Shay's POV
After showering, I strolled to my walk-in closet to put on some clothes and later planned to watch a movie before going to bed. My phone suddenly vibrated from a message, and I quickly checked it. I smiled to myself when I saw that it was a goodnight text from Jason. I quickly texted him back and then slipped my phone into my robe pocket.
That's when I noticed my safe sitting on the other side of the room.
The thought of the files I kept inside suddenly popped into my mind, and I quickly went toward the safe, unlocked it, and took out the files and the USB drive. I placed them on top of the safe, quickly changed into more comfortable clothes, then grabbed the files again, sat on my bed, and spread them out in front of me.
I grabbed my laptop from my nightstand, opened it, and inserted the drive. I would go through the files later; what was inside this drive could be more important than all of them.
There was a single folder on the drive named "FALCON.GRP SECRET INFORMATION." My heart pounded like crazy as soon as I read it, and I already knew I wasn't going to like what I was about to see. I clicked on the folder, and two files appeared, both listed as EVIDENCE MATERIAL 1 and EVIDENCE MATERIAL 2. I swallowed the tight knot forming in my throat and clicked on the first file.
THIS INFORMATION IS HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL!
THE RESULTS: Mr. Shawn Falcon under the orders of Mr. Shaden Falcon.
I kept scrolling down, and the next thing I read formed a tight knot at the pit of my stomach.
SAN FRANCISCO FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
FALCON COSMETICS USED 7% TALC RATHER THAN 1%
My whole body froze, and a cold chill ran down my spine. I read that sentence one more time, and then three more times, but everything was clear and written in bold right in front of my eyes.
I couldn't believe it; I never knew that our company was capable of running the business this wayâusing this illegal method just to gain profit! I quickly scrolled down to the last page, and my heart dropped in disappointment when I saw Shawn's familiar signature at the bottom.
How can he let himself get dragged into this?
If this information reaches the authorities or anyone, everything will be ruined. We will lose everything, including the company. Hell, Dad and Shelby could even go to jail for this. A part of me wanted to use this information as leverage against Dad so he'd let me go and allow me to move out of the house, but the other half of me didn't want to because my brother was also involved in all of this.
Even though he's gone and not here to bear the heavy consequences, I know I wouldn't feel happy or relieved in the end. I don't know why, but I'm already getting a deep nagging feeling about all of this.
I printed out the files from the drive, put them inside a brown folder along with the USB drive, and then took everything back to my safe. Something still didn't feel right about all of this, and I needed to look for answers on my own.
Searching for answers in Shawn's office could be the start. I quickly ran back downstairs, ignoring the weird look the butler gave me when he saw me running down the stairs. I ran outside and made a beeline toward Shawn's office. I ran in and abruptly stopped in my tracks when I saw someone inside.
"Shelby."
She looked at me, then crossed her arms.
"You come here often. Did you hide something here?"
I put on my usual act and plastered a smile on my face.
"No. I keep forgetting this is your space now. The only reason I come here is because of Shawn. This place makes me feel a lot closer to him. But I don't think I can come here often anymore."
Her lips curved into a smile as she tilted her head to the side and looked at me.
"Why'd you say that? You can still come around when you want to, but this time, I'll fill in the empty spot that Shawn left."
She walked around to the front and sat down on top of the table, giving me a direct look.
"Do you not like me?" I forced out a laugh.
"No, that's not it."
"I thought something was going on when you told me over the phone a few days ago that you were too busy to meet up. So you were busy going on dates with your man, huh?"
She stared at me from head to toe, and I averted my eyes to the floor.
"Yeah."
"If you're dating someone, you should come to me for advice and talk to me. Must I learn about your relationship from some gossip magazine?"
"It just happened so suddenlyâ"
"You're not going to introduce him to me?"Â She quickly cut me off.
I stared at her, not sure how to answer her question. I'm not even sure if she's being friendly as a sister right now, or if this is just her way of criticizing me.
"I will." She smirked back and flipped her hand around to admire her perfectly manicured nails.
"I was just checking. He's not even someone you're going to marry. He's someone you're just dating, so why should you introduce him to me, right?"
