Burning scandal

CHAPTER 23: BURNING SCANDAL 

NOAH'S POV

The drive to the family estate is quiet, save for the low hum of the engine. Despite the warmth of the evening, my hands feel cold against the leather steering wheel. I know this visit might just not be about delivering a file—nothing with my family is ever that simple. After thinking about it, the Senator could have had anyone else deliver it but chose me purposely.

I rub my chin. Maybe this is a conspiracy plan to have me come over.

As I pull up to the grand entrance, the imposing gates open before me, a sight that has remained unchanged for years. The family house stands tall, its grandeur undeniable, yet to me, it has always felt suffocating. The weight of expectations, of past wounds, clings to its walls like an unshakable curse.

I sigh as I get out of the car.

I step inside. The servants, some familiar, some new, greet me with polite nods. Their eyes hold recognition, but also wariness. It has been a while since I last stepped foot here, and they all know why.

A warm, familiar voice pulls me from my thoughts.

    “Noah, my dear boy!”

I turn just in time to see my grandmother approaching, her face lighting up with genuine joy. Despite her age, she carries herself with elegance, her silver hair neatly pinned, her soft brown eyes twinkling with affection.

    “Grandmother.” I incline my head respectfully before allowing her to pull me into a brief embrace.

She holds onto my arms as she pulls back, studying me carefully. “You’ve lost weight.”

I huff a small, almost amused breath. “You say that every time.”

“Because it’s true,” she scolds, tapping my hand lightly. “You work too much and eat too little. And more importantly, you never come to visit or else I would have fed you some good meals.”

I sigh. “I'm so sorry, grandma. I’ve been busy.”

     “That’s no excuse,” she chides. “I’ve missed you, though; you know that, right?”

A hint of guilt settles in my chest. “I’m sorry. I miss you too.”

She softens at that, her fingers patting my hand affectionately.    

   “Sit with me for a while. Tell me how you’ve been.”

Just as I move to take a seat, another voice cuts through the moment—sharp, authoritative.

     “Noah.”

I straighten immediately, recognizing the tone before I even see the woman who wields it.

Victoria Calloway.

The soon-to-be matriarch of the Calloway family, the one who has stood in as my mother for years, and the one who has enforced the family’s rules with an iron grip for as long as I can remember. Her presence alone commands respect and unease in equal measure. Her dark hair is streaked with silver, pulled back in a severe style, and her piercing gray eyes miss nothing.

“Mother,” I greet, standing up.

She doesn’t acknowledge my formality. Instead, her gaze sweeps over me, unreadable, cold. “What are you doing here?”

   "He just arrived. Why are you throwing him questions like this?" My grandmother scolds her but she isn't bothered. Instead, she sits majestically and crosses her legs, raising her chin up slightly with her eyebrows raised at me,

I lift the file in my hand. “The Senator requested that I deliver this personally to Father.”

She barely glances at it. “Leave it on the table. He isn't around right now.”

I do as instructed, placing the file neatly before turning back to my grandmother. I open my mouth to bid her farewell.

   "Grandma, I have to leave now."

My grandmother becomes sad and doesn't hesitate to show that she is sad.

   "But you've just arrived. How can you even think about leaving again, huh? Why don't you just move back in and..."

   "Mother!" Victoria cautions her with a stern voice and fierce, pointed eyes that make the old woman swallow the rest of her words.

   "I won't accept such an attitude from you again, is that clear?"

I feel so sorry for my grandmother, there is nothing that I can do but I am surely not going to come back and live here again. 

I go on a knee and hold my grandmother's hand, "Don't worry, grandma. I will be fine, and I promise to see you more frequently than before, okay?" 

She then smiles and nods in satisfaction. I hug her and stand up to leave when Isabella’s voice halts me once again.

  "Even though you are rude as a brat, I believe that you haven’t forgotten your promise to this family, have you?”

The air in the room shifts, heavy with implication. I clench my jaw, my fingers curling slightly. “No,” I say evenly.

She stands up and steps closer, her sharp gaze locking onto mine. “Then let me remind you about this again. Do not think for a second that you can outmaneuver this family. We gave you a name, a life. You owe us. Any attempt to go against what has been set for you will be dealt with accordingly.”

A warning. A threat.

I hold her stare, my face betraying nothing. There is no need to respond. Anything I say will only add fuel to a fire I have no desire to stoke. Instead, I nod at my grandmother. “Take care, Grandmother.”

She squeezes my hand briefly, her worried gaze following me as I turn to leave.

As I step into the foyer, I nearly collide with someone at the entrance. I stop short, eyes locking onto a young man—tall, broad-shouldered, with the same dark hair and piercing gaze as my father.

Benjamin.

My younger brother.

His lips curve into something that isn’t quite a smile. “You finally found your way back here.”

There’s a challenge in his voice, an undertone of resentment that has never truly faded. I don’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

    “Benjamin.”

He tilts his head, studying me with that same sharp, assessing look our father always gives. But while our father’s gaze holds calculation, Benjamin’s holds something else—something much colder.

We don’t exchange any more words. We don’t need to. The tension between us is tangible and suffocating. And just like that, I walk past him and out the door, leaving the house and all its ghosts behind.

As I drive away, my phone buzzes. Liam’s name flashes across the screen, and I answer.

   “Noah,” his voice comes through. “Where are you? I found the guy. High profile, discreet, knows how to get answers without leaving a trail.”

    “When can I meet him?”

    “Tonight, at the bar. If you’re serious about this, be here. You don't want to keep him waiting.”

I don’t hesitate. “I’ll be there.”

I arrive at the bar, which is dim light, the hum of low chatter mixing with the sound of clinking glasses. Liam waves me over to a secluded booth, where a man in his late forties sits, nursing a whiskey. He has a composed, watchful demeanor, the kind of man who has seen too much and says too little.

   “Welcome brother. Noah, meet Conrad Reeves,” Liam introduces. “Ex-military, former intelligence, now one of the best private investigators in the city.”

Reeves offers a curt nod. “Pleasure.”

   "Nice to meet you too. I am Noah."

   "Your friend has said a lot about you and I got to know from the internet. So let us not waste any time and get straight to the point."

I take a seat, cutting straight to the point. “Have you heard about the burning scandal from twenty-four years ago?”

Reeves leans back, studying me. “I’ve heard pieces. A fire that shouldn’t have burned the way it did. Official reports called it an accident, but the circumstances, to me, were… peculiar to have been closed as such.”

I nod. “That is right. I need to know who was behind it. Who gained from it. What really happened that night.”

Reeves exhales, his fingers tapping against his glass. “That’s a dangerous road to walk, Noah.”

   “I’m aware and that is why I am willing to pay you.”

   "Hmm. Your friend has discussed the price with him and I am fine with the conclusion."

A long pause. Then, with a decisive nod, Reeves extends his hand.

   "So, will you...?"

“Yeah. Consider it done.”

I shake his hand firmly, sealing the deal. We exchange contacts and he promises to keep in touch as time goes on.

As I leave the bar that night, I know one thing for certain—

The truth about that fire has been buried for too long. And I’m going to dig it up, no matter what it costs me because it might just be the answers to the questions.