All Chapters of Rise of the forgotten general: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
68 chapters
The shadow stir
The banquet hall had long emptied, but the echoes of mockery still clung to Cole Brady’s ears like a swarm of gnats. Even now, sitting alone in the Parker’s cold garage, he could still hear Blake Morgan’s smug laughter and Fiona’s family’s sharp insults.Yet Cole sat calmly, his hands folded, his expression unreadable.The city thought him beaten, powerless. But the truth was that his silence was a mask. And masks, no matter how convincing, could only last so long.Just as he rose to leave, headlights swept across the garage. A sleek black car slid to a stop, its engine purring like a predator.From the driver’s seat stepped a man with sharp features, dressed in a tailored suit that clung to him like armor. His presence alone was enough to command respect.“Ethan Troy,” Cole murmured, his eyes narrowing.Few in the city knew the name, but Cole did. Ethan wasn’t just a businessman, he was an old rival, once a rising star in the same military circles Cole had abandoned. Ethan’s reputati
Whispers of the past
The night air was cold, carrying with it the bitter taste of unease. Fiona Parker stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes darting between Cole and the empty space where Trojan had disappeared moments before.Her husband’s face, usually unreadable, was tense, too tense.“Cole…” her voice trembled slightly, “who were those men? Why do they look at you like, like they’ve known you forever?”Cole said nothing at first. His eyes lingered on the darkness beyond the garage, where Trojan’s words still seemed to hang like smoke.Finally, he turned, his expression calm once more. “They’re no one you need to worry about.”Fiona stepped forward, anger mixing with her confusion. “No one to worry about? Cole, that man looked at me like he wanted to hurt me. And you just stood there as if…” She shook her head. “You know him, don’t you?”Cole’s silence was answer enough.Fiona’s frustration grew. For years she had thought her husband weak, useless, a man without ambition. But tonight… she saw something
Enemies on all sides
Morning light spilled into the Parker estate, but it did little to brighten the heavy atmosphere. Lydia Parker sat at the breakfast table, scrolling through her phone, her face flushed with agitation.“Unbelievable!” she snapped, slamming the phone down. “Blake Morgan’s people have pulled another contract from our company. Do you understand what this means? He’s deliberately cutting us off!”Harold, still half asleep, frowned. “Mother, it’s only one contract”“One contract?” Lydia’s eyes blazed. “That was worth millions, Harold! Blake promised us stability, and now he’s turning his back on us. And why? Because of him.” She jabbed a finger toward Cole, who had just stepped quietly into the room.As always, Cole ignored the insult, seating himself calmly and pouring a cup of tea.But Harold wasn’t finished. “Blake made it clear last night. He’s only tolerating us because of Fiona. As long as she’s in good standing with him, we’re safe. But Cole” He sneered. “Cole is a liability.”Fiona,
A dinner of shadows
The Parker estate buzzed with nervous energy that evening. Lydia Parker flitted from room to room, adjusting her jewelry, checking her makeup, and barking orders at the servants. To her, tonight was redemption, a chance to crawl back into Blake Morgan’s good graces after the banquet humiliation.Harold buttoned his suit jacket, smirking at his reflection in the mirror. “Tonight’s the night Blake finally sees us for who we are. Once Fiona is properly aligned with him, we’ll never have to worry about business again.”Fiona, standing by the window, kept silent. Her eyes drifted toward the driveway, where Cole sat on the porch, calm as ever, sipping tea as though nothing in the world could disturb him.Her brother noticed her stare and laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re worried about him. That deadweight isn’t coming with us, Fiona. Mother’s already made that clear.”Fiona frowned, her voice low. “And what if Blake tries to use tonight to humiliate us again? You think he’ll just forgive and f
A shadow at the table
The restaurant Blake Morgan had chosen was no ordinary dining place. Chandeliers of imported crystal bathed the room in a golden glow, their glitter reflected off the polished marble floors. Waiters in pristine suits glided like shadows, carrying silver trays laden with dishes too expensive to pronounce. Blake had spared no expense, every detail screamed power, wealth, and control.The Parker family stood awkwardly at the entrance, their presence like that of beggars at a king’s banquet. Lydia Parker adjusted her pearl necklace for the tenth time, her lips twitching with excitement. Harold tugged at his tie, nervous yet determined to make an impression. Fiona, however, looked uneasy, her gaze darting around the grand hall as though searching for something unseen.And unseen, indeed, something was.For in the far corner, seated at a table meant for two but occupied by only one, Cole Brady sat quietly with a glass of water in his hand. His posture was calm, his presence so unassuming th
