Before I could process the full weight of what I was seeing, the phone vibrated again.

Scrolled.

And there it was.

A video recorded just hours before his death.

My fingers hovered.

Then I pressed play.

The screen flickered.

And my father appeared.

Weaker than I remembered.

Paler.

But unmistakably him.

“Melissa,” he said, his voice strained but clear. “If you’re seeing this… it means I didn’t make it.”

Tears blurred my vision instantly.

“I didn’t want to involve you,” he continued. “But I don’t have a choice anymore.”

He coughed.

Then leaned closer to the camera.

“There are people watching the company. Not just competitors. Something bigger. I tried to pull out. That’s when things started going wrong.”

I covered my mouth, shaking.

“If anything happens to me,” he said, “trust no one… except—”

The video cut abruptly.

Static.

Silence.

I stared at the screen.

“That’s it?” I whispered.

Andrew nodded grimly.

“It got cut off,” he said. “We think someone interrupted him.”

I looked up at him, my heart pounding.

“Except who?” I asked.

Andrew didn’t answer.