Chapter 5: The First Test

"Clark, I need your input on the new project proposal," Harold Miller's voice cut through the chatter at the dinner table.

Clark glanced up, his fingers nervously tapping the edge of his glass. He was still getting used to the new... abilities. It had been a few days since the mysterious man gave him the necklace, and his world had shifted—tremendously.

He could hear everything. Thoughts, intentions, even the subtlest shifts in a person's mood. It was overwhelming, but he knew one thing: it was time to test the limits.

He nodded, trying to hide the unease crawling up his spine. "Sure, Mr. Miller. What's the proposal about?"

Harold leaned back in his chair, an air of authority surrounding him. "We're looking at expanding our real estate holdings. There's a potential buyer we're working with. Fred, why don't you bring up the numbers?"

Fred, who had been barely suppressing a smirk, slid a folder over to Clark. The papers were thick, filled with charts and projections. As Clark skimmed them, the voice in his head whispered.

"Focus, Clark. It's all in the details."

Clark stiffened. He didn't need to be told twice. He focused on Fred, ignoring the numbers for a moment. Fred's mind was open, like a book—arrogant, dismissive of Clark, but there was something else. A tension.

Fred was thinking about something far more troubling than numbers.

"You're sure the buyer can be trusted?" Harold's voice pulled Clark back into the conversation.

Clark cleared his throat, trying to push past the thoughts flooding his mind. "Yes, but… there's something I need to point out."

He looked at Fred, his mind reaching deeper. Fred's thoughts shifted to the deal. He could see it: a partnership with a powerful criminal syndicate that Fred was trying to keep under wraps. Money laundering, illegal property transfers—it was all there, buried beneath the surface.

Clark's heart raced. He couldn't just ignore this.

"Clark?" Mary's voice broke through the tension, her eyes narrowing as she sensed his hesitation.

"I—uh, I'm sorry," Clark stammered. "I just—I think there's a red flag with this deal."

Fred's eyes flickered toward him, his thoughts sharp with annoyance. "What red flag?"

Clark paused, trying to control the rush of information bombarding him. He could feel Fred's panic. He knew it was real now. They were involved in something much bigger than real estate.

"You're working with someone... dangerous," Clark said slowly, his voice unwavering.

Fred stiffened, and Clark could hear his mind scream, Damn it, I was so close to getting away with this.

Mary glanced at Fred, clearly unsure of what was happening. "What's going on?"

Fred shot a quick glance at Harold, who was now fully alert. "Clark, you don't know what you're talking about," Fred said through gritted teeth. "Just stick to the business side, alright?"

Clark's mind was already racing ahead. The deeper he probed, the more he uncovered. Fred wasn't just involved in shady deals; he was neck-deep in a criminal operation. He had been laundering money through their real estate projects for months, using the Miller name to cover up the tracks.

But it wasn't just Fred. As Clark listened, he could hear Harold's thoughts—cold, calculating, aware of everything, from the transactions to the people involved. He knew what his son was doing but hadn't stopped him.

Clark felt a cold shudder. This wasn't simply Fred's mess. It was the entire Miller family. All of them. And he was right in the center of it.

"You know, Fred," Clark continued, his voice cool, "there's a lot more going on here than you're letting on."

Fred glared at him. "What are you implying?"

The words were out before Clark could stop them. "Money laundering. Bribery. Ties to a crime syndicate. He let the silence linger in the atmosphere. His heart hammered within his chest. "You're all involved, right?"

Fred's face grew scarlet with anger. "I'm not sure what you believe you're—"

"Enough." Harold's voice struck like a whip, halting Fred's effort to talk.

His gaze latched onto Clark. "You don't know anything, Clark. This is family business. Stay out of it."

Clark stood up, ignoring the way his heart hammered. He could feel the weight of their gaze on him. Fred was angry, Harold was cold and calculating, and Mary… she was just perplexed.

"I don't think I can do that, Mr. Miller," Clark answered, his voice stern. He realized he couldn't just walk away from this. He'd uncovered too much. "I've been pushed around enough. And now I see what you're all truly up to."

Harold's stare hardened, and for a second, Clark thought he saw a glimmer of dread. But it swiftly slipped under his normal veneer of disinterest.

"I suggest you forget what you've heard, Clark," Harold continued, his tone low and menacing. "Or this family will make you regret it."

Clark felt the weight of his remarks. The disquiet that had been nagging at him since he learned the power of the necklace was now evolving into something darker. Something bigger. He wasn't just battling for his place in the world anymore—he was enmeshed in a scheme that reached deeper than he could have imagined.

"I'm not going anywhere," Clark said, his voice steely.

As he gazed around the room, the weight of the situation settled in. This wasn't simply about retribution anymore. This was about exposing a network of falsehoods, corruption, and crime. And Clark wasn't about to let it slide.

But the more he listened, the more he realized how deep they had been in such an act. And with every passing instant, he felt the chilly, smothering grip of a conspiracy that could ruin everything he had left.

He glanced at the necklace, its faint glow reflecting the storm that was suddenly rising in his mind. I have to know the truth, Clark thought. I had to take them down.

But as he stepped away from the table, his head whirling with the terrible secrets he'd learned, one question gnawed at him: What would it cost to uncover the complete truth?