Elina's heart pounded in her chest as Greyson stepped closer, his cold eyes never leaving hers. She could barely breathe. The man standing in front of her was the one who held all the answers, but his presence felt like a noose tightening around her neck.
Liam was only a few steps away, but it felt like miles.
"What do you want from me?" Elina asked, her voice trembling more than she cared to admit.
Greyson didn't answer right away. Instead, he took a slow, deliberate step towards her, his eyes scanning her like he could see everything—every fear, every doubt, every secret.
"I want what your family owes me," Greyson said finally, his voice as cold as the air around them. "And I want what you know about it."
Elina recoiled. "I don't know anything! My family is... gone. You've got the wrong person."
He shook his head. "No, I don't. You know more than you think. You don't just accidentally stumble into the mess your family left behind. Your mother—she knew more than anyone. She wasn't just a victim, Elina. She was part of it."
Liam stepped forward, his body tense, his jaw tight. "What are you talking about? My father—your employer—was a monster, but what did Elina's mother have to do with this?"
Greyson's gaze shifted to Liam, and for a split second, Elina saw something almost human in his eyes—remorse, maybe? Or regret?
But it was gone as quickly as it came. Greyson's eyes were back to being unreadable, as if he had shut down whatever emotion he had felt.
"She knew about the money laundering. About the dirty deals. She was my contact," Greyson said, his voice steady, almost too calm. "And she betrayed me."
Elina's blood ran cold. "What? My mother would never..."
"Wouldn't she?" Greyson interrupted, his voice like a whip. "I've got proof. She gave your uncle everything she had. Every secret. Every file. She was working with him, Elina. And when I found out, I took care of it. You see, your uncle was trying to take me down. I couldn't let that happen. Not when I was so close to the truth."
Liam was seething now. "So you killed her? You're the reason she's dead?"
Greyson's lips curled into a mocking smile. "No. But I know who did."
He paused, letting the words hang in the air, heavy and suffocating.
"The person who killed your mother wasn't just some random thug, Liam," Greyson continued. "It was someone much closer to you. Someone who has been playing both sides for years."
Elina's mind spun. She couldn't breathe. This was too much. Her mother... her mother had been involved in everything. She had been keeping secrets from her. And now... now this man was telling her that her uncle wasn't the only one who had betrayed her family. There was someone else.
"Who?" Elina whispered, barely able to get the word out.
Greyson's smile widened, and he took another step closer. "Your father."
Elina gasped. "No... it can't be."
"I wish I were lying, Elina. But the truth is always more painful than the lies we tell ourselves," Greyson said softly, almost pityingly. "Your father was the one who made sure your mother didn't survive to see what came next. He made sure no one could ever expose him."
Elina felt like the ground was falling out from beneath her. Her father... she had always believed he was the one person who loved her unconditionally. But now, this man was telling her that her father had been the one to kill her mother. The thought of it twisted her stomach in knots, a violent mix of disbelief and horror.
"You've got it all wrong," Elina whispered, her voice breaking. "My father... he couldn't have."
Greyson's eyes softened, but only for a moment. "I'm sorry, Elina. But I don't lie about these things. The evidence is irrefutable. Your father's hands are just as bloody as anyone else's in this mess."
Liam looked at Elina, his expression filled with concern. He knew she was on the edge. He could see it in her eyes—the disbelief, the pain, the shattered trust.
"Elina," Liam said softly, his voice gentle but firm. "You don't have to believe him. We'll find another way to fix this. We'll find the real truth, I promise."
But Elina could hardly hear him. Her thoughts were racing. Her mother had been a part of this world—this world of corruption, betrayal, and murder. And now, she was learning the unthinkable: her father had been the one responsible for her mother's death.
The man she had trusted more than anyone had lied to her for years. He had destroyed her family, leaving nothing but broken pieces.
"Elina," Liam said again, stepping closer to her. "We'll get through this together. We're in this together."
But all Elina could think about was the secret her father had kept from her, the lies he had told. And the guilt she now carried, because she had never seen the truth.
Greyson's voice broke through her thoughts.
"I'm not here to destroy you, Elina," he said quietly. "I'm not here to ruin your life. But I need you to understand something. This game... it's bigger than you think. It's bigger than any of us."
Elina looked up at him, her eyes hard. "Then why did you bring me into it? Why didn't you just leave me alone?"
Greyson met her gaze. "Because you're the key. You're the one who can bring it all down. You're the one who can end the legacy of lies your family left behind."
Elina took a step back, her breath quickening. "No. I don't want to be part of this anymore. I don't want anything to do with it."
Greyson smiled again, this time a little colder. "You don't get to walk away, Elina. You're already in too deep. You're in this whether you like it or not."
Liam stepped in front of her, his body tense, ready to fight if necessary. "I won't let you manipulate her. We'll find another way."
Greyson's smile didn't fade. "We'll see about that."
Later that night — Liam's safehouse
Elina lay awake in bed, her thoughts racing. She had no idea who to trust anymore. Everything she had believed, everything she had known, had been turned upside down. Her father, the man who had protected her all her life, had been a part of the very thing that destroyed her family.
And now, Greyson was offering her a way out—a way to bring everything down. But at what cost? What would she have to give up in order to see this through?
Liam's words echoed in her mind. "We're in this together." But was that enough? Was it enough to fight against a legacy of corruption that had been built over decades?
Elina didn't know. She didn't know who she could trust anymore.
But one thing was certain: her life would never be the same.