CHAPTER 6

SHADOWS OF THE PAST

Emily's heart sounded in her chest as she looked down at the picture of Evans Royce, she had searched for a long time on the Internet before she got his picture. His sharp eyes stared back at her, she had an unsettling feeling about this man, his name alone sent chills down her spine but she couldn't fathom why. She knew that his involvement with the Knights was deeper than James was letting on.

James stretched from his chair, reaching out to grab the phone on the table and stared at the picture intensely. “If Evans Royce is involved in this, then this isn't about some petty grudge, he doesn't seem like someone that will do something like this because of a slight grudge. This is something bigger.”

Curiosity piqued Emily. “You said before ‘I remember him’ and now it feels like you're speaking from past experience, you're not telling me everything James. What did your father do to him?”

James loosened his tie and sighed . “A couple years ago, my father funded Evans company. He promised that he'd offer him full term financial support but after reviewing some documentation my father pulled out abruptly. His company went bankrupt, he lost his reputation and apparently his family too.”

Emily gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. “So you're saying this might be revenge? A vendetta against your family? Well it's my family now too I guess.”

James nodded looking grim. “That might be the case right now. But if he's messaging us directly, then this isn't just about business anymore, it's personal.” He continued. “And I don't think he's going to stop at just sending messages, if he's back after all this time, then he definitely has a plan and I don't think this will be easy.”

Emily straightened herself, and with determination. “Then let's not give him what he wants, let's not show that his plays affects us. Let's stick to our roles and give him the opposite of what he's expecting.”

James looked at Emily and something unfamiliar flickered in him, he had never expected her to react this way. He was getting impressed by her each time they spend together. “Alright, if we're going to do this, we need to do it right. I'll make some calls, get more information on him. You need to know one thing Emily, Evans is ruthless and he would stop at nothing to see us crumble.”

Her expression did not waver. “Good, because I have nothing else to lose.”

**********

The room fell quiet for a moment, the conversation they just had settling in both their heads, before Emily finally broke the silence.

“James.” She said slowly, “do you think we're missing something else? Something your father didn't tell you?”

James looked up at the ceiling. “There's definitely something else, Emily, my father has so many enemies, Royce seems to be the only person that had come this far in fighting back, but this feels different, I can't quite put my hand on it. It just feels like there's something bigger to it.”

Emily's mind turned, putting puzzle pieces together. “Did he ever threaten your family? After everything that happened, I mean.”

James shook his head, wrinkling his nose. “Not really, after the bankruptcy, he just disappeared, for so long, there was no trace of him. It was like he vanished from the earth completely.”

Emily pursed her lips. “So we're dealing with an invisible person, who's been watching us now, that's just great.”

James leaned forward with a serious expression. “Emily, we need to stick together, no doing things on your own, this has just become extremely serious.”

“Oh I know, you're not getting rid of me that quickly Mr. Knight.”

James chuckled softly but there was a flicker of admiration in his eyes.

**********

The next day, Emily sat on her bed, thinking about the conversation she had with James the previous night. She picked up her phone to call Cassandra, despite what James had told her about involving anybody else, she just wanted to hear a friendly voice.

“Em!” Cassandra's joy filled voice came from the other end. Emily smiled softly.

“How's life as a married woman?”

Emily hesitated, she didn't want to lie to her but she didn't want to reveal anything that she isn't sure of, putting Cassandra in danger.

“It's um.. going well, a little complicated. Hey Cassie, do you remember seeing anyone strange at the wedding? Someone out of place?”

Cassandra's tone changed into a serious one. “Now that you've brought it up, yes I did see someone like that, I thought he was a friend of James's but Brad didn't seem to know him. Is everything alright?”

Emily shifted on the bed. “Did you happen to get a name?”

“No.” Cassandra answered, sounding worried now. “Are you sure everything's alright Em?”

Emily smiled despite her chest tightening. “Everything's alright, nothing to worry about. Thanks Cassie.”

Hanging up, Emily was definitely convinced now that Royce was responsible for everything happening. But the question that she couldn't get out of her mind was: what was his endgame?

That evening, James returned from the office, he still had things to do but Emily was still required to stay home because of the “honeymoon stage” very ridiculous if you asked her. They sat down at the edge of Emily's bed, going through documents on Royce's background and anything tangible they could find on the Internet.

A knock came from the door and James answered. one of the staff handed him something, this time, it wasn't a mysterious box, it was a white envelope.

James collected it, dismissing the messenge with a nod. Tearing it open, there was one single paper inside with the same handwriting from the last note.

“You're so close, but you're still playing catch. Do you really think you can out-think me? Stop now or the next secret I reveal won't just destroy your so called marriage but it'll destroy both your families.”

-A friend.

Emily clenched her fist. “If he's so cocky, why doesn't he sign it with his name? He's playing with us, he wants us to slip up, make mistakes.”

James nodded, agreeing to what she said. “Then we won't give him that satisfaction, like you said, we give him opposite of what he's expecting. He won't know what hit him.”