CHAPTER 11: FRACTURES
The call came just after sunrise.
Ivy was halfway through breakfast when Killian's phone buzzed. He read the message, expression sharpening.
"They've narrowed the vehicle list," he said.
Her fork paused midair. "Already?"
"Yes. One match stands out."
Her pulse kicked up. "Who?"
Killian set the phone down. "Registered to a shell company. Dissolved shortly after your father's accident."
Ivy swallowed. "That's not coincidence."
"No."
She pushed her plate aside. Appetite gone. "Where is it now?"
"Impounded years ago. Storage facility in Queens."
Her chair scraped lightly as she stood. "We're going."
Killian studied her. "This is not necessary."
"It is to me."
He held her gaze for a long moment, then nodded.
—
The facility was cold and smelled faintly of oil and rust. Rows of abandoned vehicles sat under fluorescent lights, forgotten relics of old investigations.
An attendant led them toward the back.
"That one," he said, pointing.
The car looked ordinary. Weathered. Dust layered across its surface. But Ivy's chest tightened anyway.
This machine might have been there the night everything changed.
She stepped closer, fingers hovering over the hood before touching it lightly.
Memories surged. Hospital corridors. Grief. Confusion.
Killian watched quietly, giving her space.
"Can they reexamine it?" she asked.
"I already arranged it."
She nodded, grateful even if she didn't say it outright.
As they turned to leave, Ivy noticed something scratched faintly along the rear bumper. Letters nearly erased by time.
She crouched, wiping dust away.
Her breath caught.
"What?" Killian asked.
She pointed.
A faded decal. Corporate branding once removed but not completely gone.
Killian leaned closer.
Recognition flickered across his face.
"That logo," Ivy said slowly. "You know it."
His jaw tightened. "Yes."
"Tell me."
He straightened. "It belonged to a logistics contractor that partnered with Blackwood Enterprises over a decade ago."
The words hit like ice water.
Ivy stood frozen. "You're saying the car involved in my father's death… had ties to your company?"
"I am saying it had ties to a former contractor."
Her voice lowered. "That's not better."
Silence stretched between them.
Killian finally spoke. "We investigate further before drawing conclusions."
She nodded stiffly, though unease churned inside her.
—
The ride back was quiet.
Ivy stared out the window, thoughts spiraling.
Coincidences were becoming patterns.
Patterns were becoming connections.
Killian broke the silence. "You should prepare for complexity."
She didn't look at him. "I already am."
—
That evening, tension lingered.
Ivy retreated to the music room again, bow gliding across strings in restless, emotional strokes. The melody carried frustration this time. Conflict. Fear.
Killian listened from the doorway once more.
Eventually she stopped playing.
"Did you know?" she asked quietly without turning.
"No."
She faced him. Eyes searching. "You swear that?"
"Yes."
Something in his tone grounded her enough to believe him.
She exhaled slowly. "Then help me finish this."
"I intend to."
—
Across town, Julian reviewed the newest updates.
He looked toward Genevieve.
"They found the car."
She smiled faintly. "And?"
"They noticed the contractor link."
Genevieve's expression gleamed with satisfaction.
"Excellent."
Julian tilted his head. "This could destabilize him."
"That is the idea."
She lifted her glass.
"Let suspicion do our work."
—
Night settled over the penthouse.
Ivy stood alone on the balcony, mind racing faster than the city lights below.
Her father's death.
Blackwood connections.
Secrets layered beneath secrets.
Killian stepped beside her quietly.
"You're thinking worst case scenarios."
"I'm thinking realistically."
He didn't argue.
She wrapped her arms around herself. "If this traces back to your empire…"
His voice remained steady. "Then we face it."
She studied him carefully. "Together?"
A pause.
Then, simply,
"Yes."
For the first time since beginning this search, Ivy allowed herself to lean into that answer.
But somewhere deep in the city, forces already in motion were preparing the next fracture.
And neither of them yet understood how deep it would run.