All Chapters of THE HEIR BEHIND THE CREST: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
119 chapters
Chapter 21: The Broken Crown
When John opened his eyes again, everything was white — walls, ceiling, floor, even the lights. For a moment he thought he had died, until the ache in his muscles reminded him that pain only belonged to the living.He was strapped to a medical chair, steel cuffs locking his wrists and ankles. A faint beeping came from a monitor nearby, tracking his pulse. The air smelled sterile, too clean. Somewhere close, machinery hummed softly, like the breathing of something mechanical and patient.The door slid open.Harrison West entered, immaculate as ever, a glass of water in his hand. “You don’t die easily, do you?”John’s voice came out rough. “You’ve been trying for years. Maybe it’s time you accept failure.”Harrison smiled faintly and set the glass on a tray. “If I wanted you dead, John, you’d be dust by now. I need you alive.”“For what?”“The key,” Harrison said. “The Raymond Legacy Account — the encrypted archive your father built before he died. It’s locked with your biometrics and a
Chapter 22: The Return of the Revenant
The explosion tore through the Zurich industrial district just before dawn. Flames climbed into the sky, devouring steel and smoke. By the time emergency crews reached the scene, the wreckage of a black SUV burned at the heart of the chaos.Authorities confirmed what Harrison wanted the world to believe — John Raymond was dead.News outlets ran with it instantly. Heir of The Imperial Crest Dies in Sovereign Pursuit. Images of the mangled car dominated global feeds. Commentators debated his guilt, his legacy, his failure. The world mourned him for a day. Harrison toasted him for an hour.Only Rita refused to believe it.At The Imperial Crest, the atmosphere was split between panic and fury. The tribunal’s investigation deepened. Half of the board had resigned, and the rest clung to what was left of their pride.Rita stood in John’s office — now her temporary command centre. The blinds were drawn, the air heavy with fatigue. Screens around her flickered with news of the explosion. Dalto
Chapter 23: Judgment and Fire
The tribunal hall erupted into chaos. Reporters shouted questions over the deafening buzz of cameras. Screens across the globe replayed the leak again and again — files, signatures, bank transfers, names of the dead. The sovereign’s empire had been stripped bare before the world.Harrison West stood frozen behind the podium, the light from the monitors painting his face pale. For the first time, his perfect composure fractured. His hands trembled.“This is fabrication,” he shouted above the uproar. “Raymond manipulated private data! None of this is verified!”The tribunal chair slammed his gavel. “Order! Mr West, you will remain silent until the evidence is reviewed.”Harrison’s eyes burned with fury as he pointed toward John. “You think you can return from the dead and play martyr? You stole from your father, you destroyed The Crest long before I ever touched it!”John stood firm at the centre of the hall, his voice calm amid the chaos. “You can scream as loud as you want, Harrison.
Chapter 24: Ashes and Ascension
The Zurich skyline was still bleeding smoke when dawn broke. The Sovereign Tower, once a symbol of untouchable wealth and power, now stood in ruin — a blackened skeleton against the rising sun. Fire trucks lined the streets, sirens muted beneath the soft hum of exhaustion. The air smelled of ash and iron, of endings and beginnings.Rita pushed past the barricades, ignoring the shouts of officers and the sting of soot in her lungs. She had been there all night, refusing to leave. Her face was streaked with sweat and smoke, her eyes hollow from the weight of fear and determination.“Ma’am, it’s not safe in there,” one of the fire chiefs said, stepping in her path.“Then pull me out when I find him,” she snapped.Before he could respond, she moved past him, helmet on, flashlight cutting through the haze. The stairwell was half collapsed, the walls blistered with heat. Every step she took echoed against metal and ruin. She called his name more than once, her voice breaking each time.“John
Chapter 25: The Echo of Shadows
It had been six months since the fire. Zurich had long buried its ghosts beneath polished steel and new glass, but The Imperial Crest still carried its scars. Every corridor John walked reminded him of what it had cost to build this peace — and how fragile it was.From the top floor of the newly restored tower, he watched the city stir awake beneath him. The skyline gleamed, yet something about the calm unsettled him. Too quiet. Too stable.He turned as Rita entered, tablet in hand. Her hair was pulled back, her movements brisk and precise. “The quarterly reports are in,” she said. “Revenue’s up fourteen percent. Global partnerships are expanding. The board’s finally cooperating.”John gave a short nod. “That should make me feel better.”“It doesn’t?”He looked back at the skyline. “When things are too good, something’s already breaking somewhere else.”Rita sighed softly. “You sound like a man who doesn’t trust peace.”“I don’t,” he said.She smiled faintly. “Then you’re going to lov
