Chapter 214
Chapter 214
Alexander sat in his penthouse office, surrounded by documents that no longer made sense. For three days, he had been conducting his own investigation into the Guardian’s evidence, and every piece of information he verified independently contradicted the narrative he had believed for months.
His laptop displayed two versions of the same engineering report from the Meridian Technologies factory explosion. The version the Guardian had provided showed clear evidence of Victoria Kane’s interference with safety protocols. The version Alexander had obtained directly from the engineering firm’s archives showed no such interference – only Richard Pierce’s signature approving substandard materials to reduce costs.
Alexander rubbed his eyes, feeling the weight of sleepless nights and growing doubt. His coffee had gone cold hours ago, but he barely noticed. The physical discomfort was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil of watching his entire worldview crumble piece by piece.
The engineering firm’s original report was damning in ways the Guardian’s version had hidden. Richard Pierce had personally signed off on using residential–grade pressure valves in an industrial setting. The cost savings were significant – nearly forty percent less than proper equipment. But the safety margins were nonexistent.
Alexander pulled up another document – a financial audit of Meridian Technologies from six months before the explosion. The Guardian had shown him selected pages suggesting Victoria Kane had somehow manipulated Meridian’s budget. But the complete audit told a different story entirely.
Richard Pierce had been hemorrhaging money on personal expenses. Company funds diverted to his gambling debts. Safety equipment purchases delayed to cover cash flow problems that had nothing to do with outside interference.
“This can’t be right,” Alexander whispered to the empty apartment.
His phone buzzed with an encrypted message from the Guardian: Your recent inquiries have been noted. Independent verification is unnecessary when justice is clear. Trust the evidence provided.*
Alexander stared at the message, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature in his apartment. How did the Guardian know about his independent research? Had his communications been monitored all along?
He typed back: *I found discrepancies in the engineering reports. The versions you provided don’t match the original documents.*
The response came quickly: *Original documents can be falsified by those with sufficient resources. Victoria Kane has had fifteen years to alter records in her favor.*
the Guardian first
Alexander looked at the timestamps on both versions of the engineering report. The Guardian’s version showed a creation date from fifteen years ago. But the metadata revealed it had actually been created last year – eleven months bef contacted Alexander.
*Then explain why the digital timestamps on your versions are more recent than the supposed originals.*
There was a longer pause before the Guardian replied: *Technical details are irrelevant. Your uncle’s journal provides all the proof necessary. Do not let academic curiosity undermine your commitment to justice.*
Academic curiosity? Alexander felt anger building in his chest, but this time it wasn’t directed at Victoria. It was directed at the faceless person who had been manipulating his grief for months, who seemed more interested in maintaining his rage than in finding actual truth.
He pulled out his uncle’s journal, reading the entries with new eyes. The pain was real, the desperation genuine. But what if Richard Pierce’s understanding of events had been influenced by someone else? What if his uncle had been manipulated just as Alexander was being manipulated now?
*June 15th – James called today. He’s concerned about some irregularities he found in Kane Industries‘ bidding practices. Says Victoria Kane might be using inside information to undercut our proposals.*
Alexander had read that entry dozens of times, always focusing on Victoria’s alleged crimes. Now he focused on a different name: James.
Who was James? The journal never gave a last name, never identified this person who seemed to have so much influence over Richard Pierce’s understanding of events.
Alexander searched through more journal entries, finding reference after reference to this mysterious James who provided information, offered advice, and gradually convinced Richard Pierce that Victoria Kane was his enemy.
*June 22nd – James showed me documents proving Victoria Kane knew about our safety issues before the installation. She could have warned the client but chose to let us fail instead.*
*July 3rd – James says the engineering firms are covering for Victoria Kane. The only way to get justice is to take our story directly to the media.*
*July 10th – James is right. Victoria Kane has too much influence with the regulatory agencies. They’re protecting her while destroying us.*
The journal painted a picture of Richard Pierce being systematically influenced by someone named James who seemed to have detailed knowledge of both Meridian Technologies and Kane Industries operations.
Alexander grabbed his laptop and began searching corporate records from fifteen years ago. Meridian Technologies had been founded by Richard Pierce and a business partner. The partner had sold his shares six months before the factory explosion.
The name on the corporate filing was partially obscured in the digital scan, but Alexander could make out “James W…” The rest was illegible due to poor image quality.
Alexander stared at the screen, feeling like he was grasping at pieces of a puzzle he couldn’t quite assemble. Someone named James had influenced his uncle’s thinking about Victoria Kane. Someone named James had been Richard Pierce’s business partner before abandoning him months before the disaster.
But was it the same James? And if so, what did that mean for everything the Guardian had told him?
