Adrian sat in his office, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk. The staff room was quiet, except for the soft hum of the air conditioner. A half-empty coffee cup sat forgotten on his desk, its warmth fading, just like his patience. His attention was glued to his phone, where his conversation with Liam, the private investigator.
Liam’s message flashed on the screen:
“I’ve found something new. Elena works part-time as a waitress at a diner on weekends, late at night. It’s unusual for someone like her.”
Adrian frowned, reading the text again. He hadn’t expected this. Why would Elena, a bright and promising student, need to work nights at a diner? The idea is unlikely to him, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
He typed back:
“Find out more about her job and any connections it might have to the photos. Keep it secret..”
Elena sat on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. Her phone lay in her lap, the voice note from her mother still open. She hadn’t deleted it, even though she had listened to it more times than she wanted to admit. Every time she hit play, her mother’s desperate words echoed in her ears.
“Leave my daughter alone. We will pay your debts one by one. Please, spare her.”
Her mother’s voice cracked toward the end, filled with fear and exhaustion. It was a tone Elena had never heard before, and it broke something inside her.
She pressed play again, even though it hurt to hear it. Tears stung her eyes, but she wiped them away quickly, refusing to let them fall. She hated feeling so powerless, so exposed.
Her phone buzzed with a message. For a moment, her heart raced, thinking it might be from her father. But when she checked, it was a text from Gabriel.
“Hey, are you okay? You seemed off earlier.”
Elena hesitated before typing back. Gabriel meant well, but she wasn’t in the mood to explain herself.
“I’m fine, just tired,” she replied, hoping he wouldn’t ask anything else.
She stared at the screen for a moment before tossing her phone onto the bed. She wasn’t fine, not even close.
Back in his office, Adrian leaned back in his chair, scrolling through Liam’s updates. A new photo appeared-a grainy image of Elena leaving the diner late at night. She looked exhausted, her hair pulled back and her bag clutched tightly in her hand. The sight of her like that made something twist in his chest.
This wasn’t the composed and driven student he knew. This was someone carrying far more than she let on.
Liam’s voice note followed:
“She’s working hard, Adrian. Probably to make ends meet. That diner she works at? It’s not the safest place late at night. I think someone there might be tied to the photos. I’ll dig deeper.”
Adrian stared at the photo again, his jaw tightening. Why hadn’t Elena told anyone? Or was she too proud to admit she needed help?
He quickly typed a reply:
“Keep me updated. And don’t push too hard I don’t want her to feel like she’s being watched.”
Elena wandered the campus, her thoughts swirling. She couldn’t get her mother’s voice out of her head or shake the pressure of her father’s demands. Her phone buzzed again, and she already knew who it was before she looked.
Her father’s message was short but sharp:
“You’re being stubborn. Come home now before you make things worse.”
Her grip tightened on the phone. She wanted to scream, to yell at him to leave her alone, but she knew it wouldn’t make a difference. Instead, she shoved the phone into her bag and walked faster, hoping the movement would help clear her mind.
Without realizing it, she ended up outside the library. It had always been her safe space a place where she could think without interruptions. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, the quiet air calming her nerves.
Finding an empty table in the corner, she sank into the chair and buried her face in her hands. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take.
Adrian sat in silence, the photo of Elena still on his screen. He couldn’t shake the image of her walking alone late at night, looking so lonely. It bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
Pulling out his phone, he sent another message to Liam:
“I need answers soon. And Liam, make sure she’s safe.”
He didn’t know why he cared so much, but something about Elena’s situation didn’t sit right with him. For the first time in a long while, Adrian felt a responsibility that went beyond his role at the university. This wasn’t just about protecting its reputation anymore it was about protecting her.