Melissa Kingsley had thought she was done chasing ghosts.
She had exposed Vaughn.
She had fought for the victims.
She had walked away from everything she once thought she needed.
But now she was searching for someone she never thought she'd lose forever.
Ethan Clarke.
The one person Vaughn had erased without explanation.
And Melissa was about to find out what really happened to him.
Melissa started with the industry archives records of contracts, album launches, press interviews.
Ethan had been on his way to becoming a star, just like her.
And then he vanished.
No final statement. No farewell tour. Nothing.
Just…gone.
Melissa pressed deeper, contacting old producers, former managers, even his past collaborators.
Most refused to talk.
One finally answered.
And what he said?
It sent chills through her.
Melissa held her phone close as the voice on the other end sighed.
"You shouldn't be asking about Ethan."
Melissa's pulse skipped. "Why?"
A pause.
A long, heavy silence.
Then "Because people who ask about him don't get answers. They get warnings."
Melissa felt a chill creep into her spine.
This wasn't just about a ruined career.
This was something deeper.
And if she wanted the truth, she was going to have to risk everything to find it.
Then a breakthrough.
Melissa hacked into an old industry database, searching for anything connected to Ethan's name.
And she found it.
A restricted file, buried under layers of red tape, marked with a warning:
"Confidential. Access Denied."
Melissa didn't back down.
She dug deeper.
And when she finally broke through the security lock, she stared at the truth she was never supposed to see.
Melissa's hands hovered over the file.
She had hacked through layers of security, broken past confidential warnings, and finally found Ethan's name buried in the system.
But just as she clicked to open the file, the screen flashed red.
A security alert.
Then the system locked down completely.
And her heart skipped a beat.
Before Melissa could process the warning, her phone rang.
Blocked number. No caller ID.
She hesitated.
Then she answered.
And the voice on the other end?
Cold. Calculated. Terrifyingly calm.
"Melissa Kingsley. Stop searching. Now."
Her pulse spiked.
Someone had been watching her movements, tracking her search, monitoring her every attempt to find Ethan.
And now?
They wanted her to walk away or face the consequences.
Melissa refused to back down.
She contacted Tasha, her longtime friend and tech expert, desperate for a way to break past the security lockdown.
Tasha's voice was urgent.
"Melissa, you don't understand. This isn't normal security. You triggered something bigger."
Melissa frowned. "Bigger?"
Tasha exhaled sharply, typing frantically in the background.
"You've accessed a government-protected file."
Melissa froze.
Government?
Why would Ethan Clarke's disappearance be connected to government-level security?
What was Vaughn hiding?
And if she kept pushing who else would come after her?
Melissa had two choices:
1. Step back avoid triggering more security alerts, retreat, and try to find another way to uncover Ethan's story.
2. Go all in force her way past the firewall, risk exposing herself, and dig until she found the truth, no matter the danger.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, her heart racing.
Because no matter what this wasn't just about finding Ethan anymore.
This was about why someone wanted to keep his story buried.
And if she didn't fight for the truth who would?
Melissa has triggered something bigger than she ever expected, but what is the real reason behind Ethan's disappearance?
Is Vaughn connected to something far more dangerous, or is Melissa about to uncover a secret no one was meant to find?
Melissa Kingsley's hands hovered over the keyboard, her heart pounding.
She had triggered high-level security warnings, ignored every caution, and forced her way into the locked files that no one wanted her to see.
Now she was staring at the truth about Ethan Clarke.
And what she saw?
It changed everything.
Melissa scanned the document the first page covered in black ink, entire paragraphs erased, names redacted.
But then she found one name still visible.
Ethan Clarke.
Underneath it, a single phrase:
"Subject terminated status unknown."
Melissa's breath hitched.
Terminated?
Status unknown?
What did that mean?
Was he gone?
Or was someone hiding him?
She kept reading, scrolling frantically, searching for something, anything that explained what had happened to him.
And then she found it.
Melissa's pulse spiked as she uncovered a hidden directive, buried under legal contracts and industry data.
It wasn't just about Ethan.
It was about something bigger.
A program called Requiem designed to erase artists from public records when they became a liability.
And Ethan?
He was one of its victims.
Melissa felt her blood go cold.
This wasn't just blacklisting.
This was systematic erasure.
And Ethan Clarke had been one of the first to disappear.
Just when Melissa thought she had uncovered all the truth, she spotted one last line of text in the document.
A location.
A small, remote town, hidden far from the industry's reach.
And next to it?
A name.
Ethan Clarke.
Melissa's pulse raced.
If this file was correct Ethan was still alive.
But if he had been part of Requiem was he even the same person anymore?
Melissa had to find him.
And she had to find him before Vaughn realized she was getting too close to the truth.
Melissa Kingsley had no time to waste.
She had a name, a location, a clue Ethan Clarke wasn't gone, he was hidden.
The only question now?
Was he waiting to be found, or was he too far gone to remember who he really was?
She booked a flight under a false name, took backroads, avoided social media.
Because if Vaughn knew she was coming
She'd never make it there alive.
Halfway to the small town listed in Ethan's file, Melissa's phone rang.
Blocked number.
Again.
Her pulse spiked as she answered.
Silence.
Then the voice from before.
"Turn back. He's not who you think he is anymore."
Melissa's grip tightened around the phone.
She refused to believe it.
She couldn't believe it.
"I'm not turning back," she snapped.
A sigh. "Then I hope you're ready for what you'll find."
The call cut off, and Melissa stared into the darkness ahead.
She wasn't sure if she felt fear or determination.
But either way she was about to find Ethan Clarke.
Melissa arrived at the town just before sunrise, the air heavy with silence.
She asked around, but nobody recognized Ethan's name.
Then an old man at the gas station narrowed his eyes.
"You're looking for the quiet one."
Melissa's breath hitched.
The old man gestured toward a cabin in the hills. "He doesn't talk much anymore. But if you're looking for ghosts, that's where you'll find him."
Melissa felt her chest tighten.
Because after everything she had finally found him.
Or at least, the man who used to be him.