fighting over Genesis for more than twenty years.

Her mother.

Her father.

Nathaniel Voss.

Lillian Vale.

Victor Vale.

And now…

The Reed family.

Three days after the Blackridge Valley incident.

Westbridge.

Reed Global Headquarters.

The company that represented power, technology, and influence.

The company that had protected Emily.

The company that might have been hiding the final secret.

Emily stood in Nathaniel's office.

The atmosphere was colder than usual.

“You knew.”

Nathaniel looked up from his documents.

“About what?”

“About Genesis.”

Silence.

That was enough.

Emily stepped closer.

“You knew it was inside Reed Global.”

Nathaniel did not answer immediately.

Then:

“I suspected.”

Emily laughed softly.

“Everyone only suspects.”

A pause.

“But somehow everyone knows more than me.”

Nathaniel stood.

“Emily.”

“No.”

She looked directly at him.

“I am tired of being protected.”

A long silence.

“If Genesis is inside Reed Global…”

“I need to know.”

Nathaniel looked at her.

“And if the answer changes everything?”

“Then let it change.”

For the first time…

Nathaniel understood.

Emily was no longer trying to uncover the past.

She was taking control of it.

Nathaniel opened a confidential file.

“After Astra was destroyed…”

“Most of the research disappeared.”

“But some fragments survived.”

Emily looked at the documents.

“Where?”

“Different places.”

“Different people.”

“Different companies.”

She frowned.

“And Reed Global?”

Nathaniel nodded.

“Reed Global acquired several technology companies after Astra.”

Emily immediately understood.

“Companies that owned Astra-related patents.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Nathaniel looked away.

“Because I was searching for Genesis.”

Emily froze.

“You were searching for it?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

A pause.

“Because I promised your mother.”

Emily became quiet.

Another promise.

Another secret.

But this time…

Something felt different.

Nathaniel was not hiding to control her.

He was hiding because he was afraid.

The office door suddenly opened.

Lucas Bennett entered.

His expression was serious.

“Adrian is here.”

Nathaniel frowned.

“Why?”

Lucas looked at Emily.

“Because he found something.”

Five minutes later.

Sterling Tower.

Adrian placed a document on the table.

“Reed Global has a leak.”

Nathaniel's expression changed.

“What kind?”

“Internal.”

Adrian opened the file.

“Someone has been accessing restricted Astra-related information.”

Emily looked at the records.

“When?”

Adrian answered:

“Ten years ago.”

A pause.

“And recently.”

Nathaniel's eyes darkened.

“Who?”

Adrian shook his head.

“We don't know.”

“Impossible.”

“No.”

Adrian looked at him.

“Not impossible.”

“Someone inside Reed Global has CEO-level access.”

Emily looked at the document.

Access records.

Research files.

Security logs.

Then she noticed something.

A pattern.

The same access time.

The same location.

Every month.

“Wait.”

Both men looked at her.

“This person isn't stealing information.”

Adrian frowned.

“What?”

Emily pointed.

“They are checking whether something is still there.”

Silence.

Nathaniel looked at the records.

And slowly understood.

“They are searching.”

“For Genesis.”

PART 2

Reed Global's internal investigation began immediately.

But Nathaniel did not announce it publicly.

Because if the enemy was inside…

The enemy would know.

The investigation team checked every department.

Technology.

Research.

Finance.

Security.

Executives.

But nothing appeared suspicious.

No stolen files.

No unusual transactions.

No obvious betrayal.

Almost too clean.

Emily walked through Reed Global's research division.

The same place where the world's most advanced technologies were created.

Employees watched her.

Some respected her.

Some feared her.

Some questioned her.

But she ignored all of them.

She was looking for something else.

A person.

A reaction.

A researcher passed by.

Emily stopped.

“Excuse me.”

The man turned.

“Yes, Mrs. Reed?”

His expression was polite.

Professional.

But Emily noticed something.

His eyes.

For a second…

Fear.

“What is your name?”

“Daniel Hayes.”

“Your department?”

“Advanced Systems.”

Emily nodded.

“Thank you.”

The man left.

Nathaniel looked at her.

“You noticed something.”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“He lied.”

Nathaniel frowned.

“About what?”

“I don't know yet.”

Later.

Emily checked employee records.

Daniel Hayes.

Thirty-five years old.

Joined Reed Global eight years ago.

No criminal record.

Perfect background.

Too perfect.

She opened his previous employment history.

Nothing.

Then she found something.

A deleted record.

Three months before joining Reed Global…

Daniel Hayes worked for a private research company.

A company acquired by Reed Global.

A company connected to Astra.

Emily immediately called Nathaniel.

“Find Daniel Hayes.”

“Why?”

“Because I think he knows something.”

At the same time.

Another person was investigating.

Vivian Cross.

Valkyrie Entertainment.

The Legacy Challenge was becoming more popular every day.

But Vivian had stopped caring about ratings.

She was investigating her investors.

Because Astra Holdings appearing in her company records was impossible.

Her assistant entered.

“Miss Cross.”

“Yes?”

“We found the original investor.”

Vivian looked up.

“Who?”

