Chapter 2 — Shadows of the Past
Lena Carter
The smell of coffee lingered in the air, sharp and grounding, as Lena Carter sat across from her best friend, Maya Thompson, at their usual corner table in the Riverstone Café. The café’s warm light softened the tension etched into Lena’s face, but nothing could dull the determined glint in her hazel eyes. Between them sat a plain manila folder, its edges slightly worn from Lena’s restless handling.
Maya leaned back in her chair, her dark, coiled hair falling over her shoulders as she studied Lena with a mix of curiosity and concern. “Alright, spill,” she said, her voice low but firm. “You’ve been chewing on something since you called me. And given your tone, I’m guessing it’s not just another case.”
Lena hesitated, fingers drumming against her coffee cup. She glanced around the café, taking in the hum of casual conversations and the occasional hiss of the espresso machine. The Riverstone Café was their sanctuary—a place where Maya could brainstorm her investigative pieces and Lena could decompress from the relentless grind of her legal work. But tonight, the air between them felt different. Heavier.
“It’s about Evan Hayes,” Lena said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
Maya’s eyebrows shot up. “The Evan Hayes? Billionaire CEO, poster boy for corporate greed, and, if rumor serves, the reason half the city’s elite sleep with one eye open?” She smirked, but her tone was cautious. “Why are you tangled up with *him*?”
Lena pushed the folder toward Maya, unable to answer right away. As Maya opened it, Lena’s thoughts raced, snagging on the ethical dilemma that had consumed her since the package arrived. She had been trained to respect confidentiality, yet this discovery felt too important to ignore. A memory flickered unbidden—her father at the kitchen table, his face shadowed with exhaustion as he pored over case files late into the night. The same quiet determination that had driven him now coursed through her. She wasn’t just curious. She needed to know.
Maya’s sharp eyes scanned the first page. Her expression shifted from mild curiosity to something far more serious. The smirk vanished, replaced by a furrowed brow.
“This looks... bad,” Maya muttered, flipping through the dense legal jargon and financial figures. “Offshore accounts, bribes, political kickbacks—classic corporate corruption. But why does this look familiar?”
“Because it *is* familiar,” Lena replied, her voice tight. “Look at the patterns. The shell companies, the payouts. They match the discrepancies my father uncovered before his career was destroyed.”
Maya froze, her fingers resting on the edge of the folder. Her brown eyes met Lena’s. “You’re telling me this is connected to what happened to him?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Lena admitted, though the quiver in her voice betrayed her rising certainty. “But there’s enough overlap to make me suspicious. It’s not just a coincidence, Maya.”
Maya leaned forward, lowering her voice further. “And you’re saying this was... what, dropped in your lap? Literally?”
Lena nodded, her fingers tightening around her coffee cup. “A courier delivered it to my office, claiming it was meant for Evan Hayes. No sender, no address. Just his name. I shouldn’t have opened it, I know that. But when I started reading—Maya, I couldn’t stop. I had to know.”
“I get it,” Maya said, her tone softer now, though her eyes remained sharp. “But do you realize what you’re up against? If this implicates Hayes—or even if it doesn’t—you’re stepping into a minefield. People don’t play fair at that level, Lena. They’ll do whatever it takes to keep their secrets buried.”
“That’s exactly why I can’t walk away,” Lena shot back, her voice fierce. “I’ve spent my entire career fighting for people who don’t have the resources to stand up to corporations like Hayes Industries. And now I have a chance to hit them where it hurts.”
Maya studied her for a long moment, then sighed. “You’ve always had a knack for picking fights with giants.” She closed the folder and slid it back across the table. “But you’ll need more than righteous anger to win this one. If you’re serious about going after Hayes—or whoever’s behind this—you’re going to need help. My help.”
Lena’s lips curved into a faint smile of gratitude. “That’s why I called you.”
“Of course it is,” Maya said dryly, though the corner of her mouth twitched. “So, what’s the plan? Assuming you have one and didn’t just call me for moral support.”
Lena hesitated. The truth was, she didn’t have a concrete plan—not yet. She’d spent most of the night poring over the documents, her mind split between the legal implications and the personal stakes. She’d considered going straight to the authorities, but without knowing how deep the corruption ran, it felt like a gamble. And then there was Evan Hayes himself. What role had he played in all this? Was he complicit, or was he as much in the dark as she’d been before opening that package?
“I need to dig deeper,” Lena said finally. “There’s too much I don’t know yet. But I’m starting with Hayes. If anyone can shed light on this mess, it’s him.”
Maya’s eyebrows knitted together. “You’re planning to confront *him*? Directly?”
“I don’t see another option,” Lena admitted. “He’s either part of the problem, or he’s a key to solving it. Either way, I need answers.”
Maya shook her head, her expression a mix of admiration and exasperation. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. But promise me you’ll be careful. Evan Hayes isn’t just some guy in a suit. He’s a power broker. If you go after him without a solid strategy, he’ll crush you.”
“I know the risks,” Lena said, though the knot in her stomach suggested otherwise. “But I can’t let that stop me.”
Maya sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Alright. If you’re set on this, I’ll back you up. Just... don’t do anything reckless, okay? You’re not invincible, Lena.”
Lena nodded, though she couldn’t quite meet Maya’s gaze. Reckless or not, she knew there was no turning back.
---
Later that evening, Lena sat cross-legged on the floor of her apartment, her father’s old case files spread out around her like fragments of a shattered mirror. The faint aroma of lavender from a nearby candle mixed with the distant hum of traffic outside. She’d kept the files hidden for years, tucked away in the back of her closet like a wound she didn’t want to reopen. But now, with the documents from the package laid out beside them, the parallels were impossible to ignore.
A faint memory surfaced: her father’s pen tapping against a stack of papers, his voice steady as he explained his findings to her mother over the din of the television in the next room. He had fought so hard to expose the truth, only to be crushed by the same system he believed in. The quiet betrayal of it all had lingered in their home, festering in whispers and unanswered questions. Lena traced her fingers over his handwriting, the ink smudged in places as though he’d pressed too hard.
Her chest tightened, but the weight of her grief fueled her determination. She wouldn’t let his fight be in vain.
Her phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. It was a message from Maya: *“If you’re going to confront Hayes, pick a public place. Safer that way. Let me know when and where.”*
Lena smiled faintly, grateful for Maya’s unwavering support. She typed a quick reply, then turned back to the files. There was still so much she didn’t understand, but one thing was clear: the fight wasn’t just hers anymore. It was theirs.
As the city lights cast faint patterns on her apartment walls, Lena closed the folder and leaned back against the couch. Tomorrow, she would face Evan Hayes. And whether he was friend or foe, she was ready to uncover the truth—no matter the cost.
