All Chapters of THE HEIR BEHIND THE CREST: Chapter 11
- Chapter 19
19 chapters
Chapter 11: Shadows Strike Back
The Imperial Crest felt different now. The same polished halls, the same scent of jasmine and cedar wood, but the air carried a new gravity. The name Raymond was no longer a whisper. It was a presence that walked through every corridor, commanding quiet respect and silent fear.John moved through the lobby in a dark tailored suit. Staff paused when he passed, offering cautious greetings. He acknowledged each with a nod but said little. The inspection had ended, but the echoes of its aftermath still lingered. Harrison’s suspension had spread like wildfire through the hotel’s gossip channels. Some called it justice. Others called it danger.At the far end of the hall, Rita arranged documents at the reception desk. She kept her eyes low, but she felt him before she saw him. When she finally looked up, John was standing there, his expression unreadable.“Good morning,” she said softly.“Morning,” he replied. His voice carried no anger, only restraint. “How are the staff handling the new p
Chapter 12: The Fire Within the Crest
Morning light poured through the high glass walls of The Imperial Crest, but the air was heavy, the calm before a storm. John stood at the upper balcony of the executive floor, staring down at the lobby where guests bustled under chandeliers. The hotel pulsed with life again, but something about that rhythm felt off. Too quick. Too perfect.Shack entered quietly. “The numbers from last night’s bookings are strange,” he said. “A sudden wave of cancellations, all from corporate clients linked to Mart-Dove.”John didn’t turn. “Harrison’s hand.”“Most likely,” Shack replied. “He’s feeding them rumours. I’m certain of it. Some staff members have started whispering that you forged your father’s documents.”John’s reflection in the glass barely moved. “Fear spreads faster than proof. We let them talk. Then we give them the truth.”Shack’s tone darkened. “He’s not working alone. Collins is still missing. And Rose hasn’t clocked in for two days.”John finally turned. “Find them both.”Shack no
Chapter 13: Ashes and Iron
Smoke still lingered in the air days after the explosion. The Imperial Crest no longer shone like the city’s crown; it stood wounded, its glass façade scarred with soot. But beneath the ruin, something else was rising, quiet, deliberate, unbreakable.John Raymond sat at the head of the emergency board table for the first time. The conference room smelled faintly of charred wiring and disinfectant. Around him sat the senior managers, journalists’ headlines glowing on their tablets. FIRE AT THE IMPERIAL CREST: SABOTAGE OR NEGLIGENCE?“We’ve confirmed it wasn’t an accident,” Shack said from his seat beside John. “The explosive was military-grade, planted directly beneath the network servers.”“And Harrison?” Dalton, the chairman, asked.“Still missing,” Shack replied. “Interpol has his name on the watch list, but no sightings.”John’s tone was steady. “He’ll surface. Men like him always believe they can come back.”Dalton rubbed his temples. “The board is divided. Some want to suspend al
Chapter 14: The Night of the Lion
The Imperial Crest was never meant to sleep, but that night it felt uneasy, like a beast sensing danger in the dark. Rain whispered across the glass dome, wind sighing through the upper floors. Every corridor gleamed with silence. Every camera blinked like a nervous eye.John Raymond stood in his office, staring out over the city. The storm lights painted the skyline in flashes of silver. Shack stood behind him, speaking softly into a comm device. “All guards are in position. No one gets in or out without clearance.”“Good,” John said. “Harrison is not the type to wait forever.”He turned from the window. His suit jacket hung open, his shirt sleeves rolled, the fatigue in his face tempered by cold determination. For days, he had rebuilt order from chaos, only for new cracks to appear. Rita’s alleged betrayal, Rose’s reappearance, the board’s wavering trust — every piece on the board was moving, and the enemy was finally closing in.Shack ended the call. “Security sweep came back clean
Chapter 15: Crown of Smoke
