Chapter 6: Celeste's Last Letter

The greenhouse was silent.

The forensic team continued working around the grave, but their voices felt distant.

My attention remained fixed on Adrian.

He stood motionless, staring at the sealed evidence bag.

Inside was a letter.

A letter written six years ago.

A letter that should have reached him.

A letter that somehow never did.

'Can I see it?' Adrian asked.

Detective Harris nodded.

'Carefully.'

The bag was opened.

The folded paper looked fragile.

Yellowed with age.

Damaged by moisture.

Yet still readable.

Adrian unfolded it slowly.

His hands trembled.

The sight shocked me.

I had never seen Adrian Blackwood nervous.

Not once.

Not during business negotiations.

Not during gunfire.

Not while being hunted.

But this?

This terrified him.

His eyes moved across the page.

Then he began reading aloud.

'Adrian,'

'If you're reading this, then something happened to me.'

The greenhouse seemed to grow quieter.

'Please don't blame yourself.'

'You always try to save everyone.'

'That's what I loved most about you.'

The words hit hard.

Not just because of what they meant.

But because of how naturally they flowed.

Because they belonged to a love story that had never truly ended.

Adrian continued.

'Marcus is dangerous.'

'More dangerous than anyone realizes.'

'The money was never his goal.'

'The money was only the beginning.'

Detective Harris frowned.

'Keep reading.'

'He has powerful partners.'

'Politicians.'

'Judges.'

'Businessmen.'

'People who profit from fear.'

'If I disappear, don't chase revenge.'

'Expose the truth.'

'That will hurt him more.'

Adrian's voice became rough.

'And if by some miracle you find happiness one day... don't spend your life trapped by my memory.'

The final line nearly broke him.

'Live, Adrian.'

'For both of us.'

The letter ended there.

No signature was necessary.

Everyone knew who had written it.

For several moments, nobody spoke.

Then Detective Harris exhaled heavily.

'This changes everything.'

'How?' I asked.

'Because it confirms motive.'

'And confirms Marcus knew she was gathering evidence.'

Adrian folded the letter carefully.

His expression had changed.

The sadness remained.

But something else had appeared.

Resolve.

The kind that could move mountains.

'We're ending this.'

Harris nodded.

'Good. Because Marcus made a mistake.'

'Which one?'

'He got impatient.'

The detective handed Adrian a tablet.

Several photographs appeared.

Security-camera images.

Grainy.

Dark.

But clear enough.

Marcus Monroe entering the greenhouse three nights earlier.

Marcus Monroe leaving two hours later.

'We recovered these from a nearby gas station.'

My eyes widened.

'He's connected directly to the burial site.'

'Exactly.'

For the first time, we had something tangible.

Not rumors.

Not theories.

Evidence.

Real evidence.

Unfortunately, Marcus wasn't finished fighting.

We learned that less than an hour later.

As reporters gathered outside the estate, breaking news spread across every major network.

A headline appeared.

'Blackwood Industries Linked To Monroe Corruption Investigation.'

Then another.

'Questions Raised About Adrian Blackwood's Role In Celeste Monroe Case.'

And another.

'Business Empire Under Scrutiny.'

I stared at the screen.

'Marcus is attacking first.'

'Of course he is,' Adrian replied.

'If he controls the story, he controls public opinion.'

My phone began vibrating.

Then Adrian's.

Then Detective Harris's.

The media storm had begun.

By afternoon, Blackwood Industries stock had dropped seven percent.

By evening, it had dropped twelve.

Investors panicked.

News anchors speculated.

Social media exploded.

Some people called Adrian a victim.

Others called him a murderer.

Nobody knew the truth.

That was exactly how Marcus wanted it.

Back at Blackwood Tower, the crisis escalated.

'We need a statement,' one executive insisted.

'Not yet,' Adrian replied.

'The board is demanding answers.'

'They'll get them.'

'When?'

'Tomorrow.'

The executive looked horrified.

'Tomorrow may be too late.'

Adrian stood.

'No.'

'Tomorrow ends this.'

The certainty in his voice silenced everyone.

That night, I found him alone in his office.

The city lights reflected behind him.

The teddy bear sat nearby.

The same bear that had started everything.

'You should sleep,' I said.

'You should too.'

'I'm worried about you.'

The words escaped before I could stop them.

Adrian looked surprised.

'After everything?'

'You're still an idiot.'

A faint smile appeared.

'Fair.'

I sat beside him.

For the first time in days, neither of us argued.

Neither of us ran.

The silence felt comfortable.

'Do you still love her?' I asked quietly.

Adrian looked toward the skyline.

The question lingered.

'I'll always love who she was.'

The answer hurt.

But not as much as before.

'That's not the same thing.'

'No.'

He looked at me.

Really looked at me.

'It's not.'

Something shifted between us.

Small.

Fragile.

But real.

Then the office door burst open.

Detective Harris entered.

Out of breath.

Pale.

'Marcus is moving.'

Both of us stood instantly.

'What happened?' Adrian asked.

'We intercepted a call.'

'And?'

'He's leaving the country tonight.'

The room froze.

'Can we stop him?' I asked.

Harris nodded.

'Maybe.'

'Maybe isn't good enough.'

'There's more.'

The detective swallowed hard.

'Marcus knows about the drive.'

'Of course he does.'

'No. He knows exactly where it is.'

A chill ran through me.

'How?'

'Because someone inside Blackwood Industries is working for him.'

Silence.

Heavy silence.

Betrayal.

Again.

Adrian's expression hardened.

'Who?'

Harris looked grim.

'We're still confirming it.'

'Then confirm faster.'

The detective nodded.

'One more thing.'

'What now?'

'The private jet Marcus booked isn't heading to Europe.'

'Where is it going?'

Harris handed over a file.

I opened it.

Then my stomach dropped.

The destination wasn't another country.

It was a private island in the Caribbean.

An island owned by one of the names listed inside Celeste's files.

One of the most powerful men in the corruption network.

A man known only by a single nickname.

'The Collector.'

And according to the documents, he was far more dangerous than Marcus Monroe ever had been.