Alexander’s hands shook as he typed a new message to the Guardian: *I want to meet in person. Tonight. I have questions that require face–to–face answers.*
*
*That is not advisable. Our security depends on maintaining communication protocols.*
*Then tell me about James Whitfield. Tell me about my uncle’s business partner who sold his shares before the explosion. The pause was longer this time. When the response came, it carried a different tone: *James Whitfield was a coward who abandoned your uncle when he needed support most. His betrayal made Richard vulnerable to Victoria Kane’s manipulation.* Alexander felt more confused than enlightened. *But if James was my uncle’s partner, wouldn’t he know the truth about what really happened? Wouldn’t he be able to provide evidence about Victoria’s crimes?*
*James Whitfield is unreliable. His guilt over abandoning the company makes him an unsuitable witness. have provided.*
the evidence I
Something in that response felt wrong to Alexander, though he couldn’t put his finger on what. The Guardian’s usual confidence seemed shaken, his explanations more defensive than authoritative.
*I need to understand this better. Meet me tonight at Pier 47. Same place as before. If you’re really seeking justice for my uncle, you’ll have no problem answering my questions face to face.*
*That is not possible.*
*Then I’ll continue investigating on my own until I understand what really happened.
Alexander hit send and immediately turned off his phone. If the Guardian was monitoring his communications, at least now there would be silence.
He spent the next two hours reading through more documents, each one revealing another layer of complexity he hadn’t understood before. The safety violations at Meridian Technologies were clearly documented, but the reasons behind them remained murky. The financial pressures that led to those decisions seemed to involve multiple factors he couldn’t untangle.
And the mysterious James Whitfield remained a shadow figure whose role in everything was unclear.
When his phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number, Alexander almost didn’t answer. But curiosity overcame caution.
“Hello, Alexander.” The voice was electronically distorted, just like the Guardian’s had been during their in–person meetings. “I understand you’ve been asking questions.”
“I’ve been trying to understand what really happened to my uncle. Your evidence doesn’t match what I’m finding in independent sources.”
“Independent sources can be compromised. Victoria Kane has had fifteen years to alter records and influence witnesses.”
“Then help me understand. Who is James Whitfield? What was his relationship to my uncle? Why did he sell his shares before the explosion?”
The line was quiet for a long moment. When the Guardian spoke again, his voice carried irritation: “James Whitfield is irrelevant to your uncle’s story. Focus on Victoria Kane’s crimes, not on minor details that distract from the larger truth.”
“Minor details? He was my uncle’s business partner. He might have answers about what really happened.”
“He has no answers that will help you achieve justice. Continue with our original plan, Alexander. Don’t let curiosity undermine your commitment to your uncle’s memory.”
Alexander felt frustration building in his chest. “I’m not undermining anything. I’m trying to understand the full picture before I take actions I can’t undo.”
“Understanding is a luxury that justice cannot afford. Your uncle died believing Victoria Kane was responsible for his destruction. Honor his memory by completing what he started.”
“What if he was wrong? What if someone else was responsible and he just didn’t know it?”
The Guardian’s electronic laugh was cold and humorless. “Then you’ve chosen to believe Victoria Kane’s lies over your own uncle’s dying words.”
“I’m choosing to investigate thoroughly instead of acting on incomplete information.”
“Then you’ve become useless to this cause.”
The line went dead.
Alexander stared at his phone, feeling more confused and isolated than ever. The Guardian’s evasiveness about James Whitfield- suggested there was more to the story, but Alexander couldn’t piece together what that might be.
For months, he had been following the Guardian’s guidance without question. Now, for the first time, he v doubt not just the evidence but the person providing it.
eginning to
But doubt wasn’t the same as understanding. Alexander still didn’t know what the truth was – only that it might be more complicated than he had been led to believe.
He looked around his empty penthouse, realizing how completely alone he had become in his pursuit of what he thought was justice. He had no one to call, no one who would help him sort through these confusing revelations.
The documents scattered across his desk told contradictory stories. His uncle’s journal reflected pain and anger but might have been based on incomplete information. The Guardian’s evidence supported his uncle’s beliefs but didn’t match independent
sources.
And somewhere in the middle of all these contradictions, seventeen people had died and his uncle had taken his own life. Alexander picked up his uncle’s journal and read the final entry one more time:
that
Someone who
*I won’t let Victoria Kane escape consequences for what she’s
justice will finish understands
done. Someone has to
make her pay.
If I can’t do it
myself, I pray
what I
started.*
if Richard What
Pierce’s in Alexander’s mind. raised but also they
new questions pain, The words
his uncle’s carried
if the
was who person information? What
supposed to had been based on false understanding of Victoria’s role
had destroyed
the him in one who
first place? started” was actually the
“finish what
he
Alexander closed the journal and stared out at the city lights, feeling lost in a maze of possibilities he couldn’t navigate alone.
For the first time
did.
since this
all began, he wondered if he
needed help from someone
who understood
the
situation
better
than
he
But
could he trust who
when
everyone
involved had
reasons
to lie?
you
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