All Chapters of The Conglomerate Heir Awakens: Chapter 1
- Chapter 9
9 chapters
1
Ethan couldn’t remember the last time he left the office before sunset.The sky outside was still bright, a soft orange glow washing over the city. For once, he wasn’t stuck behind a stack of paperwork or dealing with another string of pointless meetings. The manager had dismissed everyone early—some electrical maintenance on the upper floors. Ethan didn’t question it; he just grabbed his jacket and practically jogged toward the elevator.His mind drifted to Clara and their little girl, Mia.Maybe they were still at the park. Maybe he’d walk in and find Mia building another pillow fort in the living room. Maybe Clara would smile—really smile—like she used to.He stopped by a bakery on the way home, picking up Clara’s favorite pastries and a small toy giraffe for Mia. He didn’t plan it; the thought just made him feel warm. It had been a rough few months, and surprising them felt… right.The taxi dropped him off in front of the house. Everything looked the same: the trimmed hedges, the
Last Updated : 2025-11-24
2
Ethan was dragged down the stairs, his feet scraping against the hardwood. Every breath felt like knives, every step a reminder that his life was falling apart in seconds. “Clara!” he gasped mid-struggle. “Where’s Mia? Let me see my daughter! Clara, please!” Clara followed them down the stairs slowly, arms crossed, expression unreadable. “She’s safe with my mother,” she said flatly. “You won’t be confusing her anymore.” Confusing her? She said it like he was already gone. Outside, the night was pitch-dark. Wind slapped against Ethan’s face as the men shoved him into an SUV. Granger climbed into the passenger seat without looking back. Clara stood by the front door for a moment. Ethan prayed — foolishly, desperately — that she’d run to him, say it was a mistake, tell the men to stop. Instead she walked briskly to the car. “I’m coming,” she said. Granger raised an eyebrow. “You don’t need to be there.” “I want to be there,” she replied. “I need to see it for myself.” Ethan f
Last Updated : 2025-11-24
3
Ethan surfaced with a gasp, the cold night air scorching his lungs. Waves tossed him violently, but he stayed afloat as if instinct guided every movement.Somewhere in the darkness, the thrum of engines grew louder.Lights cut across the water.A black rescue vessel surged toward him, sleek and unnervingly quiet. Armed figures stood on its deck — helmets, armored suits, no visible insignia.Not police.Not coast guard.Something else.A metallic voice rang from the loudspeaker:“Subject located. Prepare for extraction.”Ethan tried to swim away, but the waves betrayed him, pushing him back toward the boat. Two divers plunged into the water, reaching him in seconds.“Stay calm,” one said, grabbing his arm firmly. “You’re safe.”Safe?Nothing felt safe.He tried to pull away, but the diver’s grip tightened with trained precision.“You’re the heir,” the other said quietly. “We’ve been looking for you for a very long time.”Ethan barely had time to protest before they hoisted him up onto
Last Updated : 2025-11-24
4
Rain drizzled over the small cemetery, soft enough to feel staged—fitting, considering the entire scene was staged. A sleek black hearse rolled to a stop. Vale agents, dressed as solemn funeral workers, lifted an empty coffin and carried it toward the open grave. Everything was coordinated: the flowers, the mourners, even the priest reciting practiced words. Clara stood at the front, gripping a tissue as if it were her lifeline. Her mascara ran down her cheeks in perfect streaks—though no one knew whether it was grief or the rain. “Ethan was… a good man,” she choked out, loud enough for those around her to hear. In truth, she kept glancing around nervously, paranoid someone would call her out. But the mourners—half coworkers, half strangers planted by the Vale unit—watched her with sympathy. A perfect performance. Grand Steward Rowan stood not far away, disguised among the guests, his expression unreadable. He watched Clara tremble through her speech. He watched Granger prete
Last Updated : 2025-11-24
5
The elevator doors slid open onto the top floor of Vale Tower, revealing a room lined with glass walls and men and women who controlled more wealth than entire nations. Ethan entered with the quiet confidence Rowan had drilled into him. The board members rose—some genuinely respectful, others putting on a performance. “Welcome home, Master Vale,” an older woman said, offering a firm handshake. Another man followed, smiling too widely, the kind of smile that meant: I’m calculating what you’re worth. Ethan nodded politely, letting them each take his measure. Rowan stood at his side, expression stern. “This is the heir of the Vale family,” he announced. “He will be taking an active role moving forward.” Several board members nodded approval. Others shared quick glances. Ethan caught them instantly. The ones who feared losing their influence. The ones who had profited from his family’s downfall. The ones who already imagined replacing him. A man with silver hair finally spoke.
