CHAPTER 7 — The Video That Destroyed Everything
The room was silent except for the sound of Adrian's trembling breath.
His laptop screen glowed in the darkness.
His late father's face appeared, older and exhausted, with bruises barely hidden beneath his collar.
He looked directly into the camera.
"Adrian... if you're watching this... don't trust your mother."
Margaret's knees nearly gave out.
"No..." she whispered. "That's impossible."
The video continued.
"If I disappear, people will blame my business partners."
"But they aren't the only danger."
Adrian slowly turned toward his mother.
His heart pounded.
His father spoke again.
"Someone close to me made a decision that changed our family's fate forever."
Margaret burst into tears.
"I never betrayed your father!"
Adrian didn't know what to believe anymore.
Then the recording suddenly skipped.
Static filled the screen.
When the picture returned, his father's expression had changed completely.
"If you're seeing this part..."
"...then they edited the first half."
Adrian froze.
"What?"
His father leaned closer to the camera.
"I created two versions of this message."
"If the file has been opened without the security key..."
"...the beginning is replaced with fake footage."
Margaret covered her mouth in shock.
His father continued.
"Adrian..."
"If you're hearing me now..."
"Your mother is the only person who never betrayed me."
"Trust her with your life."
Adrian's eyes filled with tears.
Someone had planted a fake introduction inside the video, hoping to destroy the last bond between mother and son.
Before either of them could react...
Every light inside Adrian's penthouse suddenly shut off.
Then every television in the apartment turned on by itself.
A single sentence appeared across every screen.
May you like
"LEVEL ONE FAILED."
"LEVEL TWO BEGINS NOW."
