Proof that this wasn’t just about a few people getting rich, it was about funding. Other projects. What kind of projects? I took the folder but didn’t open it.
Political ones, Julia spoke softly, almost a whisper. Destabilizing neighboring countries, bribing officials, funding radical groups. All the things that are officially denied at the highest levels.
My heart pounded faster. If what she said was true, this wasn’t just corruption. These were crimes of international magnitude.
Where did you get this information? I asked, still not opening the folder. From the same place Grandpa did, Julia gave a faint smile. I was his granddaughter too, remember? And he prepared me in his own way.
I stared at her, trying to understand what she meant. Grandpa prepared Julia too? Like he did me? But why? For what? You really don’t get it, do you? Julia shook her head. Grandpa wasn’t just some retired agent trying to right a few wrongs.
He was part of the system. A system that’s existed for decades, that survives changes in governments, regimes, ideologies. What are you talking about? I still didn’t understand.
I’m talking about Grandpa not just working for the country, Victoria. He worked for an organization that stands above countries, above governments. An organization that keeps the balance of power in check so that no one side becomes too strong, too influential.
I sat silent, trying to process what I was hearing. It sounded like something out of a spy novel, some conspiracy theory. But if it was true, if Grandpa really was part of a secret organization, what did that mean for me? For my investigation? For my safety? And you, are you working for this organization too? I finally asked, is that why you were planted in this scheme? Is that why you’re helping me now? Not exactly, Julia shook her head.
Yes, I was recruited, but not to expose the scheme. My job was to control it, to make sure the money went where it was supposed to and in the right amounts. Where it was supposed to go.
I felt anger rising inside me. You’re talking about destabilizing countries, bribing officials, funding radicals. How is that where it’s supposed to go? The world is more complicated than it seems.
Victoria, Julia spoke calmly, but in her eyes, I saw a strange mix of exhaustion and determination. Sometimes it’s not about choosing between good and evil, but between lesser and greater evil. And sometimes, sometimes you have to be part of the evil to control it, to keep it contained, to steer it.
I looked at my sister and barely recognized her. This confident, cynical woman talking about controlling evil, about choosing between degrees of darkness. Was this the same Julia I grew up with? Or was she, too, just an illusion I had built in my mind, like my marriage to Richard? So what now? I asked, gripping the folder in my hands.
What do you want me to do with this information? Use it, Julia said simply. Publish it, make it public. Let people know what’s really happening in their country, in the world.
But won’t that go against the interests of your organization? Don’t they want to keep all this hidden? Julia gave a faint smile. Sometimes the only way to control a system is to expose it, to force it to adapt, to change, to become more accountable. I opened the folder and flipped through a few pages.
Documents, photos, bank statements. Everything that could form the basis of the biggest investigative story in years. Everything that could change not just my life, but the lives of countless others.
What about you? I asked, closing the folder, if I publish this, if the truth comes out, what happens to you? I don’t know, Julia shrugged. Maybe they’ll pull me out. Maybe they’ll reassign me.
Maybe. She fell silent, leaving the thought unfinished. Maybe they’ll eliminate you as an unnecessary witness I finished for her.
That’s possible, she nodded with surprising calm. But I’m ready for that risk. Just like you are.
We sat in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. I thought of Grandpa, of his secret life, of his legacy. Of the car in the garage, the apartment in New York, the documents he left for me.
I thought of Richard, of our marriage, which turned out to be nothing but a cover for his secret life. I thought of Julia, her double or perhaps triple life, and her role in this tangled mess. And I thought of myself, the woman who always saw herself as weak, dependent, incapable of decisive action.
The woman who, over these last few weeks, had changed beyond recognition. Who found the strength to stand up to a system that seemed unbeatable. Who found her path in a world that always felt too complex, too harsh for her.
What are you going to do? Julia finally asked, breaking the silence. Would I have to? I looked her straight in the eyes. What Grandpa left all this for? What he prepared me for, even if he didn’t realize it? Julia nodded, as if she expected nothing less.
Then you need to go, she stood up. And fast. There’s not much time.
Where? I stood up too, gripping the folder. To your journalist. Give him these documents.
And then, disappear. At least for a while, until things calm down. And you? What will you do? I have my own plans, she smiled mysteriously.
Don’t worry about me, Victoria. I’ve always known how to take care of myself. She held out her hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, I took it.
Despite everything, despite all the betrayal and lies, she was still my sister. The woman I grew up with, shared childhood secrets with, teenage dreams, family holidays. Good luck, Victoria, she said, releasing my hand.
I hope we meet again. In better times. Good luck, Julia, I replied…
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