Shadows and Sparks

Chapter 8: Shadows and Sparks

The explosion shattered the peaceful elegance of the Blackwood charity gala. The once lively ballroom was now an echo of screams and the sound of shattering glass, flames raging outside, casting creepy shadows that were seen through the grand windows.

Guests ran helter skater, their elegant appearance crumbling into panic as smoke began to find its way into the room. Rico shielded Lydia and Myra instinctively, pulling them closer as they huddled behind a column.

“What just happened?” Myra gasped, her bold confidence gone and in its stead was fear.

Lydia’s gaze drifted across the room, sharp and calculating. “It must have been an attack but why here and why now?”

Rico, still processing the chaos, his eyes scanned the room. “I need to check something,” he said, his voice steady despite the rush of emotions swelling inside of him.

Before his sisters could protest, he broke away, pushing through the crowd toward the source of the explosion.

The night was on fire. A car sat in the circular driveway, consumed by flames. The vehicle's frame was burnt beyond recognition, but the license plate half melted triggered a realization in Rico mind.

It was Melissa’s car.

He froze his mind racing. She had been unconscious near the entrance before the blast. Was she still inside?

“Melissa!” he shouted, his voice cracking with desperation.

Security guards and firefighters swarmed the scene, their frantic efforts to control the fire and with Alex Montgomery’s calm and commanding presence as though it was just a minor incident. Alex stood a few feet away from the mess, his expression unreadable.

“Contain the crowd,” Alex ordered his men. “And sweep the grounds for any other threats.”

Rico stormed toward him, his eyes raging with accusation. “Was this your doing?”

Alex turned slowly, his composure intact. “Why would I destroy something so inconvenient? If I had wanted her gone, it would’ve been far from here and would not be traced to me.”

The cryptic remark sent a chill down Rico’s spine. Before he could press further, a team of medics rushed past them, carrying a stretcher. Melissa lay on it, her face pale but alive.

Rico exhaled sharply, relief washing over him. “She’s alive,” he murmured, his legs almost giving way beneath him.

“Barely,” Alex added his tone devoid of empathy. “But I wouldn’t count her lucky. Surviving the blast might have been the easy part.”

“She’s survived so many things, if she survives this, she can survive anything including whatever you have planned for her Alex” Rico said as he walked away

The faint smell of smoke clung to Melissa’s clothes as she stirred awake in the back of an ambulance. Pain surging through her body, but her journalist’s instincts overrode her pain.

“Where’s my camera?” she rasped, her voice breaking.

A paramedic leaned over her, adjusting an oxygen mask to her face. “You need to rest, ma’am. You’ve inhaled too much smoke and lost so much blood.”

Melissa pushed the mask away weakly, her mind fixed on the photographs she had taken earlier that evening. The images the evidence had been inside her car.

“No,” she whispered, panic seizing her, “my car my pictures”

“Ma’am, please, you should lay back and rest” the paramedic cautioned

But Melissa had already solved the puzzle. The explosion wasn’t random. It had been a calculated attack. The compromising photos of Catherine with her mysterious lover, Alex meeting with shadowy figures, and other damning evidence of other accomplice all of it was gone.

Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes. She had been so close to discovering and exposing the web of corruption, and now her leads were ashes.

Back in the ballroom, the tension was beginning to calm down. The gala guests, once drunk on champagne and pleasantries, now whispered among themselves, their unease spreading like wildfire.

Catherine, who had returned to the ballroom to maintain appearances, exchanged a subtle glance with Elisa. The two women stood near the edge of the crowd, their identical emerald gowns shimmering under the dimmed chandeliers.

“What just happened?” Elisa whispered her voice barely audible.

Catherine’s jaw tightened. She knew exactly what had happened. The explosion had been a cover up, a deliberate act to destroy evidence that could jeopardize her secret affair.

“Damage control,” Catherine muttered, her eyes scanning the room. “We need to act fast.”

Elisa frowned. “Do you think Melissa knows?”

“She knew enough to take those photos,” Catherine replied, her tone icy. “But whoever orchestrated this made sure she wouldn’t get far. Now we just have to make sure Alex doesn’t connect this back to us.”

Elisa nodded her unease growing. Catherine’s plan was becoming more dangerous by the minute.

Rico stood by the shattered windows, staring at the burning wreckage. His mind was a whirlwind of questions. Who had targeted Melissa, and why?

“She’s in over her head,” Lydia said, approaching him cautiously.

Rico turned to his sister, his expression conflicted. “She’s not just a journalist, Lydia. She’s trying to expose something big something that involves us.”

Lydia’s brows furrowed. “Us? Or Alex?”

Rico didn’t answer, but the weight of his silence spoke volumes.

Myra joined them, her crimson dress catching the flickering glow of the fire outside. “We need to leave. The longer we stay the more questions we’ll face.”

Lydia nodded in agreement, but Rico hesitated. His gaze drifted back to Melissa, who was being wheeled into a waiting ambulance.

“She’s not safe here,” he said quietly.

“She’s not your responsibility, either,” Lydia protested her tone sharp.

Rico sighed, torn between his family’s interests and his growing concern for Melissa. He had seen her determination firsthand, and he knew she wouldn’t stop digging, no matter the cost.

As the guests were ushered out of the ballroom, Alex retreated to his study, the explosion replaying in his mind. He poured himself a glass of whiskey, savoring the burn as he contemplated his next move.

“Melissa Reynolds,” he murmured, you have more enemies, “it’s a game of who gets to kill you first”. She was proving to be more of a threat than he had anticipated.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. One of his men entered his expression grim.

“Sir, we’ve confirmed it was her car. There were compromising photos of you and a few of Catherine, we do not know who did it yet” he said

“Good, but ensure she doesn’t get any new ideas. Send a message if you must, and finds who dares me”

The man nodded and left, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts.

Melissa might have survived tonight, but Alex knew it was only a matter of time before she pushed too far. And when that happened, he would be ready.

Melissa sat in the back of the ambulance, her mind racing despite her exhaustion. She couldn’t shake the image of Alex’s piercing gaze, his veiled threat still echoing in her ears.

As the ambulance pulled away from the estate, Melissa made a silent vow. Whoever had tried to silence her had made one critical mistake: they underestimated her resolve and should have killed her while they could.

“I’m not done yet,” she whispered to herself, clutching her notebook tightly.

The night had been a loss, but the war was far from over.