Chapter 3 The Mystery Behind the Photograph

The memory of the voice I heard wouldn't leave my mind. I kept trying to force myself to remember where I had heard that voice before. It wasn't just familiar; there was something about what he had said that made me worried. If the voice had truly come from my grandfather's study, then there was more to my past than I knew. And for the first time, I began to wonder if Jared and Chloe had been the only ones responsible for my death.

I got out of bed and went to my grandfather's study. If there was anything I had overlooked before my grandfather's death in my first life, I needed to find it now. I couldn't afford to ignore it, because there might be something in that room that could give me the answers I needed.

When I got to the study, I immediately noticed that something felt different. Instead of searching everywhere, I went straight to the place where I knew my grandfather kept his important documents. I searched through the drawer and froze when I found something that shouldn't have been there-a small envelope, a key, and a document with Chloe's name on it.

I picked up the document and opened it. I read the words line by line until something caught my attention. Chloe's name was written beside a date I remembered. My eyes moved to the rest of the page, and I felt as if I had been stabbed when I saw that the document was connected to a meeting my grandfather had never mentioned to me. I read it again to make sure I hadn't mistaken the name, but it was still there. Chloe had been hiding something from me for a very long time.

I picked up the small key and noticed a tiny number engraved on it. At first, I didn't recognize it, but I knew I had to find out what it meant. If there was a key, there had to be a lock somewhere, so I started searching the room.

Then I heard footsteps approaching the study. Someone was coming. I quickly hid and waited, but after a few moments, nobody entered. Confused, I slowly looked out and saw the back of Chloe as she walked away. I had no idea what she had come to do, but I didn't have time to find out. I turned back to my search and soon noticed a small cabinet beneath the bookshelf. I stared at it for a moment, wondering if the key in my hand would open it.

I walked over to the cabinet and knelt in front of it. My hand tightened around the key as I looked at the lock. For a moment, I hesitated. If my grandfather had hidden something inside, there had to be a reason he didn't want it to be found easily. I glanced toward the door to make sure I was alone, then slowly pushed the key into the lock.

The key turned with a soft click. I slowly opened the cabinet and stared at what was inside. Several files were neatly arranged on the shelf, but one brown envelope caught my attention immediately. My name was written across the front in my grandfather's handwriting. I reached for it, my heart beating faster as I wondered why he had hidden something like this.

I gently opened the envelope and pulled out the paper inside. The moment I saw my grandfather's handwriting, I knew there was something more to the document. I started reading the first few lines and saw a warning about someone close to me. He didn't mention a name, but he made it clear that I should be careful about who I trusted. At the bottom of the page, I noticed something that caught my attention. It was dated several months before his death in my first life.

I stared at the date for a moment before realizing why it looked familiar. It was the same day I had walked into my grandfather's study and found Chloe there. I remembered how quickly she had stopped talking when she saw me and how she had hidden the papers she was holding. Back then, I hadn't thought much of it. Now, with my grandfather's warning in my hands, that memory suddenly felt different.

I was about to read the note again when I heard a faint voice outside the study. I quickly folded the paper and slipped it back into the envelope. I moved closer to the door and listened carefully. It was Chloe. She wasn't alone this time. A man's voice answered her, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I stayed where I was, barely breathing, as I tried to hear more.

I strained to hear their conversation, but most of their words were too low for me to understand. Then Chloe's voice became clearer.

"She shouldn't have found it," she said.

I froze.

I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but the fear in her voice told me that it was important. Before I could hear anything else, their footsteps began moving away from the study.

I quickly thought about what to do. Part of me wanted to stay behind, but I decided to follow them so I could find out who the man was. I quietly opened the door and saw Chloe's back as she walked beside him, but I still couldn't see his face. They moved down the hallway, and I followed them slowly, afraid that they might turn around and catch me. Instead of getting too close, I kept a safe distance and watched where they were going. Soon, I realized they were heading toward a part of the house that was rarely visited. Then the man suddenly stopped. I quickly stepped behind the nearest wall and hid before either of them could notice that someone was following them.

They opened the door and both stepped inside before locking it behind them. I quickly moved closer to the door so I could eavesdrop on their conversation. A few seconds later, I heard the man ask Chloe if she was sure my grandfather hadn't told me anything about the document. Chloe was quiet for a moment before telling him that she had always been careful around me and didn't think I knew what the document meant. The man then asked what would happen if I discovered the truth.

My heart skipped a beat. They were talking about the same document I had found in my grandfather's study. I wanted to hear more, but before I could, the door handle suddenly moved. I quickly stepped away from the door and hid around the corner, terrified that they were about to come out.

The door opened, and the man stepped out first. I stayed hidden and finally got a quick look at his face, but I didn't recognize him. Chloe followed him a moment later. They walked away together, and I waited until they were far enough away before returning to the study.

As I stepped back inside, I realized something important. The document I had found might not be the only thing my grandfather had hidden.

I returned to the cabinet and looked through the files again, this time paying closer attention to the labels and dates. Most of them were ordinary business records, but one thin file had no label at all. I pulled it out and opened it carefully. Inside, I found a photograph of my grandfather standing with two men I didn't recognize. My eyes immediately settled on one of them. He was the same man I had just seen with Chloe.

I studied the photograph carefully and noticed something in the background beside my grandfather. I recognized the location almost immediately. My eyes widened as I realized where the photograph had been taken. It was somewhere I knew well, which meant the meeting had happened much closer to me than I had ever imagined.

I remembered that the place was a private meeting room in one of my family's company buildings. My grandfather rarely used that room unless something important was being discussed. That made me even more worried. Why had Chloe met the man who was connected to my grandfather there, and why had I never known about it?

I decided to find out who the unknown man was before trying to understand how he was connected to Chloe or asking anyone questions. I put the photograph and documents back where I had found them, keeping only the details I could remember. My next step was to quietly investigate the company building.

Just as I was about to leave the study, I heard Jared calling me from somewhere in the house. I quickly checked that everything was back in place before stepping out. When I met him, he noticed that I seemed distracted and asked if something was wrong. I forced myself to act normal because I didn't want him-or anyone else-to know what I had discovered.

Jared asked if I had been in the study because he noticed I had come from that direction. I casually told him I was looking for something that belonged to my grandfather. He accepted my explanation without questioning me further. His normal reaction made me even more cautious because the man I remembered from my first life was still hiding behind the kind person standing in front of me.

After Jared walked away, I reminded myself that his kindness couldn't make me forget what had happened in my first life. I had already seen what he was capable of, and I refused to let his gentle behavior make me lower my guard. I decided to go to the company building and find out why my grandfather had met that man there. But as I looked down at the photograph still fresh in my mind, one thought suddenly stopped me.

If my grandfather had been investigating those men before he died in my first life, then what had he discovered that someone was willing to keep hidden?

And more importantly, had they already realized that I was looking for the truth?