Chapter 4 — The Secret Behind Reed Global
PART 1
Three days had passed since the attack on the Reed family estate.
But the question remained.
Who had broken into the mansion?
And what exactly were they looking for?
The official explanation was simple.
A security failure.
An attempted robbery.
A misunderstanding.
The public believed it.
The media believed it.
But Emily Carter knew better.
People did not break into the home of Nathaniel Reed to steal expensive items.
They came for information.
And the only information worth risking their lives for…
Was Astra.
Inside the Reed mansion.
Emily sat in the private library.
Hundreds of books surrounded her.
Business.
Technology.
History.
Science.
Everything about the Reed family.
But she was not reading any of them.
Instead, she was looking at a digital file.
A timeline.
1998.
Reed Global founded.
2008.
Nathaniel Reed entered the company.
2016.
Reed Global expanded into biotechnology.
2016.
Astra Foundation destroyed.
The same year.
The same month.
The same week.
Emily stared at the screen.
The numbers were too perfect.
Too connected.
She opened another file.
Company acquisitions.
Research investments.
Patent ownership.
Her expression slowly changed.
Because she found something.
A pattern.
Every major technology field Reed Global entered after the Astra incident…
Was connected to research areas Astra had once developed.
Artificial intelligence.
Medical technology.
Human performance systems.
Energy storage.
Everything.
Emily leaned back.
A cold feeling appeared.
The world believed Astra disappeared.
But maybe…
It didn't disappear.
Maybe someone inherited it.
A knock came at the door.
Emily closed the laptop instantly.
Nathaniel entered.
“You are investigating me.”
It was not a question.
Emily looked at him.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“And you are not angry?”
“No.”
That answer surprised her.
Most people would become defensive.
Nathaniel simply walked inside.
“Should I be?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because your wife is secretly investigating your company.”
Nathaniel looked at her.
“You are not investigating my company.”
A pause.
“You are investigating whether I killed your mother.”
The room became quiet.
Emily did not deny it.
Because he was right.
Nathaniel sat across from her.
“You found the connection.”
“What connection?”
“Between Reed Global and Astra.”
Emily's eyes narrowed.
“So you know.”
“Yes.”
“Then explain.”
Nathaniel looked toward the window.
“The world thinks companies are built with money.”
A pause.
“They are not.”
“They are built with information.”
Emily watched him carefully.
“What information?”
“The kind people kill for.”
Nathaniel opened his tablet.
A file appeared.
Reed Global history.
But not the public version.
The private version.
“Before I became CEO…”
“I was investigating Astra.”
Emily frowned.
“Why?”
“Because my father died because of it.”
That was new.
Emily had never heard this before.
“Your father?”
Nathaniel nodded.
“My father was one of Astra's investors.”
“He believed Evelyn Carter's research could change the world.”
“But he discovered someone wanted to use it for something else.”
Emily became more focused.
“Who?”
Nathaniel looked at her.
“We never found out.”
“That sounds familiar.”
A pause.
“Because your mother said the same thing.”
Emily froze.
Nathaniel continued.
“Ten years ago, Evelyn contacted me.”
“She knew something was wrong inside Astra.”
“She asked me to help protect the research.”
Emily looked at him.
“Not her?”
“No.”
“Not herself?”
“No.”
Nathaniel's voice became quieter.
“You.”
The answer hit harder than she expected.
Emily looked away.
Because every person connected to that night said the same thing.
Her mother protected her.
But nobody told her why.
“What was Project Genesis?”
Nathaniel became silent.
Too silent.
Emily noticed immediately.
“There it is again.”
“What?”
“The moment you reach the truth, you stop.”
Nathaniel looked at her.
“Because knowing everything does not always help.”
“You don't get to decide what I can handle.”
A pause.
Then Nathaniel said:
“Maybe not.”
“But I promised your mother.”
Emily froze.
“What promise?”
Nathaniel looked directly at her.
“That if you survived…”
“I would make sure you never became part of Astra again.”
