GOLDEN HEADLINES

3: Case Closed?

THE SILENCE

Alessia sat at her cluttered desk, flipping through case files and evidence photos for the Golden Orchid investigation.

The usual buzz of the newsroom was around her, but she was lost in thought, barely noticing the voices and ringing phones.

She couldn't shake the images in her mind—Zaiden's unsettling familiarity and that tattoo she'd glimpsed in the elevator.

Both encounters gnawed at her, hinting at a connection she couldn't quite grasp.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her editor calling her name from across the room. "Alessia! Any updates on the Golden Orchid story?"

She snapped back to the present, nodding briskly. "Yes, I've been looking into some leads. There's a pattern emerging with the missing and death people"

As she spoke, Alessia's gaze drifted to her phone, where she'd saved a snapshot of the tattoo she'd hastily sketched down.

It can't just be a coincidence, she thought. Could these men—Zaiden and that stranger—actually be connected to this case?

Alessia sat at her desk, the weight of her investigation pressing on her.

Alessia's fingers hovered over her keyboard, the screen in front of her filled with pages of notes and fragmented pieces of information about the Golden Orchid case.

But just as she was about to make another breakthrough, her phone buzzed—an alert from the news channel. She clicked on it, expecting the usual updates about minor stories. But instead, her eyes widened as she read the headline:

🚨Breaking News: Golden Orchid Investigation Closed Amidst Claims of Myth.

Her stomach dropped as she read the headline disbelief flooding her. After all her sleepless nights and endless leads, could it really end like this? Her pulse quickened, fury and frustration simmering beneath the surface—this couldn't be the truth.

Before she could process the shock, her phone rang. It was Lucas East, and his tone was far more serious than usual.

"Alessia," he started, his voice low, almost strained. "The case is over. You need to stop working on it immediately."

"What do you mean, stop?" Alessia's voice cracked with confusion. "I'm still following the leads, I'm—"

"Listen to me," he interrupted. "The news network has been bought out. A major player now controls the channel, and they want the case buried. I don't have a choice here, Alessia."

Alessia's heart pounded as she tried to absorb his words. "Bought out? By who?"

Lucas east's voice dropped to a whisper, "I can't say. But they've decided the Golden Orchid case is nothing but a myth. There's no debate about it."

Her mind raced. A myth? After everything she had uncovered, the leads she'd followed, the lives lost, it couldn't just be dismissed as some tall tale.

"No, lucas," she said, her voice rising with defiance. "I can't let you do that. I've seen too much, I've heard too much. This case is real."

"You don't understand," Lucas East's voice grew colder.

"Alessia, This is bigger than you or me. They've made their decision, and we don't have the luxury of ignoring it. You'll issue the statement or you'll be out of a job. Understood?"

Alessia's breath caught in her throat. She had no choice but to comply—or risk losing everything she had worked for.

"Fine," she said through clenched teeth, "I'll issue the retraction, but I won't stop. You hear me? This isn't over. I'll find another way."

There was a long pause on the other end, then a sigh. "I'm sorry, Alessia. But you don't understand the stakes."

Before she could respond, the call ended, leaving her in stunned silence.

Alessia stared at the screen, the weight of the words sinking in. The case was being written off, dismissed as nothing more than a fantasy. But for her, it was far from over.

She stood up from her desk, her hands shaking slightly. Someone powerful wants this case buried. But why?

+

As Alessia returns home, her frustration is almost palpable. She tosses her bag onto the couch, her shoulders heavy with disappointment.

Mabel, who's sprawled on the living room floor, flipping through a magazine, catches the tension right away.

"Hey, what's up? You look like you just ran into a wall," Mabel says, setting the magazine down and turning to face her.

Alessia lets out a tired sigh, collapsing into the armchair across from her. "The Golden Orchid case... It's over. They're calling it a myth. Months of work—just gone."

Mabel sits down beside her, gently nudging her arm. "Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. You've done everything you could. Maybe this case wasn't meant to be cracked—"

"Wait," she says, her eyes brightening with a sudden determination. "I don't need the network to get the truth out. I can use social media. I'll tell people myself!"

Mabel looks at her, incredulous, shaking her head. "Are you crazy? Why are you putting yourself in danger? Do you realize the kind of trouble you're asking for? It's better to stop now before it's too late."

Alessia stands firm, her jaw set in defiance. "I can't back down now, Mabel. This is bigger than me. People deserve to know what's really going on."

Mabel takes a step closer "Alessia but—"

Alessia doesn't waver. "I've already made up my mind. This isn't about playing it safe anymore—it's about exposing the truth."

Mabel sighs, her face filled with irritation, but she knows Alessia too well to argue further.

Without a second thought, Alessia pulls out her phone, opening her social media app and crafting a quick, concise tweet that hints at her investigation into the Golden Orchid case, hinting at questions that haven't been answered.

Within minutes, her notifications start buzzing—likes, retweets, and comments pouring in as her followers latch onto her words.

About two hours later

Alessia's phone rings. The name on the screen stops her in her tracks: Zaiden. She answers, keeping her voice steady despite the tension in her chest.

"Come over," he says, his voice low and serious. "We need to talk."

A shiver runs through her. She doesn't know what awaits, but she's certain this is only the beginning.

Why...?

+

With her heart pounding, Alessia hesitates only briefly before knocking on Zaiden's door.

As the door swings open, Zaiden's dark, unreadable expression greets her, his intense gaze sending a chill through her spine.

"Come in," he says, his tone clipped, giving nothing away. She steps inside, her mind racing with questions and a tinge of fear.

She hesitated, As she stepped inside, the apartment's atmosphere immediately struck her—dimly lit, with shadows playing across the luxurious but sparse furniture, some of it still boxed and unopened.

It wasn't just the apartment's atmosphere alone that made her pause.

But

There was another man...Seated on the couch right in front of her. He wore a crisp black shirt with two buttons open showing up his collarbones, dark black pants, and had slightly tousled hair that framed a face strikingly handsome.

The stranger with a familiar golden tattoo snaking up below his collarbone. Recognition jolts through her. This was the same stranger she'd seen.

The realization that he and Zaiden are in the same room heightens her shock. What could this mean?