The assistant hesitated.

“Victor Vale.”

Silence.

Vivian's expression changed.

“My father?”

Victor Vale.

The man who controlled the organization behind Astra.

The man who wanted Genesis.

The man who disappeared from public attention for years.

Vivian stood.

“Why would he invest in my show?”

Her assistant answered:

“We don't know.”

A pause.

“But there is one thing.”

“What?”

“The investment happened before Emily Carter was announced as a contestant.”

Vivian froze.

Everything connected.

The show.

Emily.

The investment.

Genesis.

Someone had planned this before Emily returned.

That evening.

Emily received a message.

From Lillian.

Meet me.

Alone.

The location.

An old café outside Westbridge.

Lillian was already waiting.

“You found something.”

Emily sat down.

“Yes.”

“Reed Global has someone searching for Genesis.”

Lillian's expression became serious.

“Not surprising.”

Emily frowned.

“You knew?”

“I suspected.”

Emily sighed.

“Of course.”

Lillian looked at her.

“But I know something else.”

“What?”

“Your father left something inside Reed Global.”

Emily froze.

“My father?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because Alexander knew someone would find Genesis eventually.”

“What did he leave?”

Lillian looked around.

Then whispered:

“A backup.”

“A backup of Genesis?”

“No.”

Lillian shook her head.

“A key.”

Emily frowned.

“What key?”

“The only thing that can activate Genesis.”

Before Emily could ask more…

The café lights went out.

People screamed.

A moment later.

A gunshot.

The glass window shattered.

Lillian immediately pulled Emily down.

Someone was attacking.

When the lights returned…

The attacker was gone.

But one message remained.

Written on the wall.

Seven-pointed star.

And one sentence:

Stop searching.

Or everyone around you will disappear again.

PART 3

The attack changed everything.

No more hiding.

No more waiting.

Someone was actively trying to stop them.

Back at Reed Mansion.

Nathaniel looked at the security report.

His expression was cold.

“From now on, you will not leave alone.”

Emily looked at him.

“No.”

Nathaniel frowned.

“No?”

“You heard me.”

“Emily.”

“I am not a person you need to lock away.”

Silence.

Then Nathaniel said:

“I know.”

The answer surprised her.

“Then?”

“I am afraid.”

Emily froze.

Because Nathaniel Reed rarely admitted weakness.

“Afraid of what?”

He looked at her.

“Losing you.”

For a moment…

Neither spoke.

Then Emily looked away.

Because that answer affected her more than she expected.

Later that night.

Nathaniel accessed Reed Global's highest security system.

He searched all Genesis-related records.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Until one file appeared.

A hidden access log.

Date:

The day Emily signed the marriage agreement.

Nathaniel froze.

The record showed:

PROJECT GENESIS

ACCESS GRANTED.

User:

UNKNOWN.

Location:

Reed Global Private Archive.

Nathaniel immediately called Emily.

“We found it.”

Emily arrived minutes later.

She looked at the screen.

“The day we got married.”

“Yes.”

“Someone accessed Genesis.”

“Yes.”

“Who?”

Nathaniel opened the file.

The system displayed the user.

But the name was hidden.

Only one symbol remained.

A seven-pointed star.

Emily stared.

“Again.”

Nathaniel looked at her.

“This means someone from Astra…”

“No.”

Emily interrupted.

Her eyes narrowed.

“It means someone wanted us to find this.”

At that moment.

A new file appeared automatically.

Not from the system.

Someone was sending it.

The title:

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR MARRIAGE

Emily's expression changed.

Nathaniel immediately tried to close it.

But it opened.

A video appeared.

Recorded ten years ago.

Evelyn Carter.

Nathaniel Reed.

And a young Emily.

Before the explosion.

Before everything.

Evelyn looked at Nathaniel.

“If something happens to me…”

“Marry her.”

Emily froze.

“What?”

The video continued.

“She will need someone who can protect her.”

Nathaniel looked younger.

Different.

Scared.

Evelyn continued:

“Not because of love.”

“Because of Genesis.”

The video ended.

Silence.

Emily slowly turned toward Nathaniel.

“Our marriage…”

Nathaniel did not answer.

Because he knew.

The truth was finally exposed.

It was never a simple agreement.

It was planned ten years ago.

Emily stepped back.

“You knew.”

Nathaniel closed his eyes.

“Yes.”

“And you still married me.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

A long silence.

Then Nathaniel answered:

“Because your mother asked me.”

Emily's eyes changed.

“And if she never asked?”

Nathaniel looked at her.

“I would still have protected you.”

But Emily heard only one thing.

The marriage.

The contract.

The relationship.

Everything started because of a secret.

Her phone vibrated.

A final message.

Unknown Number.

This time:

Nathaniel Voss.

Now you know why Nathaniel Reed chose you.

Another message:

But you still don't know why your mother chose him.

Then the final sentence:

Ask him what happened the night you were born.

Emily stared at the screen.

Another hidden truth.

Another unanswered question.

And this time…

The answer was closer than ever.

Because the person who knew everything…

Was standing in front of her.

Her husband.

Nathaniel Reed.