Chapter 26: Veins of Smoke
The newsroom lights burned through the night, and every headline told the same lie — The Imperial Crest under investigation. John’s name was plastered across every network screen, his picture framed between suspicion and scandal.Rita stood before the main screen in her office, arms folded tightly, jaw set. The storm had moved faster than expected. Overnight, their stock had dropped by eight percent; investors demanded explanations, and the board’s confidence wavered like a flame in the wind.Dalton knocked once before stepping in. “It’s worse than we thought. Half the suppliers have paused contracts until the probe clears.”“There is no probe,” Rita said, voice sharp.“They don’t care,” he replied. “Perception is reality.”She closed her eyes briefly. “Where’s John?”“In the boardroom,” Dalton said. “Trying to stop a mutiny.”Rita grabbed her tablet and followed him out.Inside the boardroom, the air was heavy with tension. Twelve men and women sat around the long oak table, their vo
Chapter 27: The Whisper in the Glass
The morning broke heavy over The Imperial Crest. The city gleamed beneath the sunlight, but inside the tower, unease clung to the walls like fog.Rita hadn’t slept. She sat in her office, eyes red from hours of staring at the same paused security feed — Dalton, her colleague, her friend, sending files to their enemies.The truth gnawed at her. Dalton had been with John since the beginning, loyal even during Sovereign’s darkest days. If he was compromised, then everything they’d rebuilt was already crumbling from within.Her phone buzzed, dragging her out of the spiral. It was Morgan Jud.“You awake?” he asked when she answered.“I haven’t closed my eyes.”“Good,” he said. “You were right about internal leaks. I ran a full audit. There are three active breach nodes in The Crest’s internal system. One matches Dalton’s terminal. The others are ghost lines — hidden relays rerouting through the finance department and the legal office.”Rita’s blood ran cold. “Meaning?”“Meaning Dalton isn’
Chapter 28: The Face Beneath the Mirror
The night sky over the city was a sheet of black glass, reflecting lights from towers that never slept. Inside The Imperial Crest, silence had replaced the usual hum of activity. It was the calm before something broke.John sat behind his desk, the anonymous email still glowing on his monitor. The image of Ms. Patel with Michael Adison had looped through his mind all night. If it were real, it meant treason. If it was planted, it meant manipulation. Either way, someone was tightening a noose around his neck.He leaned back, exhaustion lining his face. He had learned long ago that empires didn’t collapse because of enemies — they collapsed because of friends.Rita knocked softly and entered without waiting for permission. Her presence, even in silence, grounded him.“You’re still here,” she said.He gave a faint smile. “Apparently, insomnia is part of the job description.”She walked closer, noticing the dark circles beneath his eyes. “You look like you’ve been fighting ghosts.”He gla
Chapter 29: The Fall of the Crest
The morning sun barely broke through the haze hanging over the city. The Imperial Crest towered against the light, cold and magnificent, a monument to power built on secrets. Inside, the boardroom had been prepared for the most important meeting since the company’s rebirth.Every member of the executive board was present. Cameras had been disabled. The doors sealed. Security guards stood outside the corridor like silent statues.John Raymond entered the room without his usual calm. His steps were measured, but there was a quiet edge to his movements — the kind that came from a man who sensed danger but refused to back down.“Good morning,” he said simply, taking his place at the head of the long table.The murmurs quieted. The atmosphere was thick with tension. Rita sat near the corner, hands clasped tightly in her lap. Across from her, Ms. Patel avoided eye contact. Dalton sat two seats away from John, expression unreadable.Linton broke the silence first. “We all know why we’re here
Chapter 30: Ashes and Kings
The morning after the explosion, the Imperial Crest stood like a wounded titan. Smoke still curled from the upper floors, and police lights painted the streets below in red and blue. News helicopters circled overhead, capturing the chaos.Inside the tower, the boardroom was sealed under government order. Investigators moved through the corridors, scanning every room, every console, every trace of last night’s events.John watched from the top floor, hands buried in his pockets. His reflection in the glass looked older — harder. The company had survived the attack, but something inside him had not.Behind him, the door opened quietly. Rita entered, her steps hesitant. Her face was pale, sleepless, haunted.“They’re saying Dalton triggered the explosion,” she said softly.John didn’t turn. “They’re wrong.”She hesitated. “But the logs…”“The logs were rewritten,” he said sharply. “The Benefactor wanted a scapegoat. Now he has one.”Rita lowered her eyes. “I shot him.”John finally turne