That night.
Emily left the mansion.
Not because she was running away.
Because she needed answers from someone who did not belong to Reed.
Someone who had no reason to protect Nathaniel.
Adrian Sterling.
Sterling Tower.
The office was almost empty.
Adrian looked surprised when Emily entered.
“You came alone.”
“Yes.”
“That means you are either angry…”
“Or you found something.”
Emily placed the file on his desk.
“Tell me about Nathaniel Reed.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“You finally asked.”
“You knew I would.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because everyone who investigates Astra eventually reaches him.”
Emily studied him.
“You think he is guilty.”
Adrian walked toward the window.
“I think Nathaniel Reed is the biggest mystery left from that night.”
“Why?”
“Because unlike everyone else…”
“He disappeared.”
Emily frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“After the explosion.”
“Before becoming CEO.”
“Before creating Reed Global's biotechnology division.”
“He spent three years completely outside public records.”
Emily looked at him.
“Where was he?”
Adrian turned around.
“That is what nobody knows.”
PART 2
The next morning.
Emily made a decision.
She would enter Reed Global.
Not as Nathaniel's wife.
Not as a protected person.
As an investigator.
Nathaniel did not stop her.
That surprised her.
When she told him:
“I want access to Reed Global's private archives.”
She expected resistance.
Instead, he simply replied:
“Okay.”
Emily looked at him.
“That's it?”
“Yes.”
“You are not going to ask why?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Nathaniel looked at her.
“Because I already know.”
“What?”
“You will investigate until you find the truth.”
A pause.
“And if I stop you…”
“You will trust me less.”
Emily had no answer.
Because he was right.
Reed Global Headquarters.
The tallest building in Westbridge.
Unlike Sterling Tower's cold elegance…
Reed Global felt alive.
Thousands of employees.
Advanced technology.
Constant movement.
This was an empire built for the future.
Emily walked through the entrance.
Immediately.
Everyone noticed.
The new Mrs. Reed.
The mysterious survivor.
The woman who changed Nathaniel Reed's life.
Employees whispered.
“She looks different from the photos.”
“She seems younger.”
“Do you think the marriage is real?”
Emily ignored them.
She had heard worse.
At the private elevator.
Nathaniel joined her.
“You don't have to come with me.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you?”
“Because some doors only open for me.”
Emily glanced at him.
“That sounds arrogant.”
“It is practical.”
For some reason…
She almost smiled.
Almost.
The top floor.
CEO Archive Division.
Nathaniel scanned his access card.
The door opened.
Inside was not a normal office.
It was an archive.
Thousands of confidential files.
Emily immediately understood.
“This is where you keep your secrets.”
Nathaniel looked at the shelves.
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Where I keep other people's secrets.”
That answer made her pause.
Because it explained Nathaniel.
He was not just a businessman.
He was someone who collected information.
Controlled information.
Emily began searching.
Files.
Documents.
Research reports.
Then she found something.
A folder.
ASTRA FOUNDATION — PRIVATE COLLABORATION.
Her hand stopped.
“Nathaniel.”
He did not answer.
Because he already knew.
She opened it.
Inside:
Photos.
Contracts.
Research notes.
And one document.
PROJECT GENESIS.
Emily's heartbeat increased.
She read the first page.
Subject:
Emily Carter.
Her hands froze.
“What is this?”
Nathaniel said nothing.
“What is this?”
Her voice became colder.
Nathaniel finally answered.
“Your mother's research.”
“No.”
Emily looked at him.
“My name is on it.”
A long silence.
Then Nathaniel said:
“Because you were part of it.”
The room became silent.
Emily felt like the ground disappeared.
“What do you mean?”
Nathaniel walked closer.
“When you were born…”
“Your mother discovered something unusual.”
“Your body responded differently to certain treatments.”
Emily stared at him.
“I was a child.”
“Yes.”
“You experimented on me?”
“No.”
Nathaniel's answer was immediate.
Strong.
Almost angry.