Words sharper than blades
The silence at the table was thick enough to choke on. The other guests, business partners, wives of executives, curious bystanders, had fallen utterly quiet, their forks suspended mid air, their eyes riveted on the man who had dared to speak against Blake Morgan in his own domain.Cole Brady stood tall, his plain attire a stark contrast to the luxury around him. His presence was not loud, but it filled the hall in a way money never could. It was the presence of someone who could not be bought or bent.Blake recovered quickly, his lips curving into a smirk as he leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine in his glass. “Underestimated, you say?” His eyes gleamed like polished steel. “A bold word… for a man with nothing to his name.”A few guests chuckled nervously. Lydia Parker’s face burned crimson with shame. Harold stared at the table, wishing it would swallow him whole. Fiona, however, could not tear her eyes away from Cole. Something in his steady stance made her chest tighten, n
The butcher’s first cut
The Parker mansion was restless that night. Lydia stormed about in a fury, Harold sulked in his study, and Fiona sat quietly in her room, her thoughts tangled like a storm at sea.But Cole was not in his room.He stood outside in the garden, hands clasped behind his back, his eyes fixed on the moonlit horizon. The night was cool, serene, yet he felt the unease prickling in his veins. He had lived long enough to know peace was often the mask worn by danger before it struck.And danger was coming.Across the city, in an abandoned textile factory at the edge of the docks, Trojan held court.The scarred man paced slowly before a row of men in dark coats, his boots echoing against the cracked concrete floor. His cigarette burned low, the glow illuminating the cruel smile that never seemed to leave his lips.“Tonight,” Trojan said, his voice low but commanding, “we stop watching. We move.”His men leaned forward, waiting.“Blake Morgan thinks he’s invincible. The Parkers think they can craw
Echoes of fear
The Parker estate had never felt so suffocating. The chandeliers, usually dazzling, seemed dim. The hallways, once busy with servants, now echoed with whispers of dread. Every corner of the mansion carried the weight of Harold’s absence, and Lydia’s constant wailing only made it heavier.“This is a nightmare!” Lydia sobbed, pacing the length of the sitting room. “My son, my only son, taken by criminals! Do you realize what this means? We’ll be ruined if word gets out. The newspapers, the business rivals, everyone will smell blood!”She turned on Fiona, her eyes blazing with accusation. “This is your husband’s fault. All of it! If Cole hadn’t provoked Blake last night, Harold wouldn’t be in danger!”Fiona flinched at the sharpness of her mother’s words. She wanted to argue, to defend Cole as she had at the dinner, but her throat tightened. Was it true? Was Cole somehow at the center of this storm?Her mind spun with the image of him standing in the restaurant, his calm, steady words si
The man who walked in
The warehouse loomed like a sleeping beast against the night sky. Its jagged roof and broken windows whispered of secrets long buried, of deals struck in shadows. Inside, the flicker of bare bulbs revealed the circle of men gathered around Harold Parker, their laughter sharp, their boots scraping against the concrete floor.Trojan sat at the center of it all, his scarred face lit by the glow of a cigarette. The smoke curled lazily from his lips as he stared at Harold like a predator toying with prey.The door creaked open.The sound was small, almost insignificant, yet it carried through the warehouse like a gunshot. All laughter stopped. Heads turned.And there he was.Cole Brady.He didn’t sneak in. He didn’t storm in. He simply walked through the front door with the calm certainty of a man entering his own home. His hands were empty, his sleeves rolled neatly, his eyes steady as they swept the room.For a moment, silence reigned. Even Harold forgot to whimper.Trojan leaned back in
Whispers of power
The Parker mansion was ablaze with light when the black sedan pulled up the drive. The household had been on edge for hours, servants flitting nervously through corridors, Lydia screaming at anyone who dared to breathe too loudly.When Cole stepped out of the car, guiding Harold with one steady hand, the front doors flew open.“Harold!” Lydia’s cry split the night as she rushed forward, nearly tripping on the marble steps in her desperation. She threw her arms around her son, tears spilling down her face. “My baby, my darling boy, you’re alive! You’re safe!”Harold clung to her, trembling. “Mother… I thought I’d never see you again.”Behind them, Fiona appeared in the doorway. Her heart clenched at the sight of Harold, pale but alive. Yet her eyes quickly shifted to Cole, standing a step back, his face calm, unreadable, as though returning from nothing more than an evening errand.“Cole brought him back,” Fiona whispered, her voice thick with disbelief.Lydia’s head snapped up. She pu