“Well, about Marcus,” he started, turning back to face me. “I wouldn’t say I know him on a hundred percent level, but he seems genuinely interested in…” He paused, looking out the window again.I was about to ask him why his body language told me otherwise when I heard my phone ring. I pulled it out of my pocket, staring at the screen. It was Josh, FaceTiming me.I answered the call, and the first expression he gave was shock. “Dude! You’re driving?” Josh asked, and I smiled. “Why do you all keep acting like I don’t have hands or legs? I am driving because I can.”“Don’t get me wrong; we’re all just being concerned for you. You’ve handled a lot lately, and risking your health is something I personally don’t want you to do,” Josh said, and I felt a bit joyful at his words. “Thanks, man,” I replied.“So where are you heading?” Josh asked. “Uh, I want to go grab some coffee, maybe with some croissants. I haven’t had those in a while,” I said, turning to see Nathan staring at me, confused

“Uh, about that, I, um,” I stuttered, unable to find the right words when I heard a knock on the door.“Who is it?” Marcus asked. “It’s me, sir. I have an urgent message for you,” came an unfamiliar voice, that of a lady.Marcus pressed a button on the controller to let her in.Once the door opened, my eyes caught sight of a brown-haired, middle-aged lady. She glanced up at me, her eyes flickering in shock, but she immediately masked it with a smile.“Good day, sir,” she greeted, and I nodded, wondering if she knew about Marcus’s plan or if there was something else in the way she looked at me.“Sir, we have news on the Orions. They were spotted boarding their private jets,” the lady said, handing Marcus some pictures while she handed me some as well.I took them from her, even though my initial plan was to get out of there. I needed to play things safe for my own life.I glanced at the pictures. It showed a man wearing sunglasses, with black hair and a black coat, alongside a woman

“How much is it?”“Let’s just say your father was a quadrillionaire, which means—” he said, brow raised. “Are you for real? Am I a quadrillionaire?” I asked as he nodded. “Yes, Ethan, you are. But I trust that you will be able to multiply that over the years, with your new company and others to come. I believe you will make triple that in the next few months,” Marcus said, picking up his phone because it had just buzzed with a text.“Hold on, I have to make a quick call,” he said, getting to his feet to leave.In the few times I had been with Marcus, he wouldn’t step out to make a phone call if he wasn’t hiding something from me.Thankfully, I had all I needed right now, and all I had to do was find my way forward, away from this mess.I stood up to leave as well, but when I got to the door, I paused.I could hear Marcus speaking to someone on the phone again; this time his tone was lower because he obviously didn’t want me to hear him.I leaned in closer, pressing my ear to the doo

As I fought with the decision, the bike swerved slightly, reminding me of the risks and dangers around me.My heart raced not just from fear but from the uncertainty of who I could trust.“What if this is a trap?” I thought, recalling every moment of deceit I’d encountered with Marcus.Why did Marcus want me dead? Was he the one who had killed my father?While still contemplating, my phone began to buzz again, consistently this time.I answered, placing the phone to my ear when I heard Josh call to me. “Ethan,” he said, and I fell silent, unable to speak because there was something unfamiliar about Josh's voice—he sounded a bit desperate, or at least that’s what I thought.I took a deep breath before answering him, keeping my eyes on the road.“Josh!” I said, trying to mask the panic in my voice.“Where are you?!” he demanded, urgency echoing louder through the speaker.“I’m on the highway,” I replied. “I heard what happened. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He asked, and I felt a sudden