The city glowed like molten glass under the morning sun, as if the storm had never happened. From the top floor of The Imperial Crest, John Raymond watched the light spread over the skyline. It looked peaceful from a distance, but peace, he knew, was just a pause between wars.Two days had passed since the rooftop confrontation. The police had searched the surrounding streets and riverbanks, but no body was found. The official report called Harrison West “missing, presumed dead.” John did not believe it. The man had built his life on surviving ruin.He turned from the window as Rita entered. Her arm was bandaged, her expression calm but wary. “The board just arrived,” she said. “They’re waiting for you in the main hall.”John nodded, adjusting his cufflinks. “Let’s finish what he started.”The boardroom gleamed again, restored to perfection. Dalton stood at the head of the table, flanked by senior members. Shack sat quietly to one side, hands clasped. The room buzzed with tension as J
Chapter 16: The Ghost of Loyalty
The hotel was quiet again, but the silence felt different now — strained, almost fragile. In the executive wing, the corridors were half-lit, the air thick with the scent of polished wood and tension. Outside, thunder murmured in the distance, promising another storm.John stood by the window of his office, the faint reflection of city lights glimmering in his eyes. The letter from his father lay on the desk behind him, its words branded in his mind. The man who guards your future once guarded my death.He turned as the door opened. Shack stepped in, moving with his usual calm, though his face looked older tonight. The years had finally caught up with him.“You said you wanted to talk,” John said quietly.Shack nodded. “I think it’s time you knew everything.”John’s gaze sharpened. “Then start.”Shack closed the door and leaned against it, his hands in his pockets. “Your father and I began working together long before the Crest became what it is. He was ambitious, brilliant, but too t
Chapter 17: The Sovereign’s Shadow
The morning after Shack’s death, the city woke to headlines that painted the sky in scandal. Top Executive Shot Inside Imperial Crest. Corporate Conspiracy or Internal Power Play? Reporters crowded the front of the hotel, their cameras flashing like lightning. The empire that had once embodied luxury now pulsed with rumours of betrayal and blood.John stood before the glass wall of his office, jaw tight, tie undone, eyes fixed on the skyline. Below, chaos churned. Inside, silence reigned. Shack’s death had not only broken him — it had ignited something in him that had been buried since his father’s death. The lion was awake again, and this time there would be no mercy.Rita entered quietly, placing a folder on his desk. “These are Shack’s personal effects,” she said. “Security cleared them an hour ago.”John didn’t look at it. “How many of the board members know what happened?”“Officially, none. Dalton’s keeping it under wraps for now. Unofficially…” she hesitated, “everyone.”Joh
Chapter 18: The War for the Crest
Morning broke over the city like the calm before battle. The Imperial Crest stood tall, its glass towers catching the sun as if nothing had changed, yet inside, every corridor throbbed with urgency.John Raymond’s war had begun.He sat at the centre of the storm, the boardroom transformed into a command post. Screens displayed charts, transactions, and market feeds. Rita stood beside him, her face pale with exhaustion but her focus razor-sharp.“Another three investors just pulled out,” she said quietly. “The press is saying Sovereign is the future, and we’re the past.”John didn’t flinch. “Then we make the past unforgettable.”Dalton leaned forward. “We’ve traced Harrison’s funding trail through offshore accounts. He’s been buying up Crest shares through proxies. If he hits forty percent, he can launch a hostile takeover.”“How close is he?” John asked.“Thirty-four and rising.”John exhaled slowly. “Then we hit him where it hurts.”He turned to Rita. “Set up the leaks.”Her eyes wid
Chapter 19: The Lion Abroad
The jet sliced through the clouds like a blade of glass. Zurich shimmered beneath the dawn, its rivers glinting gold in the early light. To anyone else, it was a city of peace and order. To John Raymond, it was enemy territory.He sat in silence as the plane began its descent, the world below drawing closer. His mind replayed Harrison’s words again and again — If you want your throne back, come take it from me.Rita’s voice echoed in his earpiece, steady and low. “You’re less than twenty minutes from Sovereign headquarters. We’ve confirmed their internal layout. Security’s tight, but there’s a window between shift rotations at eight.”“Good,” John said quietly. “Keep the Crest stable. Don’t let the board act without me.”“I’ll handle them,” Rita said. “Just come back alive.”The line went silent.John glanced out the window, his reflection a blur against the pale sky. Somewhere inside that mirrored skyline waited the man who had haunted two generations of his family.He closed his eye