All Chapters of the Legend : Chapter 61
- Chapter 70
114 chapters
Chapter Sixty one– The Heir Returns
By dawn, Greyharbor was no longer just a fishing town — it had become a story. Cameras lined the coast, vans parked along the main street, reporters swarming near the courthouse steps. They’d all come for the same reason: the scheduled press address by the man at the center of the Locke scandal.No one outside his inner circle knew what Adrian planned to say. Some expected a denial, others a confession. A few whispered that he’d finally broken under the pressure.Inside the town hall, Adrian stood before the mirror in the small back room, adjusting the collar of his worn jacket. It wasn’t the kind of suit people expected from a billionaire’s son — it was simple, functional, honest. He ran a hand over his face, feeling the rough edge of sleeplessness.Sarah entered quietly, holding a folder. “The networks are already live,” she said. “You don’t have to do this, Adrian. Not yet.”He turned to her, eyes calm but burning with conviction. “Yes, I do. He’s controlling the narrative. The onl
Chapter Sixty two– The Echo of Truth
The morning after Adrian’s revelation, Greyharbor woke to a storm of headlines.Screens in café windows replayed the same clip: “I’m not accusing him. I’m exposing him.” News anchors called it the most shocking corporate confession in a decade. Some networks painted Adrian as a hero; others called him a traitor. Every major outlet wanted a follow-up interview.But in Greyharbor, the response was quieter — heavier.At the pier, old fishermen watched the broadcast on a rusted portable TV, shaking their heads in disbelief. “That’s the kid who used to patch boats down by the docks?” one said.“Aye,” another muttered, eyes on the water. “And now he’s taking on kings.”Inside the community hall, Adrian sat surrounded by reporters’ requests and security alerts. Cole stood at the window, scanning the street for unfamiliar cars. Sarah was at the far end of the table, voice low as she fielded calls from editors who suddenly believed in her again.“They’re offering prime-time slots,” she said, s
Chapter Sixty three– The First Countermove
The storm that had swept through Greyharbor the night before had passed, leaving the streets slick and silver under a low morning mist. The ocean lay still for once, as if holding its breath — waiting to see which side would move first.In the old boathouse that now served as their makeshift headquarters, Adrian stood over a cluttered table littered with files, printouts, and a single laptop humming faintly. Sarah and Cole flanked him on either side, both running on caffeine and sheer defiance.Cole was the first to break the silence. “If Locke wants to turn this into a media war, we can’t just defend. We need to hit back — hard.”Sarah looked up from her screen. “We will. But not with noise — with truth. I’ve been tracing his offshore accounts. Shell companies under fake environmental projects, all linked to Greyharbor’s developer network. If we publish this, it’ll tie Victor directly to illegal land transfers.”Adrian leaned closer, scanning the documents. The figures were staggerin
Chapter Sixty four– The Counterstrike
The morning began not with birdsong or sea breeze, but with the sharp crackle of breaking news.Sarah’s phone buzzed violently on her desk. Then Cole’s. Then Adrian’s.Every major network had gone live with the same story.“SARAH HOLT UNDER INVESTIGATION – ALLEGATIONS OF DATA THEFT AND FRAUD.”Cole cursed under his breath as he scrolled through the broadcast. “They’re saying you hacked Locke Global’s private servers. That you fabricated your evidence.”Sarah’s eyes darkened, jaw tight. “They’re trying to discredit me before I can publish the proof. Classic Locke strategy.”Adrian set the paper down, expression unreadable. “And it’s working. People will doubt every word we say now.”The air in the boathouse felt heavy — the kind of tension that sticks to your skin. Outside, waves lapped softly against the pier, the only sound that felt real.Cole paced like a caged animal. “They’ve already filed charges with the city prosecutor. They’ll drag her through court, bleed her dry, and then m
Chapter Sixty five– The Broadcast
The studio lights were blinding.They glared down from high rafters, hot and sharp, as if trying to peel away every mask Adrian had ever worn.A producer’s voice echoed in the background. “Thirty seconds to live.”Sarah stood just beyond the frame, headset around her neck, her expression equal parts tension and pride. Cole hovered near the exit, scanning the corridor for anyone who didn’t belong. Every instinct in him said this was dangerous.But Adrian stood still, microphone clipped to his lapel, suit crisp yet simple — no tie, no pretense. His face bore the quiet calm of someone who’d stopped running.The anchor, a seasoned journalist with eyes like polished glass, turned toward him. “Mr. Locke,” she began softly, “the world knows your name now — but not your full story. Why come forward? Why now?”The red light above the camera blinked on. They were live.Adrian leaned forward slightly, his voice steady. “Because silence helps the powerful. And for too long, I was silent.”He paus
