The Cursed Proposal

Chapter 17: Broken Echoes

After the conversation with Henry Anderson, Sebastian searched his father's old archive for more information about LIRA-IN. The archive was tucked away in his father's office—a hidden room powered by solar panels to avoid any traceable energy consumption. As Sebastian stepped inside, the air felt thick with the smell of old books and dust, and only a dim light lit the rows of tall shelves holding dusty boxes of past projects. It was a place that had once felt like a sanctuary for him, trying to escape his mother's demands.

He started rummaging through the files when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Oliver had sent him an email with the subject line: "Dial this number." Sebastian stared at it for a moment, confused but intrigued. Knowing Oliver's eccentric tendencies, he dialed the number anyway.

"Fly me to the moon, oh Romeo," a voice crooned on the other end. Sebastian's brow furrowed, and he instinctively pulled the phone away to double-check the number.

"I think I called the wrong number. Sorry—" he started.

"Wait! God, boss, you're supposed to answer with the code," Oliver interrupted, his voice laced with disappointment. "Anyway, I finished my investigation. Do you want a quick summary, or should I send the full report?"

"Just the summary for now," Sebastian said while rummaging through his father's archived.

"The money trail leads to a dummy corporation—looks clean, but it's a classic shell game. For now, I think Mr. Anderson is innocent. Someone's trying to pin this on him, though," Oliver said.

Sebastian hummed in acknowledgment, still sorting through documents labeled with project names he barely recognized. "And the vial?" he asked, his voice quieter as if speaking too loudly might disturb the ghosts of old memories.

"Ah, the mystery vial," Oliver said, flipping through his own stack of notes. "Turns out, it's not Synthetic Cannabinoids. It's something called Salvinorin A. Similar effects, but it works differently. Causes brief, intense bursts of altered consciousness—just enough to disorient a person, but not enough to push someone to murder."

"Can she be hypnotized using the substance?" Sebastian asked, thinking that maybe the perpetrator was trying to clean themselves from leaving a footprint. Kaya did say that Jade was acting strange that day, and Oliver's result strengthened Sebastian's hypothesis.

"According to my friend, yeah, it's possible," Oliver replied. "It's a natural substance, from a plant. Much less suspicious than synthetics. The tricky part is, if she was hypnotized, she could have specific trigger words. If we don't know what they are, it could be dangerous trying to bring her out of it."

Sebastian's mind raced with possibilities. Kaya had mentioned Jade acting strange, and now Oliver's findings gave weight to his growing theory. "Do whatever it takes," he instructed. "Are you still keeping tabs on Victor Hale and Hannah Doyle?"

"Ms. Doyle? She's spotless, boss. Still trying to find dirt on Ms. Lane, but good luck with that. The girl's practically a saint. Never even had a parking ticket," Oliver's voice dripped with playful sarcasm. Sebastian chuckled. "As for Victor, you sure he's as bad as you think? His tactics are amateur compared to yours. But yeah, he's clean—for now. He's been trying to cozy up to the board, but after last night's gala, his prospects are looking pretty dim."

Margaret had updated him earlier about the positive news coverage that morning, with headlines speculating on a potential engagement. The media was painting Kaya as the reason for his newfound stability—an image he'd never had with any past relationship. It was a strange feeling, happiness mingled with fear.

His phone vibrated again, interrupting his thoughts. He saw Jackson's name on the screen and felt a slight tension coil in his stomach. Jackson rarely called him during work hours.