Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Ramsay leaned forward. “If you can’t tell this without getting worked up, we’re stopping right now.”
I bared my teeth at him in frustration. “I’m fine.”
His lips twitched. “A wee warrior, I know. But you’ve only come out of surgery, and I don’t need you ripping open your wound.”
I softened my tone. “I’m fine. I promise.”
He settled back in his seat. “So, what happened?”
“The islanders quite rightly had enough. They started protesting the construction. One day they were assaulted by private security Halston hired to protect the contractors building the resort.” Guilt roughened my voice. My father had made it a point to avoid doing all the shitty things so many of the bigger hotel chains did in the name of their luxury properties. Halston had betrayed his legacy. But we’d let him by trusting him. “Adila was the assistant to the main contractor. She spoke Malay, which half of the construction workers spoke because it’s the main language in that part of Malaysia. She also spoke with the islanders. It wasn’t her job, but the main contractor put her in the middle of it.
“She tried to tell them that the islanders weren’t violent and wouldn’t become violent. But Halston insisted on the security team. One of the guards shot and killed an islander called Rahman Bin Raffi. He was a local leader. A husband. A father. Peaceful. Nonviolent. One day some of the protestors were getting a little out of hand. Rahman was trying to calm things down, but a guy on the security team got jumpy and trigger-happy and he shot Rahman.” I blinked back tears. “Halston covered up the death. Paid settlements to the islanders and threatened them to keep quiet. He paid off the local authorities too.
“But Adila couldn’t stay quiet. She believed from what she knew of my father that he wouldn’t stand for it. So, she reached out to him to tell him what had happened, taking a huge risk in doing so. My parents being who they were, they flew out to meet with her. To get the full story. It was enough for them to look into it. Quietly. Not wanting to raise suspicions. At least they thought they were circumspect. Once they realized it was true, they decided the best way to deal with it was to make the truth public by bringing in an investigative reporter. Even if it meant ruining everything my father’s family had worked for. My parents were good people.”
The tears fell fast and free now. “They stood up for what was right, no matter the cost to themselves. I’m proud of them. I’m proud to be their daughter.”
Ramsay nodded, squeezing my hand in comfort.
“Anyway, they got in contact with Ben Rierson at the Chronicle. And then they had a bit of luck drop in their lap. Henry Copeland, an intern in Halston’s office, had accidentally been on the line when Halston took the call about Rahman’s murder. His conscience forced him to take action. He stole copies of all the transaction documents for the settlements made to the Indigenous people of the island and the ‘donations’ to all the local authorities who helped cover it up. They thought they had him.
“But Halston must have found out. They all flew out to Bintulu to meet with Adila again. My parents got on a helicopter to fly to the resort under the pretense that they wanted to check out the new hotel. Their helicopter exploded off the coast.”
He squeezed my hand harder.
I wiped at the tears that kept falling beyond my control.
“I didn’t find out until last year when Perri came to me that it wasn’t an accident. That same day, Ben was killed in Bintulu. They made it look like a violent street robbery. There was no reason for the local police to look into it beyond that. But they never found out who did it.”
“You all believe it was Halston Cole quietening everyone who knew the truth?”
“Yeah. Henry Copeland and Adila disappeared off the radar. Perri and I tried to keep things quiet as we looked for him and attempted to find Adila again. Ben had copies of the documents, but we needed Henry’s and Adila’s statements. We found Adila in Australia. I don’t know if she was being watched, but they tapped our phones.”
“You realized it that day the picture of London showed up—you smashed your phone.”
I nodded, mopping up my tears again.
“Halston was behind all the threats to you?”
“Yes. The Chronicle informed the Silver Group several weeks ago that they were running with the story and asked for their statement. Halston and the board tried to stop it, but the Chronicle will print it next week. The man … the man who stabbed me”—my lips trembled with remembrance—“he said ‘Maybe this will shut you up.’”
Ramsay’s features hardened, his eyes flashing with wrath. “That fucker thought killing you would stop the story? Is he insane?”