- Aiden -

I had left early as usual, before Sydney woke up. The phone call from the workplace appeared to be urgent. Emily had been found, or rather, her body had been discovered. It was thrown into the sea. It was discovered in the early hours of the morning by one of the beachcombers. I left before Sydney was up, since I didn't want to wake her up with the unpleasant news. Whoever was behind this, the game was getting dangerous.

Jennifer walked into my chamber, her face as white as a sheet, and said, "Mr Reiner."

"Calm down Jennifer, now explain what happened," I leaned against the table, and poured her a glass of water.

"We have received a box...with a letter...a threatening letter." She is sad fearfully. I offered her the glass, which she took gratefully.

"Where is it?" I asked, folding my arms. "At the security desk..." She stammered.

"Alright, let's check it out," I said and got up from the table.

"Mr Reiner, it can be dangerous....."

"I can tell you're worried because of the way you're acting. Take a day off and unwind. Return home and get some rest." I gave her my advice. Jenifer, who was still disturbed by the incident, nodded. I approached the checkpoint and noticed the innocuous-looking cardboard box.

"Sir, please come over here," Michael asked, pulling out a piece of paper and a photograph.
He handed me the photograph. It was a magazine cutout of an old photo of my grandfather and me taken at a social gathering. It seems to have been taken after I returned from Europe.
And there was a statement printed on regular A4 copier paper that said, "I WILL DESTROY YOU."

"How did you get it?" I inquired.

"It was handed by hand, in the lobby, at reception," the security guard revealed.

Daily mail and shipments were usually received and inspected before being sent to Jennifer. Before giving them to me, Jennifer went over them with me. The receptionist had sent up the daily mail and what appeared to be a beautifully wrapped present box addressed to me today, as usual.
Jennifer received the shock of her life when she opened the package and discovered that it contained a threat rather than a gift. She had quickly contacted the building's Chief Security Officer and then came to inform me.
This was the first time we'd been directly threatened.
As I examined the box, I knew that someone was pursuing me and Grandpa. The sabotage, the purchase of shares by an unknown corporation. I came to the conclusion that everything was connected, but how?
I mentally created a list of tasks to complete in order to get to the bottom of this. First, I needed to speak with Grandpa.

"Make sure this security breach doesn't get leaked to the media. Don't approach the police until I say it. We have just overcome the soft drinks issue. If this news gets out, it will be a big blow to our company's image. Is that clear ?" I addressed the small team.
Everyone nodded. I contacted Clifton and instructed him to beef up Sydney and Grandpa's protection. Then I began looking through the previous financial reports, and something odd caught my attention.

************

I found grandpa in the garden. He had managed to wiggle out a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. I smiled and shook my head.

"I thought you weren't supposed to drink," I replied, leaning against the chair next to him.

"The doctors know nothing! A glass of wine is good for your heart. That is how I lived up to 90." He beamed.

"Did you bully Miss Wendy again?" I said, laughing.

"She is the bully!" Grandpa had a sneering expression.

I gave him a kind grin and thought about how to approach the matter.

"How's it going at work?" Grandpa had inquired.

"Things are slowly getting back on track, but I need to talk about something vital." Grandpa gave me a hopeful look.
"Have you ever heard of someone called Munoz grandpa?"

He stiffened for a fraction of a second before continuing to sip his drink and responding.

"What is it that you wish to know?" He inquired.

"They've been buying our shares on the open market, and I suspect they'll announce themselves as our significant shareholder to the SEC soon," I continued, watching his expression for any reaction. I had the impression that Grandpa was aware of their identities.

"Nothing extraordinary about that. Lots of individuals or companies would hold 5% shares of our company," he replied.
"That is true but, this company was established 20 years ago in Ukraine. We don't have any investments in Ukraine. Also, I find the name Munoz somehow familiar. Though I can't pinpoint how."

"I fail to see how that is a problem?" Grandpa said evasively.

I presented him with a piece of paper. Grandpa took the paper and gave it a quick glance. The sheet was a financial department report. This particular report was about the new investor, Munoz Clothing Line.
It contained a detailed report of its growth and investments. One of the major investors twenty years ago was Malcolm Reiner, my grandpa. He ceased to be a shareholder about 10 years ago.

"You knew this man, grandpa?" I asked.

Grandpa kept the sheet on the paper and sighed.

"I knew this would come back to haunt us someday, " he mumbled.

I sat and waited.

"It happened a very long time ago. You were around 9 years old. Your father had an assistant. He was also a very close friend of Thomas. He often visited our home."

I jogged my memory all the way back to when I was a small child. I faintly remember my father throwing parties and bringing friends and even subordinates home for lunch or dinner. However, I was unable to identify anyone in particular.

"I don't recall ever meeting somebody named Munoz, so what's the connection here? I'm not attempting to meddle with your affairs, but according to the report, you put $250,000 in an overseas account every month for the past ten years. Munoz Clothing was linked to the account."

Grandpa motioned me to come to a halt with his hand.

"I'm not done yet, Aiden."

I gave a nod.

"Paul Munoz was a Spaniard. He was our Senior Executive Accountant, and he was in charge of all of our company's finances. Your father put his faith in him without question. Your father discovered Paul had been embezzling corporate funds one day. Your father wanted to give him the opportunity to confess, so he went to Paul's residence." Grandpa took a breath and closed his eyes for a moment.

"What I'm about to tell you will come as a complete shock to you. Please keep an open mind as you listen. Whatever happened at the time was just coincidental. Your father had no intention of harming anyone, and I did everything in my power to safeguard my family and our company."

Curious, I bowed forwards.

"When your father approached Paul, he initially rejected all accusations. Paul then became enraged and assaulted his father. They got into a scuffle, and Paul drew his revolver. Things swiftly devolved into chaos. Paul was slain when the rifle went off."

My jaws slammed shut in amazement! It was such a big secret, and I was completely unaware of it!

"When Paul's wife witnessed what had transpired, she attempted to flee with their young son. She had intended to report the incident to the authorities. It was an accident, even if your father did not murder Paul. Things would have been violent if the police had gotten involved. He was on the hunt for them. I'm not sure what happened, but his wife was involved in an accident and died on the spot." Grandpa inhaled deeply. While narrating the story, I could sense his suffering.

"What happened to that boy Grandpa ?" I asked, perplexed.

"The boy barely survived, but he suffered severe brain damage and he was in a coma."