I drew in a sharp intake of breath and quickly glanced at the floor to avoid her intimidating, calculating eyes.
"You're going to end up with an arranged marriage in the end anyway." I refrained from angrily folding my fists and shot her a calm smile.
"No. I've already told Mom and Dad I'm going to get married in a way that I want to. With the person I love."
I turned around and sat down on the plastic-covered table, making sure to keep a perfect 2-meter distance between us. I wasn't planning on getting along with her in any way.
She loudly scoffed from behind me. "So what? You're going to marry that man?"
"Maybe. But I don't know if he'd want to someday. It's kinda hard; he's not really an easy person. I was also the one who asked him out first."
She suddenly released a loud sigh. "I see."
"By the way, Shelby... is the scandal with Falcon Cosmetics over yet?"
A long silence. I could tell she was staring at my back in shock.
"There are countless lawsuits against each company, so I'm not exactly sure which one you're talking about."
Liar.
I got off the table and turned back around to face her.
"The cosmetics for children." She casually shrugged her shoulders and slowly walked past me.
"I don't know. When I first joined the company, that project continued, but it's probably over now. Why? And how do you know about that?"
I turned around and looked directly into her eyes.
"Shawn told me about it." She raised her brow at me.
"Shawn?" She scoffed and gave me a hard look. "He told you that kind of stuff too?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
She folded her arms again and smirked at me.
"You two were a lot closer than I thought."
"He said that... people's lives are going in a good direction, and I still don't know what he meant by that. But then he also told me that being kind will help you succeed in everything in the end."
She laughed and leaned her back against the wall.
"Sounds like something he would say."
"You're right. That's why I told him this at that same time, 'An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.'"
She nodded once. "I like that. It matches me."
I gave her a broad smile. Her quick reply still confirmed that she's still the same career-obsessed person she's always been.
"You're going to lead Falcon Group now, aren't you?" She shrugged again, putting on a thoughtful expression.
"I don't know about that. There's you and Shanelle too, after all."
It was obvious from the look in her eyes that she was going to take over the company soon. Everyone knew it's what she's always wanted her whole life. Even Shawn knew that too when Dad made him the new CEO.
"I have no interest in the company." I quickly pointed out.
She made a 'tsk' noise with her tongue and slowly shook her head at me.
"Right. But you've been starting to become a problem lately."
She took a few steps toward me and narrowed her eyes into slits.
"You're going to start work next week, even though you say you have no interest in the company and you'll never involve yourself with the family business. Your words and actions are completely different."
"I have reasons for that."
"Everyone has reasons, but you still have to stick to what you say. I'm totally fine with you working at the company, but one part of me is still worried." She snapped back.
She's not fine with me working at the company; the truth is, she doesn't want any of us working right next to her. She wants to run everything her own way, and now that Shawn is gone, she'll do exactly what she wants.
"I am worried that you, who have no real work experience, will just take up the manager position and become a nuisance to those under you."
She walked past me again, and I quickly rolled my eyes.
"And also."
I turned around to face her, and she smiled triumphantly at me.
"I'm moving back in. We three sisters should hang out together one day, what do you think? Since we've only got each other now."
I forced a smile and nodded my head in agreement.
"Sure."
Her eyes left mine and moved to the person who had suddenly walked into the room. I glanced to the back and saw that it was a man. I immediately recognized him as Shelby's secretary.
"Ma'am, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. In private, please?"
He quickly glanced at me, and I looked at Shelby, who was already staring at me.
"Okay. You can hang out here as long as you want. Starting tomorrow, you won't be able to come here freely like you used to." She said with a tight-lipped smile.
"Got it."
She lightly touched my arm and then left the room with her secretary. As soon as the door closed, I let out a deep, exhausted sigh. I don't know why she even bothered to be nice when we both know she's never going to change.
I remember perfectly one night, running into her outside the house, looking so outraged and anxious. When I went into Shawn's office, he was just sitting there, staring at the huge mess in his room, and I quickly realized Shelby had done it. She was not easy to please in any way, and she always had high standards for everything and everyone around her.