“Your mother would never allow that.”
“Then why is my name here?”
Nathaniel looked at the document.
“Because Evelyn created Project Genesis to save you.”
Before Emily could respond.
The archive alarm suddenly activated.
Warning.
Unauthorized access detected.
Nathaniel immediately looked toward the security screen.
A person had entered the archive.
Someone who should not be there.
Emily watched the camera.
A hooded figure moved through the hallway.
Then stopped.
Looked directly at the camera.
As if they knew they were being watched.
The person removed their hood.
Emily froze.
Because she recognized the face.
Not from memory.
From the photo.
The person standing beside her mother the night of the explosion.
The person missing from all official records.
Nathaniel whispered:
“No.”
Emily turned.
“You know him.”
Nathaniel's expression changed.
For the first time…
Real fear appeared.
“He should be dead.”
The screen showed the man's face.
Then the security system displayed his identity.
NATHANIEL VOSS.
Emily's breathing stopped.
The man who disappeared ten years ago.
The man connected to her mother's final warning.
Was alive.
PART 3
The archive doors locked automatically.
Security teams moved toward the location.
But Emily barely heard them.
Her attention remained on the screen.
Nathaniel Voss.
Alive.
After ten years.
The name that had existed only inside hidden files.
The man her mother trusted.
The man her mother warned her about.
The man who disappeared the night Astra burned.
Emily looked at Nathaniel.
“You knew.”
Nathaniel did not answer.
That was enough.
“You knew he was alive.”
“No.”
“Then why did you say he should be dead?”
Silence.
Emily stepped closer.
“You knew something.”
Nathaniel looked at the screen.
“I thought he died.”
“You thought?”
“Yes.”
“People don't disappear for ten years unless someone helps them.”
Nathaniel had no response.
The archive door opened.
Security personnel entered.
But the room was empty.
Nathaniel Voss was gone.
Only one thing remained.
A small envelope.
Placed on the floor.
Emily picked it up.
There was no name.
Only one symbol.
A seven-pointed star.
She opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
The same laboratory.
The same night.
But this time…
The photo showed something different.
Evelyn Carter was not running from the explosion.
She was handing something to Nathaniel Voss.
A small metal case.
The same case Emily carried.
Emily looked at Nathaniel.
“The case.”
His expression changed.
“What?”
“You knew what was inside.”
A pause.
“Yes.”
“Then why did you let me bring it here?”
Nathaniel looked at her.
“Because I wanted to know if you still had it.”
Emily's eyes became cold.
“You tested me.”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Nathaniel's voice lowered.
“I was waiting for someone to react.”
“Who?”
Nathaniel looked at the photograph.
“Nathaniel Voss.”
That night.
Emily returned to the Reed mansion.
But everything felt different.
Before today…
She thought Nathaniel was hiding information.
Now she knew:
He was hiding entire chapters of history.
She stood by the window.
The city lights reflected in her eyes.
Her phone vibrated.
Unknown Number.
She answered.
No voice.
Only a message.
You finally found him.
Emily typed:
Who are you?
A reply came.
The person who watched your mother die.
Her expression changed.
Another message appeared.
And the person who knows why Nathaniel Reed married you.
Emily froze.
Because that question had never left her mind.
Why her?
Why now?
Why a contract marriage?
Before she could respond.
The final message arrived.
Your husband did not choose you because he wanted to protect you.
He chose you because you are the last key to Astra.
Emily slowly lowered the phone.
Across the room.
The contract she signed days ago remained on the table.
Three years.
Public marriage.
Separate lives.
A simple agreement.
But now she understood.
It was never simple.
Someone had planned this.
Someone had been waiting for her return.
And Nathaniel Reed…
Was either the person leading her toward the truth…
Or the person making sure she never escaped it.
Outside the window.
A shadow watched the Reed mansion.
The same symbol appeared again.
Seven points.
Astra.
A voice whispered:
“Welcome back, Emily Carter.”
“The real game has finally begun.”
