Everything written down in this book was shady: the transfer codes, the arrows connecting entries that shouldn’t be connected, etc. Of course, I was familiar with stuff like this; I was a business student.
This was no ordinary book. It was a ledger, one that recorded illegal transactions and some serious money laundering. In the wrong hands, this book could cause serious damage to some of the most powerful families in the city.
According to this ledger, these families were involved in embezzlement, racketeering, and every corrupt practice known to man.
Fuck.
The more I studied, the faster my pulse became, and my heart pounded like a galloping horse. No matter how hard I tried to tell myself this was just some eccentric professor’s project, I simply couldn’t ignore the patterns.
The transfer codes.
The names. Local and foreign.
The offshore markers.
There was no way this was just some random shit. This was fucking real.
No wonder that man was so shady.
The criminal activities noted in this book were all connected to the Mafia. And that alone was more than enough reason to stop digging. But I was hooked. I couldn’t stop myself.
These numbers and their sums pointed to something hidden. Something dangerous. Yet, I kept studying them, uncovering some serious secrets that made my stomach twist.
This was blood money, and such knowledge could land me in serious trouble.
I didn’t realize how much time had passed until a familiar voice spoke to me.
“See you tomorrow, Celine.”
Startled, I jolted upright, my heart skipping a beat. A wind of relief washed over me when I realized it was just Joey, a fellow bookworm.
“Wait. You’re leaving already?” I asked, confused because Joey had never left until the library closed. “So soon?”
She raised her brows, surprised by my reaction. “So soon?”
I was about to respond when the library announcement echoed through the stacks. “Attention, everyone; the library will be closing in fifteen minutes. Please begin wrapping up your work and head to the exit.”
What the hell?
I checked my watch. It was almost eleven o’clock.
“Whatever is on there must’ve been pretty interesting, huh?” Joey teased, nodding at the ledger in front of me.
I responded with a wry smile, fingers scratching the back of my head. I was still struggling to understand how I’d spent hours on this thing without even realizing it.
Joey beamed at me and walked away, her footsteps echoing through the empty space.
I was the one left behind, so I packed my things into my backpack. After a soft exhale, I closed the book, stood up, and walked back to the shelf. Without hesitation, I returned it to its exact spot and walked away.
Whatever was on there wasn't my concern, and I wasn't involved. I told myself that since I returned the book to where I found it, I was safe.
But why didn’t I feel safe?
Why did I feel like I’d just walked into something dangerous?
At this point, I was starting to regret not listening to my voice of reason. Maybe if I had just ignored that strange man, I wouldn’t be living in fear for my life.
This knowledge was a curse, a burden that was already starting to weigh me down.