Chapter 8 of ECHOES OF PAST

"Aria, please." Evan's voice shook. "You don't understand what you're doing."

I stand there, holding the file like it was a weapon. Because it was.

"Oh, I think I understand perfectly," I said calmly.

He steps closer, his hands trembling. "That file is everything. If I don't present it at the meeting today, I'll lose the contract. I'll lose everything."

A click- In his mind.

How did she even get this? She's ruining everything. I need it back. Now.

"Everything?" I repeated. "That's a strong word."

"Aria, please. I'm begging you." His eyes were desperate. "Just give it back. I'll do anything."

Anything.

I tilted my head, pretending to think about it. "Okay. I have one condition."

"Name it."

"Hire Olivia back."

He blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. Call her right now and tell her she still has her job. Apologize for what you said."

A click- Is she serious? Over that? Fine. Whatever. I'll fire her again next week.

"That's it?" he asked. "That's all you want?"

"That's all I want."

He grabs his phone and dials. I watched him, my face blank.

"Olivia? Hi, it's Evan Grayson." His voice was smooth now, professional. "I'm calling to apologize for earlier. I was under a lot of stress and I took it out on you. That was wrong. Your job is safe. Come back tomorrow."

I could hear her crying on the other end. Thanking him. Telling him she wouldn't let him down.

He hangs up and looks at me. "Done. Now give me the file."

I stood up and handed it to him.

He grabs it like it was oxygen. His whole body relaxed.

"Thank you," he breathed. "Thank you, Aria. I love you so much. You have no idea what this means to me."

He pulls me into a hug, pressing his face against my hair.

A click- Stupid girl. Causing all this drama over nothing. I need to speed up this deal. The sooner I close it, the sooner I can leave her and marry Emma. I'm so sick of pretending.

I hugged him back, my face expressionless.

"I love you too," I whispered.

He kisses my forehead. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

A click- Can't wait to be done with this. Emma's waiting for me tonight. Now I can finally focus on what matters.

I pull away and smile at him. "I should go. You have a meeting to prepare for."

"Right. Yeah." He ran his hand through his hair. "Thanks again, babe. Really."

"Anytime."

I turn and walk out of his office. My hands were steady. My heart was calm.

But inside, I was screaming.

I took the elevator down to the lobby. The doors opened and I stepped out into the bright sunlight. I need air. I needed space.

I started walking, no destination in mind. Just moving.

That's when I saw her.

"Aria?"

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Aunty Dora.

She was standing on the corner, holding a shopping bag, her face lighting up when she saw me.

"Aunty?" I breathed.

"Oh my goodness!" She rushed over and pulled me into a hug. "I haven't seen you since the last time we met! Where have you been hiding?"

I hugged her back, stunned. My mind was racing.

In my first life, she'd been there for me. Always checking in. Always worried.

And then she disappeared.

"I've been busy," I said, pulling back to look at her. "Work and... everything."

"Too busy for your favorite aunt?" She smiled, but there was something in her eyes. Worry? Fear?

"Never too busy for you. How have you been?"

She glanced at her watch, then at the shopping bag in her hand. "I have a little time before my next appointment. There's a park just around the corner. Want to sit for a bit? Catch up properly?"

"I'd love that."

We walked together to a small park tucked between two office buildings. It was quiet, with benches arranged around a fountain. Pigeons scattered as we approached.

Aunty Dora sits down with a sigh, placing her shopping bag beside her. I sit next to her, studying her face. She looked tired. More tired than I remembered.

"So," she said, turning to me with a warm smile. "Tell me everything. How's work? How's that boyfriend of yours? Edwin? Ethan?"

"Evan," I corrected.

"Right, Evan. Are you two still together?"

I hope you are happy. She deserves someone good after everything she's been through.

"Yeah, we're still together."

She reached over and squeezed my hand. "Good. You look happy. That's all that matters."

If only she knew.

