"What's on the phone?"
"That's what we need to find out."
She connected the phone to a charger.
The screen flickered.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then it turned on.
A password screen appeared.
Victoria looked disappointed.
"Do you know the password?" Daniel asked.
She shook her head.
"My father changed it recently."
Daniel examined the device.
"Maybe there's someone who can help."
Before Victoria could respond, the door opened.
An elderly man entered the room.
He wore a dark suit and carried a leather briefcase.
"Victoria."
She stood immediately.
"James. What are you doing here?"
The man looked at Daniel.
"Who is this?"
"This is Daniel. He helped my father yesterday."
James extended his hand.
"James Wilson. Your father's attorney."
Daniel shook it.
James placed his briefcase on the table.
"I've been trying to reach Arthur all morning. Is he awake?"
"He's resting."
James looked toward the phone.
"Is that the device he was carrying?"
Victoria nodded.
James studied it for several seconds.
"Good. We need to secure it immediately."
Daniel noticed something unusual.
James seemed less concerned about Arthur's health than about the phone.
"Why?" Daniel asked.
The lawyer looked at him.
"Because the information inside could be dangerous."
"To whom?"
James did not answer.
Victoria stepped between them.
"James, tell me what you know."
The lawyer sighed.
"Your father contacted me last week. He said he had obtained evidence that could implicate several senior executives. He planned to present it at the board meeting."
"And Richard?"
"Richard is aware of the investigation."
Daniel felt his stomach tighten.
"Then he knows about this phone."
James nodded.
"Which is why we should not keep it here."
He reached toward the device.
Daniel instinctively moved it away.
"Wait."
James stopped.
"What?"
"Mr. Bennett specifically told me not to let anyone take it."
The lawyer's expression hardened.
"I am his attorney. I have legal authority to protect his property."
"Then you can explain that to him when he wakes up."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Victoria looked at Daniel with surprise.
James slowly withdrew his hand.
"Very well. But understand this, young man. You're involving yourself in matters that could have serious consequences."
Daniel met his eyes.
"Yesterday, I was told the same thing."
James picked up his briefcase.
"I'll return later."
After he left, Victoria locked the door.
"Daniel, I need to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"Did anyone follow you here?"
Daniel thought for a moment.
"I don't think so."
Victoria walked toward the window.
"Someone followed me yesterday. A black car was parked outside my apartment for nearly an hour."
Daniel looked at her.
"Have you contacted the police?"
"Not yet. My father insisted that we wait until we understood the evidence."
She turned around.
"There's something else you should know."
"What?"
"My father has been asking about you."
Daniel looked confused.
"Why would he?"
Victoria gave a small, uncertain smile.
"He said you reminded him of someone."
"Who?"
"My grandfather."
Daniel said nothing.
Victoria continued.
"My grandfather was a poor man. He worked as a railway mechanic. He once stopped a train because he saw a child standing on the tracks. He saved that child, even though doing so cost him his job."
She looked directly at Daniel.
"My father never forgot that story."
Daniel felt unexpectedly emotional.
He thought of his own father, who had also spent his life helping people without expecting anything in return.
Perhaps kindness was inherited in ways that money never could be.
Suddenly, the phone vibrated.
Both of them turned.
A new notification appeared on the screen.
It came from an unknown number.
"STOP LOOKING. THE NEXT PERSON WHO GETS INVOLVED WILL REGRET IT."
Victoria's face turned pale.
Daniel slowly looked toward the closed door.
Someone knew they were together.
And whoever that person was had no intention of allowing them to discover the truth.
Across the city, Richard Collins sat inside his private office.
His office occupied the top floor of a glass building overlooking the financial district. From his desk, he could see the entire city moving below him.
He liked that view.
It reminded him of how far he had climbed and how many people were beneath him.
At fifty-three, Richard had everything most people spent their lives dreaming about.
A luxurious apartment.
Expensive cars.
An influential social circle.
A successful business career.
But he also had a problem.
Arthur Bennett was still alive.
And that meant the past could destroy his future.
Richard poured himself a glass of water and stared at the financial report on his desk.
His assistant, Melissa, entered.
"Mr. Collins, the hospital called."
Richard turned.
"What did they say?"
"Mr. Bennett is stable. His daughter visited him this morning."
"And the phone?"
"Still with her."
Richard placed the glass down.
"What about the waiter?"
"His name is Daniel Carter. Twenty-six years old. He works at the restaurant where Mr. Bennett collapsed."
"Works?"
Melissa hesitated.
"He has been suspended."
Richard smiled faintly.
"Good."
He walked toward the window.
"Find out everything about him."
"Everything?"
"Family, address, employment history, financial situation. I want to know who he is and what motivates him."
Melissa nodded.
"Understood."
Richard turned back.
"And find out whether he has spoken to the police."
After Melissa left, Richard opened a drawer and removed an old photograph.
It showed three young men standing outside a small construction site.
Arthur Bennett was on the left.