Chapter 3: The Man Who Erased Me
I stared at the name on Lena’s phone until the letters stopped looking real.
Richard Voss.
Three words.
A name from a life I had spent years trying to bury.
My fingers went numb.
Lena noticed immediately.
"Joe?""
I didn't answer.
The diner around us kept moving.
People laughed at nearby tables.
Silverware touched plates.
A child near the counter begged his mother for a milkshake.
Normal things.
Things that belonged to normal people.
But I wasn't normal anymore.
Not after that night.
Not after Richard Voss.
"How does he know you're looking for me?"" I finally asked.
Lena locked her phone.
"He knows because someone told him.""
"Who?""
"I don't know yet.""
I looked at her.
"Yet?""
She held my gaze.
"Joe, I've spent two years investigating people who thought they were untouchable. Richard Voss is careful. He doesn't leave obvious traces.""
I laughed quietly.
A bitter sound.
"You talk like he's some criminal mastermind.""
Lena didn't smile.
"He is.""
I looked away.
I wanted to believe she was exaggerating.
I wanted to believe Richard was just another powerful man who got angry when someone challenged him.
But deep down, I knew.
Because I knew what he was capable of.
"Tell me everything you know," I said.
Lena hesitated.
"Are you sure?""
"No.""
I looked at the picture of Emily sitting on the table.
"But I need to.""
She nodded.
"Three years ago, I found financial records connecting Voss Media Group to staged charity content. They were paying creators to manufacture emotional moments.""
"Like Chase.""
"Exactly.""
She folded her hands.
"But that was only the surface.""
"What was underneath?""
Her expression became serious.
"They were using those videos to manipulate public opinion. They would make certain people look like heroes and others look like villains. They controlled narratives.""
I frowned.
"Why?""
"Money. Influence. Power.""
She paused.
"And sometimes revenge.""
That last word stayed in the air.
I knew what she meant.
Because Richard didn't just want money.
He wanted control.
I remembered him standing in my office seven years earlier.
Perfect suit.
Perfect smile.
A man who could make you feel like he was your best friend while quietly destroying you.
"You worked for him," I said.
Lena nodded.
"Yes.""
"Did he know about me?""
Her eyes moved to the folder.
"I think he always knew.""
My stomach tightened.
"Why?""
She opened another document.
"Because your disappearance was never reported like a normal missing person case.""
I stared at her.
"What does that mean?""
"It means someone with influence made sure certain questions were never asked.""
My jaw clenched.
"I wasn't kidnapped.""
"I know.""
"I left.""
She watched me.
"Why?""
I looked down.
The answer had been trapped inside me for years.
"I found out Richard had been stealing from my company.""
Lena went still.
"What company?""
"Carter Development.""
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You were Joseph Carter from Carter Development?""
I nodded.
"Before I became nobody.""
She looked at me differently.
Not because I was rich.
Because suddenly my past had weight.
"My father built that company," I said quietly.
"He spent thirty years creating something honest. When he died, I took over.""
I remembered the first day I sat in his office.
The chair was too big.
The responsibilities were bigger.
"I trusted Richard because he was my father's closest partner.""
Lena listened carefully.
"He helped me expand. He handled investments. Contracts. Legal matters.""
I laughed bitterly.
"The man I trusted most was the man who was taking everything.""
"What did you find?""
"Missing money.""
The words came easier now.
"Millions.""
Lena leaned forward.
"And you confronted him.""
I nodded.
"I thought he would deny it. I thought we would argue and fix it.""
I looked at my hands.
"I was wrong.""
The memory came back.
Richard standing across from my desk.
The expensive whiskey.
The calm smile.
The sentence that changed everything.
"You should have stayed ignorant, Joseph.""
I closed my eyes.
"He wasn't scared.""
Lena whispered:
"Because he already had a plan.""
I looked at her.
"Yes.""
The restaurant suddenly felt too small.
"He had documents prepared.""
"What kind?""
"Documents saying I was involved in the fraud.""
Lena's face hardened.
"He framed you.""
I nodded.
"The next morning, the board removed me.""
"How did you end up on the street?""
I didn't answer immediately.
Because that part was harder.
"I lost everything.""
"Your money?""
"Everything.""
"My accounts were frozen. My house was seized. My friends stopped answering. People who used to shake my hand suddenly looked at me like I was poison.""
Lena was quiet.
"They believed him.""
"Everyone did.""
I swallowed.
"Even my family.""
Her expression softened.
"Emily?""
I looked at the photo.
"My sister tried to believe me.""
A small smile appeared.
"The last person who did.""
"What happened?""
I looked toward the window.
Rain clouds were gathering above the city.
"Richard made sure nobody could help me.""
"How?""
"He threatened anyone who got close.""
Lena frowned.
"Threatened?""
"He told people I was dangerous. That I was unstable.""
I touched the scar near my eyebrow.
"He made sure I had nowhere to go.""
Lena noticed.
"Did he do that?""
I looked at her.
"No.""
A pause.
"He didn't have to.""
That was the worst part.
People always imagined evil looked obvious.
It didn't.
Sometimes evil wore expensive watches.
Sometimes it shook your hand.
Sometimes it smiled while ruining your life.
Lena took a slow breath.
"So you disappeared.""
"I had nothing left.""
"Why didn't you contact Emily?""
The question hurt.
Because I had asked myself the same thing every night.
"Because Richard made sure I believed she hated me.""
Lena frowned.
"What?""
"He showed me messages.""
"Fake?""
"I didn't know then.""
She pulled the photo closer.
"Emily was looking for you.""
I nodded slowly.
"I know that now.""
For years, I had carried the guilt.
The belief that my sister had chosen to forget me.
But maybe...
Maybe she had been searching.
A silence passed between us.
Then Lena's phone buzzed again.
This time, she didn't want to look.
I noticed.
"Who is it?""
She stared at the screen.
"I don't know.""
"Show me.""
She hesitated.
Then she turned it around.
Another unknown number.
Another message.
*"You don't understand who Joseph Carter is protecting.""*
My eyes narrowed.
"Protecting?""
A second message appeared.
*"Ask him about the night his father died.""*
The air left my lungs.
I looked at Lena.
She looked back at me.
"What does that mean?""
I stood up.
The chair moved loudly.
People turned.
I didn't care.
"My father died seven years before I disappeared.""
Lena slowly stood too.
"Joe...""
"No.""
My heart started racing.
"Richard told me my father's death was an accident.""
She looked at the phone.
"Maybe it wasn't.""
I felt something I hadn't felt in years.
Not sadness.
Not anger.
Fear.
Because there was only one person who knew the secret Richard and I buried that night.
And that person was supposed to be dead.
I looked at Lena.
"Who sent that message?""
She checked the number.
Her face went pale.
"What?""
She turned the phone toward me.
The number was hidden.
But the contact name appeared automatically.
Because Lena had saved it before.
A name.
One I didn't recognize.
One that made her whisper:
"Joe...""
I looked at her.
"Who is it?""
She swallowed.
"The person who has been sending me information about Richard Voss for the last three months.""
My chest tightened.
"Who?""
She looked terrified.
May you like
Then she said:
"My source was your father.""
