CHAPTER 9 — Project Orion
The words hung in the darkness long after the emergency lights came back on.
Project Orion.
I had never heard those words before.
But my father's reaction told me everything.
Whatever it was...
It mattered.
And it scared him.
"Everyone stay calm."
Detective Harris's voice cut through the panic.
Officers moved through the ballroom, checking exits and speaking into radios.
The guests who had arrived expecting champagne and dancing were now watching a corporate investigation unfold around them.
Nobody was laughing anymore.
Nobody was whispering about my torn dress.
The woman they had accused only an hour earlier was now standing beside the man who owned the entire building.
But I didn't care about their opinions anymore.
I cared about one thing.
My father was hiding something.
"Dad."
He looked at me.
Not as Charles Ashcroft, the billionaire businessman.
Not as the chairman everyone feared.
Just as my father.
"What is Project Orion?"
For several seconds...
He said nothing.
That frightened me more than any answer could have.
My father had always been honest with me.
Even when the truth was painful.
Even when I was young.
But now...
He looked like a man deciding how much damage the truth would cause.
"Not here."
His voice was quiet.
"Why?"
"Because there are too many people."
I looked around.
"The people in this room already know too much."
He glanced toward the guests.
"Not enough."
"But enough to be dangerous."
Victoria stepped closer.
"Sir."
"The security sweep is complete."
"Oliver escaped through the west service corridor."
"Any cameras?"
"One camera caught his vehicle."
"License plate?"
Victoria hesitated.
"Covered."
My father nodded.
"As expected."
Detective Harris joined us.
"We need to discuss what happens next."
My father looked at him.
"I agree."
"But first..."
He looked at me.
"I owe my daughter the truth."
We moved into a private lounge connected to the ballroom.
Only five people entered.
My father.
Me.
Victoria.
Detective Harris.
And one attorney.
The door closed.
For the first time that night...
I felt like I could breathe.
My father sat across from me.
"Vivienne..."
"You remember when you were sixteen?"
I frowned.
"Of course."
"When you asked why we changed our family name publicly."
I nodded slowly.
"Yes."
He looked down.
"I told you it was because I wanted you to have a normal life."
"You told me you wanted me to go to school without people treating me differently."
"That was true."
"But it wasn't the whole truth."
My stomach tightened.
"What aren't you telling me?"
He took a deep breath.
"The Ashcroft Group has existed for nearly eighty years."
"You know that."
"What you don't know..."
"...is that our company has a private division."
"Not publicly listed."
"Not advertised."
"Not included in annual reports."
Detective Harris listened carefully.
"What kind of division?"
My father answered:
"Risk prevention."
"Security."
"Intelligence."
"Research."
I stared at him.
"You mean..."
"Yes."
"Corporate intelligence."
Victoria placed a folder on the table.
Inside were old documents.
Photographs.
Reports.
I recognized my father's signature.
But some pages contained information I had never seen.
PROJECT ORION
The title appeared again.
This time in black letters.
"What is it?"
My father looked at the folder.
"Ten years ago, we discovered that several major corporations were being targeted."
"Not through hacking."
"Not through theft."
"Through infiltration."
Detective Harris frowned.
"Employees?"
"Executives."
"Family members."
"People close enough to gain trust."
I looked at the documents.
"You're saying someone inside Ashcroft was a spy?"
My father nodded.
"Yes."
"Someone who had access to sensitive financial information."
"Someone who could influence decisions."
"Someone who understood how powerful families worked."
My blood ran cold.
"Who?"
He looked at me.
"We never found out."
The room became silent.
"You mean..."
"They were never caught?"
"No."
"Project Orion was shut down."
"All evidence was sealed."
"Everyone involved disappeared."
I stared at him.
"Then why did Oliver know about it?"
My father had no answer.
And that was terrifying.
Detective Harris leaned forward.
"Mr. Ashcroft."
"If someone from Project Orion has returned..."
"What are they after?"
My father looked at me.
Then quietly said:
"Control."
"Of what?"
"The Ashcroft Group."
I laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was impossible.
"You have billions in security."
"Thousands of employees."
"How could someone control your company?"
My father's expression became serious.
"Because the company isn't controlled by money."
"It's controlled by trust."
"And tonight..."
He looked toward the ballroom.
"Someone proved they can manipulate people close to us."
A knock interrupted us.
One of the security officers entered.
"Mr. Ashcroft."
"We found something in the west corridor."
My father stood.
"What?"
The officer handed him a small envelope.
"We believe Oliver dropped it while escaping."
My father opened it.
Inside...
A single photograph.
Everyone leaned closer.
The picture showed a woman.
Young.
Dark hair.
Standing beside my father twenty years earlier.
I stared at it.
Because I recognized her.
My mother.
A woman who had died when I was eight.
My voice became a whisper.
"Why does Oliver have a picture of Mom?"
My father's face changed.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Pain.
The photograph was turned over.
There was writing on the back.
Only one sentence.
My father read it silently.
Then his hand tightened around the paper.
"Dad?"
He didn't answer.
Victoria carefully took the photo.
Her expression changed.
"What does it say?"
My father finally spoke.
His voice was barely audible.
"It says..."
"...the woman we thought betrayed us..."
"...was trying to warn us."
I stared at him.
"What are you talking about?"
My father looked at me.
And for the first time that night...
The powerful Charles Ashcroft looked vulnerable.
"Vivienne..."
"Your mother didn't die because of an accident."
The room went completely still.
My heart stopped.
"What?"
He looked down.
"She was investigating Project Orion."
"And someone killed her for it."
Before I could process the words...
Detective Harris's phone rang.
He answered.
Listened.
Then his expression hardened.
"We have a problem."
Everyone turned toward him.
"What happened?"
He looked at my father.
"Oliver didn't escape alone."
"Someone helped him."
"Who?"
The detective hesitated.
Then said:
"The person who disabled the security system..."
"...was using an employee access code."
My father frowned.
"Whose code?"
Detective Harris looked directly at me.
"The code belonged to someone inside the Ashcroft family."
A cold feeling spread through my body.
"Who?"
The detective slowly answered.
"Your brother."
I froze.
"My brother?"
My father looked away.
Because I already knew the truth.
I had no brother.
May you like
At least...
I thought I didn't.
