ADRIAN'S POV I stood in the corner of the dimly lit room , my back pressed against the cold wall as I watched the private investigator flip open a small notepad . His pen was poised , ready . to jot down every detail . I knew the routine well - facts , observations , questions . None of them would bring my mother back . " So you said when you walked in , she was already holding the gun ? " His voice was calm and professional , but I could sense the undertone of curiosity . " Yes ." My response was clipped , my throat tightening as I said the words out loud . Saying them made it real . I was still trying to digest the truth - that my mother was gone . That I was alone . The investigator's gaze lingered on me for a moment before he scribbled something down . " This was clearly an act of suicide ," he said . " But the main issue is finding out who or what pushed her to this point . " I swallowed hard , my mind replaying the moment she last looked at me . Her tear- streaked face , the way her fingers trembled as they gripped that photo . And then her final words - words that echoed in my mind like a curse . " They took everything from us . " I had asked her who " they " were , but she never answered me . I clenched my fists , my nails digging into my palms . Who ? Was it someone from her business ? An old enemy ? Or someone she had trusted ? When I did walk in I saw her dropping down her phone , could it be that ' they ' were in her contact ? Am sure I can find some clues in her phone . The investigator's voice snapped me back . " Did she leave behind any notes ? Say anything that might give us a clue ? " I hesitated . Should I tell him ? Should I hand over the only two pieces of information | had - her cryptic words and her phone ? But I already knew what would happen if I did . The police would follow legal procedures , conduct an investigation , and maybe even find the person responsible . And then what ? Some watered - down punishment ? A courtroom battle that would drag on for years ? A slap on the wrist ? They weren't directly involved in her death so they might even get off easy . No. That wasn't enough . Whoever drove my mother to this point didn't deserve a trial . They deserved something much worse . I forced my expression to remain neutral . " No , " I said flatly . " She didn't say anything . " 179 CHAPTER 027 The investigator exhaled , looking disappointed . " With no leads , this might be harder than I expected , but we'll do everything we can to find the truth . " He gave me a sympathetic look , one that I didn't want or need . " My team and I will be back tomorrow to search for any evidence , so please don't touch anything in this room ." I nodded once , just enough to make him think I was listening . " Take care of yourself , Adrian . And if you need anything , call me . " With that , he walked toward the door and left . The second I heard the door click shut , I turned toward my mother's nightstand . My fingers hovered over the phone for a moment before I grabbed it . I pressed the power button , my heart hammering . No password . That meant she hadn't been hiding anything from herself . She had wanted someone to find this . I went straight to her call history . My eyes narrowed as I saw the same number repeated over and over - 81 missed calls . She had been desperate to reach someone , yet they had ignored her every time . The name attached to the number made my stomach churn . Sam Grayson . Grayson . That name sounded familiar . I knew I had heard it somewhere before , but where ? I moved to her messages , scrolling through the flood of texts she had sent him .. Dozens of messages . Pleas for him to call her back . But he hadn't responded . Not even once . I scrolled up to the very first message . If I was going to understand what happened , I needed to start from the beginning . I walked over to the door and locked it , making sure no one would interrupt me . Then , I sat on the bed and began reading . Martha : " The dinner was lovely , Mr. Grayson . Best regards to Mrs. Grayson . " Sam : " Will do , Mrs. Westwood . I hope we can meet up tomorrow to conclude the business . " Martha : " Certainly . I'll go through the documents you sent me and give you my feedback tomorrow . " Documents . That meant there was paperwork involved in whatever deal they had made . If those documents were still in this room , they could hold the missing pieces ! needed . I kept reading . 273 CHAPTER 027 Martha : " Good day , Sam . I just finished reading the document . Isn't the amount requested a little too much ? " Sam : " Come on , Martha . You know how the business world is - you need money to make money . This is going to be a huge project , and I know we will all reap good fruits from it . " Martha : " The problem is , my company doesn't have that much funds to invest at the moment . " Sam : " Then why don't you just talk to your investors ? I'm sure they can help you out here . We can't afford to miss this opportunity . Tell them if they invest more , they will get 200 % ROI . " Martha : " Really ? That's amazing . " Sam : " Yes , it is . That's why we cannot miss this ." Martha : " Alright , I'll talk to them and get the funds available . " I clenched my jaw . This was it . This was where it started . He had convinced her to gather more funds , pushing her to put everything on the line . Then the messages went silent for three days . And on the fourth day , my mother had sent him a new message . Martha : " Good news , Sam . The funds are ready . " Sam : " That's amazing . I knew you could do it . The next step is - you're going to convert the funds to BTC , and I'll send you an address to transfer everything there . " I stopped reading . BTC Bitcoin . 3/3