Signed in Blood: The Price of Secrets

Pt3~The wingmen

Flashback - Somewhere in New Zealand

"I'm certain it was them. They were both there, discussing how to take over my shares and remove me from the company. They still want everything to go to my brother. See? This is exactly why I warned you! I knew they would come after me. They see me as nothing but an obstacle in their path."

A deep breath. A pause.

"They will be here any moment now, so listen carefully. They can do anything to erase me. Make sure my brother is safe—he never wanted this power. He shouldn't even know this side of our family exists..."

Her voice wavered. "I've already signed the necessary documents. Legally, you won't face too many problems. I've also left a note for him—only he will be able to find it, so don't worry."

A faint creak echoed in the background, followed by the soft shuffle of footsteps and the metallic click of a door unlocking. Her voice dropped to a whisper, shaky with fear.

"The time has come. This recording is my last hope of reaching you. I love you all more than words can ever say. I never told you, but I was always grateful to have you. You were the only light in this world of greed and power. My last strand of hope."

A deep inhale.

"Goodbye."

The tape recorder clicked off.

Three figures sat frozen in a dimly lit room, eyes glistening with unshed tears. A girl clutched the device in her trembling hands, her breath ragged as she replayed the words in her head.

People gossip about the deaths of the wealthy. The news speculates, sources leak information—but the grief, the real grief, is never felt by those who only read headlines. It is carried by those left behind. Those who truly loved her.

And in this case, it wasn't her own blood that mourned her loss.

The word 'family' had never felt more hollow.

The owners of The Illuravention Corp sat in silence, suffocated by the weight of the truth. They were powerful on paper, but in reality, they were trapped. Bound by contracts, bound by obligations, bound by the very empire they were supposed to control.

"Calm down. We need to wait for the right moment." The girl holding the tape finally spoke, voice steady but strained. "No one saw this coming. Somi's death was too sudden. We need to let the world know first, and then—"

"The hell do you mean by calm down? Somi is dead! Raven, do you hear me?!"

She lunged at the speaker, gripping the collar of her crisp white shirt. Before things could escalate, a sharp voice cut through the tension.

"Stop it!" Luca intervened, pulling them apart.

Raven didn't flinch. She wrenched herself free, turned on her heel, and stormed out, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. Before disappearing through the door, she uttered only one sentence:

"We. Fucking. Own. The. Crosss."

The room exhaled a collective sigh. The girl who had restrained them earlier sat down, exhaustion evident in her posture. "You know she didn't mean that. She just... loses her cool easily."

"I know," the other girl admitted, rubbing her temples. "She was closest to Somi. It's understandable. But we can't just remove The Crosss from our label—not without legal grounds. And breaking the contract before its term? That would cost us more than an apology settlement."

Silence stretched between them until a quiet voice spoke up. "I think we should tell the others first."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked towards another office hall.

Present - Lilith's Office

Lilith's POV

I packed my things earlier than usual. The office was buzzing with preparations for the upcoming celebration—the first-ever joint animation project between my team and The Crosss.

A soft knock on my door.

"Miss Lilith? May I come in?"

I looked up to see a young man, unfamiliar yet polite, standing at the entrance.

"Yeah, sure," I replied with a small smile, which he returned before stepping inside, keeping a careful two-meter distance.

"Mr. Eric Draven asked me to hand you this file. He wants you to go through it before tomorrow morning's meeting. Mr. Cross will be introducing you to someone."

He bowed slightly before hurrying out, as if my presence alone was suffocating.

I sighed. I was used to it by now.

People in this office saw me as nothing more than a greedy, arrogant bitch.

Did I care? No.

Before I could open the file, my phone rang.

"Hey, sis."

Henry.

"Hey, Henry. How are you?" I asked, slightly puzzled. He never called during work hours.

"Are you going to the party tonight?"

I sighed. "I don't really have a choice. I need to keep up appearances until my contract ends. If I play my cards right, I might get better offers after this."

"Figured." His tone was flat, unlike him. "Anything interesting happen today?"

Something about his question made my nerves twitch.

"Tell Dad I'm fine. And no, nothing special. Gotta go. Bye!"

I hung up, realizing how late I was running for the event.

The Party

The club was alive with chatter. Employees were grouped together, drinks in hand, basking in the rare moment of celebration. At a small table near the bar, four familiar faces—Adrian, Leo, Noah, and Caleb—waved me over.

"Lilith!" Leo greeted. The others nodded in acknowledgment.

"Hey, guys." I slid into the seat between them.

My gaze drifted across the room. Three men stood apart from the crowd, unfamiliar yet clearly part of the company.

"Do you know them? One of them delivered some files to me today. Never seen them before."

Noah took a sip of his beer before answering. "New hires. They started today."

I frowned. "We haven't been hiring. How did they get in?"

Adrian shrugged. "Probably connections. Maybe linked to politicians."

I exhaled sharply. "Wouldn't surprise me. Mr. Cross has deep pockets in political circles."

Before we could speculate further, Caleb's phone buzzed. He answered, then beamed at us, his excitement palpable. "Guys! Ro is coming back!"

The table erupted.

"Wait—do you mean it?!"

"When?!"

"After all these years!"

Their enthusiasm was overwhelming, but I sat there, confused.

"Who's Ro?"

Caleb's expression softened. "Ronan Cross."

And suddenly, it all clicked.

The file. The unexpected meeting. The whispers of Mira's case being paused.

A hush fell over the room as a voice echoed through the speakers.

"Attention, everyone. Mr. Cross's son returns tomorrow!" Eric Nam announced, raising his champagne glass with a smirk. "A toast to Ronan Cross!"