Chapter 4 The Secret Behind the Wooden Box
The Nathaniel Group skyscraper stood firm in the heart of Manhattan, but inside the CEO’s office, the atmosphere felt like a battlefield. Evan strode toward his desk in long steps, followed closely by Rico, his personal assistant, who looked pale as he carried a digital tablet.
“Show me the report now, Rico!” Evan ordered in a thunderous voice.
Rico immediately activated the large screen on the wall. “The audit team has just confirmed it, sir. The prototype for the Smart Green City project we planned to launch next month has been patented by a rival company, PT Victory Dirgantara, under the name Victor Kane.”
Evan slammed his fist onto the desk, making everything on it tremble. “Victor? My father’s sworn enemy? How could he get his hands on that confidential project?”
“CCTV footage shows Selena entering your digital archive room three days before the wedding, sir. She used your backup access card,” Rico replied quietly.
The office door suddenly flew open. Zavian Nathaniel stormed in, his face flushed with rage. He hurled a stack of business newspapers at Evan.
“Look at this, Evan! Our stock dropped five percent this morning because of rumors of project plagiarism!” Zavian shouted. “You are truly a fool! How could you give such critical access to a snake like Selena? You were blinded by love, Evan!”
“Dad, I thought Selena truly loved me. We were together for three years…”
“Love?” Zavian laughed bitterly, his voice echoing through the room. “She was using you, Evan. She slept with Victor behind your back while stealing our family’s most valuable assets. Now she’s run off with that bastard and taken our company secrets. Do you know what this means? Our losses could reach trillions!”
Evan collapsed into his executive chair. His jaw clenched so hard that the veins in his neck bulged. “I will find her, Dad. I’ll drag her back.”
“Find her even if you have to dig through an anthill!” Zavian jabbed a finger at Evan’s face. “And make sure that substitute wife of yours doesn’t do the same thing. If you fail again, I will personally remove you from that CEO seat!”
That night, Evan did not go home right away. He was in an exclusive bar, dark and deafening with pounding music. Rows of high-end liquor bottles lined the table in front of him. Evan poured whiskey into his glass for the tenth time.
“Sir, that’s enough. You’re already too drunk,” Rico said, trying to take the bottle from his boss’s hand.
“Shut up, Rico! Let me drink,” Evan slurred. His once sharp eyes were now red and unfocused.
Around him, the bar grew hotter and louder. Two women in extremely revealing outfits approached Evan’s sofa. They wore bikini-like tops that exposed their cleavage and miniskirts that barely covered anything.
“Hey, handsome. Why are you all alone?” one blonde woman asked as she sat right beside Evan, her long-nailed fingers beginning to stroke his broad shoulder.
“You look like you need company to warm up your night,” whispered the other woman, blowing into Evan’s ear as she leaned closer, her strong perfume assaulting his senses.
Evan did not move. He stared blankly at his glass. In his mind, there was only the image of Selena’s gentle face, the woman he had adored. He remembered how she always acted sweetly, making coffee for him, smiling with what he believed was sincerity.
“So it was all fake,” Evan murmured.
“What’s fake, sweetheart? This touch is real,” the blonde teased, her hand sliding toward Evan’s thigh.
“Get lost!” Evan suddenly snapped, startling both women. They immediately stood up and hurried away.
“Sir, let’s go home,” Rico said quickly, stepping in before Evan could lose control further.
“She’s a snake, Rico… she betrayed me,” Evan muttered as he tried to stand. His body swayed, nearly collapsing before Rico caught him.
Meanwhile, at the Nathaniel residence, Alice had just finished showering. She was wearing a simple knee length satin pajama set. Standing in front of the vanity, she applied her nighttime skincare routine, trying to calm her chaotic thoughts.
As she reached for a serum bottle, the loose sleeve of her top accidentally knocked against a carved wooden box resting at the corner of the bedside table near the bed.
The box fell, its lid popping open. Its contents scattered across the marble floor. Alice froze. Her heart pounded wildly as Evan’s threat from the night before echoed in her mind. Never touch anything in my room. If you dare touch even the smallest thing, your life will disappear.
“I’m dead… I’m dead,” Alice whispered shakily. “If he finds out I dropped this, he might kill me.”
With violently trembling hands, Alice knelt on the floor and hurriedly gathered the items. There were several old, yellowed photographs, a small neatly folded letter, and one object that immediately caught her attention.
She picked up a bracelet made of intertwined red and black threads, worn and faded with age. Beside it lay a photograph of a boy about ten years old, holding a trophy.
Alice examined the photo under the bedside lamp, then unfolded the small letter, its ink already fading.
“Thank you for being kind to me. I will always wear this bracelet, so I will always remember you.”
Alice’s eyes widened. She rushed to the vanity drawer where she kept her wallet. From inside, she pulled out a thread bracelet identical in color and design to the one she had just found in Evan’s wooden box.
She compared the two bracelets. The size, the knots, even the type of thread were exactly the same. She looked back at the photo of the young boy, trying to stir memories from her long-buried childhood.
“Huh? This bracelet and this photo…” Alice’s voice caught in her throat. “They’re the same as mine…”
She froze when she heard the bedroom door slam open. Turning toward it, she saw Evan standing there, disheveled, his breath reeking of alcohol.
Evan’s bloodshot eyes immediately locked onto the open wooden box on the floor and the items in Alice’s hands.
“What are you doing with my things?” Evan growled, his voice low and dangerous.
Alice tried to hide the bracelet in her hand, but Evan was already stepping forward, gripping her wrist tightly.
“You dared to touch this? Do you really want to die?”
“Aah, Evan, it hurts. Let go,” Alice whimpered as pain shot through her wrist.
“It seems you’ve forgotten my words, Alice. Never touch my belongings. You die tonight.” Evan tightened his grip even more.
Alice looked at him with tear-filled eyes. The pain from his grasp was intense, but there was one question she could no longer hold back.
“Evan… who is the boy in this photo?”
