[ Parisian Suburbs - 11:45 PM ]
The thin November rain made the asphalt as shiny as a razor blade. Selin sat in the passenger seat of my black sedan, her eyes fixed on the crumbling facade of a small brick building. She hadn't said a word since we left the sanitized luxury of the 8th arrondissement.
Selin: "Are you sure it's here? It's... miserable."
Elias: "Not everyone lives in a palace. This is where the people your family forgets to pay properly live, Selin. Marc Vallet has been protecting your lands for fifteen years, yet he's never been able to afford anything better than a three-room apartment above a railway line..."
I cut the engine. Silence returned, disturbed only by the clicking of the cooling metal.
Selin: "What do you expect from me in there?"
Elias: "Nothing. Stay behind me. Watch. And above all, save your pity for those who can afford it."
We climbed the narrow stairs. The smell of dust and cheap detergent clung to the walls. Reaching door 4B, I didn't knock; I tapped with the steady beat of a metronome. The sound of a chain followed, and then the door creaked open to reveal a man whose face was hollowed by exhaustion.
Seeing Selin behind me, he nearly let go of the handle. His face turned livid.
Marc Vallet: "Miss Sinclair? What... what's going on? Is there a problem at the estate?"
Elias: "The problem isn't at the estate, Marc. It's on the national road, near the ditch where a woman nearly lost her life a few days ago... but a certain anonymous call changed everything."
I pushed the door open with a firm hand. He recoiled, hands raised as if fearing a blow. We entered a tiny living room. On a sideboard, a row of medicine bottles surrounded a photograph of a woman. In the next room, the hum of a medical machine broke the silence.
Marc Vallet : "I don't know what you're talking about."
I sat on his frayed sofa without being invited, leaving Selin standing like a judging shadow.
Elias: "That's curious. Because a call was placed from a phone booth two kilometers from the accident. A man with your accent, your voice... and above all, a man who was seen by a gas station surveillance camera just before, driving a Sinclair estate van."
Marc Vallet: (voice trembling) "It's... it's a mistake. Many people use those vans."
Elias: "Marc, don't waste my time. We know it was you. We also know that you didn't call the police, but emergency services. Why? Because you were afraid for the victim, but you didn't have enough courage to denounce your boss's son."
Marc Vallet: "Miss, please... I did what was right! I couldn't just leave her there! Mr. Julian was driving like a madman, he hit her head-on!"
Elias: "And there it is. We're finally here."
I rose slowly, closing the distance between us until he could feel my breath.
Elias: "It was very noble, Marc. Truly. But the problem is, nobility doesn't pay the sixty thousand euros you owe to your 'friends' at the gambling circle. And it won't pay for the transplant your wife needs to see next spring."
Vallet cast a desperate glance toward Selin.
Elias: "We have two options. First: you maintain your testimony. The police investigate, Julian Sinclair goes to prison, and you... you lose your job, your home, and your wife never leaves that room. Your creditors will deal with your case before the end of the week."
I pulled an envelope from my jacket and placed it on the table, right next to the medication.
Elias: "Second: you made a mistake. It was raining too hard. You didn't see a plate. It was a dark car, a van maybe. In exchange, this envelope settles your debts. And tomorrow morning, a specialist will call the hospital to transfer your wife to a private clinic."
Marc Vallet was shaking.
Marc Vallet: "It's... it's criminal, what you're doing."
I placed my hand on his shoulder, squeezing just enough for him to feel the threat beneath the velvet glove.
Elias: "No, Marc. It's a transaction. I buy your silence; you sell us your memory. Everybody wins."
I turned toward Selin, who seemed to be struggling with herself.
Elias: "Miss Sinclair, tell him. Tell him that the Sinclair family always knows how to reward those who know their place."
Selin held the man's gaze. I saw a flash of disgust in her eyes... for Vallet, for me, or perhaps for herself.
Selin: "Do what he says, Marc. Take the money. For your wife."
Vallet collapsed into a chair, his hands trembling. He finally placed his palm over the envelope. The deal was sealed.
Back in the sedan, Selin stared into the void.
Selin: "You're a monster, Elias... You broke him. You used his wife's agony to shut him up. It's... it's beyond cynical."
Elias: "I gave him what your father would have never offered: a chance to save her. But don't settle too comfortably into your morality, Selin. We have a much more serious problem."
She turned her head toward me, frowning.
Selin: "Which is? The witness is neutralized, the envelope is on his table. It's settled, isn't it?"
Elias: "Did you not notice the ashtray on the coffee table?"
Selin: "The ashtray? What about it? Maybe Vallet smokes to cope."
Elias: "Vallet doesn't smoke. There were oxygen inhalers all over that room for his wife; smoking in there would be suicide. But that's not all. Look."
I pulled a small object from my pocket that I had discreetly picked up from Vallet's rug: a silver cigar case, finely engraved with a discreet coat of arms.
Elias: "I found this near the sofa. It's a limited edition, commissioned exclusively for the board members of the Sinclair Group during the company's last anniversary."
Selin: "Huh... how do you know all that?.."
Selin's face fell. She recognized the object immediately.
Elias: "That is not the point. Someone was here just before us. Someone who is part of your father's inner circle. Vallet wasn't nervous because he saw us coming... he was terrified because he was given conflicting orders. He was likely asked to testify to destroy Julian."
I started the engine, the dashboard lights illuminating my face with a bluish glow.
Elias: "In this case, we aren't just saving Julian from a prison cell, Selin. We are walking through a minefield. Someone in your own camp wants Julian to fall, and this 'someone' used Vallet to ensure the accident reached the police."
Selin remained silent, her gaze empty, realizing that the wolf was not just at her door, but already in the fold.
Elias: "From now on, trust no one. Not even those who carry your name."