Chapter Sixty six– Breaking Point
The storm didn’t come from the sea this time — it came from the screens.Every feed, every trending page, every corner of the digital world carried the same headline:“INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST SARAH HOLT ACCUSED OF FRAUD.”The articles were ruthless — screenshots of doctored bank statements, clips taken out of context, “anonymous sources” claiming Sarah had forged her degree. The speed of it all was dizzying, like watching an avalanche fall in slow motion.By sunrise, her inbox had exploded with interview requests, half of them accusatory, the other half pretending to offer sympathy while digging for blood.Cole slammed his laptop shut. “It’s everywhere. They’ve weaponized every news feed. We can’t contain it.”Sarah sat perfectly still at the table, her hands around a mug gone cold. Her face was pale, eyes glassy but dry — beyond anger, beyond shock.“They’re quoting things I never said,” she murmured. “Emails I never wrote. Dates that don’t even exist.”Adrian stood beside her, sile
Chapter Sixty seven– Lines of Defense
Greyharbor’s dawn broke gray and cold, the sea mist swallowing the horizon as if the world itself were holding its breath.Inside the marina’s boathouse, the hum of computers and the faint clatter of keyboards replaced the usual rhythm of gulls and waves. Cole had converted the small storage space into a makeshift command center — wires running along the floor, a portable generator purring softly in the corner.Sarah, pale but composed, reviewed the encrypted folders Adrian had unearthed. They were fragments of a much larger puzzle — transaction logs, email metadata, server access trails — all leading to the hidden arteries of Locke Global’s corruption.Cole exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “The FreePress Alliance will only move if they’re certain it’s authentic. They’ve been burned too many times by doctored leaks.”Adrian leaned against the table, his tone steady but urgent. “Then we give them proof — every checksum, every signature. I know Locke’s systems. If we can replica
Chapter Sixty Eight– The Breaking Point
The blackout stretched into its second night, swallowing Greyharbor in uneasy silence. The sea, once a constant rhythm of comfort, now sounded like a warning — a restless tide beating against the rocks. Without the hum of electricity, the town felt primitive, cut adrift from the world.Lanterns glowed faintly in shop windows, and people gathered in hushed groups along the main street, whispering theories and fears. To many, it felt less like a technical failure and more like punishment.At the center of it all, Adrian stood near the harbor office, watching as the generator’s final drops of fuel sputtered out. The lights inside flickered once, then died completely. The darkness that followed was heavy — not just physical, but psychological.“People are scared,” Sarah said quietly beside him. “They think this is because of us.”Adrian turned to her. “Us?”“You, specifically.” Her expression was tight, voice low. “The rumor is spreading that your enemies cut the power to flush you out —
Chapter Sixty nine– The Counterstrike
By the next morning, Greyharbor buzzed with furious energy. The blackout had lifted in parts of the town, flickering lights returning like hesitant hope — but the real fire was now in the people.They had seen the leaked files, passed from hand to hand like contraband truth. They spoke of Locke Global’s manipulation, of the deliberate blackout to “leverage cooperation.” For a brief moment, unity burned bright — outrage drawing neighbors together.Then the screens lit up again.The first broadcast came from Channel Nine, one of the regional networks owned by a Locke subsidiary. The anchor’s tone was calm, polished, venom wrapped in professionalism.“Earlier this morning, unverified data — allegedly from Locke Global — was released by unidentified sources connected to Adrian Locke, the estranged son of the company’s founder. Experts have called the leak a deliberate act of defamation and potential cybercrime. Locke Global has confirmed that it will pursue full legal action.”The screen
Chapter Seventy – Fire in the Silence
Greyharbor had become a town of whispers. Even after the blackout lifted, the air still felt charged, like static before a storm. People spoke softly, afraid of who might be listening — afraid that speaking Adrian’s name aloud might draw the wrong kind of attention.But in the boathouse, silence had turned to motion.Cole’s fingers flew over his keyboard, a dozen terminals open at once — encrypted chat lines with journalists, satellite pings, file transfers. The hum of the generator mingled with the rhythmic thud of the sea against the docks. Sarah paced behind him, a restless blur of thought and urgency.Adrian stood by the window, eyes fixed on the horizon. The first light of dawn was breaking, pale and uncertain. “We can’t win this in the shadows,” he said finally. “We need light — enough to burn through his lies.”Cole glanced up. “The FreePress Alliance responded.”Sarah stopped pacing. “And?”Cole tapped a few keys, bringing up a message window on the screen. The text appeared l