"What about you?" I asked. "You said you've been busy with paperwork?"

Her smile faded slightly. "Oh, yes. It's been... complicated. Your cousin, you know, after her husband passed, there's been so much to sort out. The estate, the properties. It's a mess."

"That sounds stressful."

"It is. But we're managing." She paused. "The lawyers have been helpful, though. They've been guiding us through everything step by step."

My stomach tightened. "The lawyers from Trent and Associates?"

"Yes, exactly. How did you know?"

"You mentioned them earlier," I said carefully. "What kind of things are they helping with?"

"Mostly documents. Signatures. They need proof of ownership, transfer papers, all sorts of legal things I don't really understand." She laughed softly. "I just sign where they tell me to sign."

My blood ran cold.

"Aunty, listen," I started, leaning forward. "About those documents-"

Her phone rang.

Yes.... yes..... ok. She said as pulled it out of her purse and glanced at the screen. Her face changed. The warmth disappeared, replaced by something else- Anxiety?

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I need to take this." She stands up, walking a few steps away. "Hello? Yes, this is Dora Sinclair."

I watch her. She was nodding, her free hand fidgeting with the strap of her purse.

"I understand. Yes. No, I can be there in twenty minutes." Another pause. "No, no problem at all. I'll bring everything you asked for. Yes. Okay. Thank you."

She hangs up and turnes back to me, her smile forced now.

"I'm so sorry, Aria. That was the lawyer's office. They need me to come in right away to sign some more papers. Apparently, there's a deadline."

"Right now?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm really sorry. We were just starting to catch up."

I stand up, my mind racing. "Aunty, about those papers. Please, just be careful what you sign. Read everything thoroughly."

She looks at me, confused. "Of course, dear. I always do."

Don't worry.

Why is she so worried? It's just paperwork.

"Promise me you'll read everything," I pressed.

"I promise." She hugged me quickly. "Let's have lunch soon, okay? A proper catch-up. And we'll plan something wonderful for my birthday."

"Yes. Let's do that."

She grabs her shopping bag and hurried off, her heels clicking against the pavement.

I stand there, watching her disappear around the corner.

Something is wrong. I could feel it in my bones.

I pull out my phone and called Lena.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I need to see you. Right now. It's urgent."

"Again? Aria, what's going on?"

"I can't explain over the phone. Can you meet me at your place?"

"Yeah, I'm home. Come over."

I caught a cab and sat in the back seat, my leg bouncing nervously. The city blurred past the window, but all I could think about was Aunty Dora. The worry in her eyes. The way she'd rushed off to sign more papers.

Twenty minutes later, I was at Lena's door. She opened it before I could knock.

"Okay, you look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?"

I push past her and started pacing. "I just saw my aunt. Aunty Dora."

"Okay? That's good, right?"

"She's working with Marcus Trent."

Lena's eyes went wide. "What?"

"She said she's handling property documents for my cousin's late husband's estate. She mentioned permits, signatures, lawyers. And she said the firm is Trent and Associates."

"Shit."

"Lena, I just realized something. Aunty Dora's birthday is in three weeks. In my first life, she went missing right before her birthday. I remember because we were planning a surprise party for her and she just... vanished. We never found her."

Lena's face went pale. "And now she's working with Marcus Trent?"

"Exactly. I never understood what happened back then. But now, with everything I know about Evan and Marcus... what if it wasn't random? What if they had something to do with it?"

"Oh my god."

"We need to look into this. Now. We need to find out if there's a connection."

Lena grabbed her laptop. "Okay. Let's start digging."

We spent the next two hours searching everything we could find. Marcus Trent's business records. Court documents. News articles.

And then Lena found something.

"Aria. Look at this."

She turned the laptop toward me. It was a scanned document. A property deed.

For land that belonged to my cousin's late husband.

But the signature at the bottom wasn't his.

It was forged.

And underneath the forged signature, in tiny print, was the name of the company that processed it.

Grayson Enterprises.