Chapter 232 The Archives

Chapter 232: Chapter 232 The Archives

?Professor Julian did not answer right away.

?He continued sitting quietly in the far corner of the room, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground beneath his shoes. His hands remained neatly folded in his lap, and his broad shoulders were slumped forward as if he were carrying an invisible weight.

?"Professor," Veyra said, her voice cutting softly through the stillness. "What is he actually talking about? Is what he just said true?"

?The older man took in a long, shaky breath, followed by another.

?"I made a terrible mistake," he finally admitted, his tone barely above a whisper.

?"What kind of mistake could you possibly have made?"

?"I trusted the completely wrong people," he confessed, staring straight ahead at nothing. "I shared research data with individuals I thought were genuine. I had no idea what they were actually planning to do with the information I gave them."

?Professor Sterling leaned forward in his chair, taking over the explanation.

?"He leaked sensitive research data directly to a private firm," Sterling stated plainly. "A corrupt company that was working hand in hand with the Black Triangle."

?Veyra felt her blood run instantly cold at the name.

?"The Black Triangle?"

?"Yes."

?She turned her gaze back to Professor Julian, watching him closely. He had not shifted his position, nor had he offered a single word to deny the accusation.

?"Is that actually true, Professor?" she asked directly.

?He nodded slowly, the movement heavy and painful. "It is true. But I swear to you, I did not know who they really were at the time. I genuinely thought it was a legitimate research organization. I thought they just wanted to develop new medical treatments."

?He slowly raised his head, revealing that his eyes were wet with unshed tears.

?"I was terribly wrong."

?Veyra stayed silent for a long moment, processing the confession in her mind.

?Her thoughts drifted instantly back to her mother, to the old medical research institute, to the catastrophic explosion that had destroyed so much, and to the missing meteorite.

?"Did you know anything about the explosion back then?" she asked Sterling.

?Sterling shook his head firmly. "Not at the time it happened. I was just a young student trying to get through my classes. I was not involved in that specific project at all."

?"But you must have known something was wrong."

?"I strongly suspected it. But suspicion is not enough when you cannot prove anything."

?He paused, letting out a breath.

?"Even now, I still cannot prove most of it. But I can tell you this much for certain. The research institute is not what it appears to be on the surface. There are powerful people inside those walls who have committed terrible crimes. People who will stop at nothing to protect their hidden secrets."

?Veyra slowly pushed herself up from the chair, realizing she needed to clear her head.

?"I need to leave now," she said.

?Professor Julian looked up at her with a worried expression. "Veyra, please wait—"

?"I am not angry with you, Professor, and I am certainly not disappointed," she interrupted gently. "I just need some space to think about all of this."

?She turned and walked across the room toward the front door. Just before reaching the handle, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder.

?"Thank you both. For finally telling me the actual truth."

?Without waiting for another word, she pulled the door open and stepped out into the daylight.

*

Few Days Later...

?The Medical University archives were located deep down in the basement level of the main library building.

?Veyra pushed open the heavy double doors and stepped inside the quiet, climate-controlled room. Her brand-new student identification card was clutched tightly in her hand, having been issued to her just the day before.

?She walked straight up to the front reception desk. A middle-aged woman was sitting behind the counter, staring at a computer monitor with a thoroughly bored expression. A small plastic name tag pinned to her cardigan read Patricia.

?"Can I help you with something?" Patricia asked without much enthusiasm.

?"I need to access the basement archives," Veyra explained. "I am looking for old case files."

?Patricia arched an eyebrow skeptically. "What kind of case files are you trying to pull?"

?"Criminal investigation files. Old ones from quite a while ago."

?Patricia turned and tapped a few keys on her keyboard. "Do you have special authorization for that?"

?"I am a registered university student. My ID grants me access."

?Patricia looked down at the student card resting on the counter and frowned. "Standard student access levels do not include sealed records, you know."

?"Please, I really need to see this specific file. It is very important."

?Patricia stared at her for a long moment, sizing her up. Then she let out an audible sigh.

?"Fine. Go down the main hallway and take the third door on your left. I will remotely unlock the electronic latch for you."

?The archive room was freezing cold, smelling faintly of old paper and dust.

?Tall rows of metal shelving stretched out into the dim light, packed tightly from top to bottom with cardboard storage boxes, loose files, and thick folders.

?Veyra walked slowly down the narrow aisles, her fingertips lightly brushing against the paper labels pasted onto the ends of the boxes. She checked the printed dates, case numbers, and department names as she moved past.

?Finally, she reached the section containing records from thirteen years ago. She began scanning the boxes on the shelf.

?Then her eyes landed on the exact label she was looking for.

?Vivian Solenne. Burglary and Murder. Case File 2010-447.

?She reached up, pulled the cardboard box down off the shelf, and carried it over to a nearby reading table. She set it down gently and lifted the lid.

?The physical case file was resting right inside. It was thick, showing its age, with the outer paper cover turned a pale yellowish color from years of sitting in the dark.

?She unclasped the cover and opened the file.

?The very first thing that caught her eye was an official legal seal stamped across the top document.

?It was an ironclad court order, signed at the bottom by a judge. The entire case had been officially sealed from public view.

?She moved her eyes down the page to read the name of the magistrate who had signed the order.

?Judge Whitmore.

It was the exact same man who currently sat in a powerful seat in the National Assembly, the ambitious politician who desperately wanted to win the upcoming presidential race.

?Thirteen years ago, he had been a regular judge sitting on the court. And he was the one who had personally signed the order to seal her mother’s murder case away from the public forever.

?She stared unblinkingly at the familiar signature scrawled at the bottom of the page.

?Councilor Whitmore.