Last Updated : 2025-11-24
6
Ethan stood in BravoTech’s main conference room with a stack of folders in front of him. The managers he hadn’t fired yet sat stiffly around the table, all pretending not to sweat. He opened the first file. “Mr. Alvarez,” Ethan said calmly, “you signed off on six equipment purchases that never arrived.” Alvarez swallowed. “That must’ve been a supplier mistake—” “No,” Ethan cut in. “You approved delivery dates on days the supplier was closed. Pack your things. HR will process your termination.” Security stepped forward. Ethan opened the next folder. “Ms. Talbot. You’ve been reporting fake machinery breakdowns to funnel repair fees to your cousin’s company.” Talbot’s face went pale. “You don’t understand—this was happening before I arrived, I just—” Ethan shut the folder. “You continued it. Leave your ID on the table.” One by one, he went through the list. Every saboteur, every leech, every person bleeding the company dry. Some begged. Some threatened. One ma
Last Updated : 2025-11-25
7
Clara hadn’t slept in days.Her hair was unwashed, her hands shaking as she scrolled through her failing bank accounts. Her phone buzzed nonstop—creditors, lawyers, “friends” suddenly too busy to speak to her.Ever since Granger’s public downfall, Clara’s life had rotted from the edges inward.The company fired her.Her social circle avoided her.Her apartment management threatened eviction.Her mother refused to lend her money.She slammed her phone down. “This—this isn’t fair! I didn’t do anything wrong!”But she had.And she knew it.Every night, she dreamed of Ethan falling from that cliff—his voice echoing her name like a curse.Tonight was worse.She dreamed he climbed out of the water, drenched and calm, staring at her with those hollow eyes.She woke up screaming.Sweat drenched her sheets. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.She stumbled to the mirror.Her reflection looked like a stranger—bloodshot eyes, smeared mascara, trembling lips. “This isn’t happening,” she whispered.
Last Updated : 2025-11-25
8
The Bravotech company had once been a promising co-company under the Vale conglomerate—until years of internal rot hollowed it out. Now it was drowning in debt, lawsuits, theft, and lazy management. Perfect for Ethan to rebuild. It was just last three weeks that he walked in with an unmistakable confidence. Thieves and saboteurs were fired. He installed competent and qualified department heads. Froze suspicious accounts. Dragged corrupt managers into meetings they never walked out of with the same arrogance. Word spread fast: The new boss doesn’t tolerate nonsense. He doesn’t negotiate. He turned a rotten company into a new one. In just three weeks, the profit numbers had risen by 80%, something that hadn’t been achieved for the past three years. Expenses stabilized. Revenue projections climbed. Old partners who had abandoned the company suddenly begged for contracts again. Board members who doubted Ethan found themselves speechless in meetings, staring at the rise in profit gr
Last Updated : 2025-11-25
9
Clara looked like someone who had aged a decade in a handful of days.Her eyes were red and swollen, her cheekbones sharper than before, and her hair—usually perfect—hung limp against her face. The apartment was a mess of papers, cold coffee cups, and half-shredded documents she’d tried and failed to destroy.Sleep hadn’t touched her in nearly seventy hours. Every time she closed her eyes, the world crashed in again.The news.The police.Her family withdrawing support.Her daughter, whom she hadn’t been allowed to see since the investigation started.And Granger—Granger of all people—lying handcuffed in a holding cell as the city tore him apart.Clara stood in the middle of her living room with her phone clutched so tight it shook. She couldn’t stop pacing. Her breath came in short bursts, as if the walls themselves were closing in.Her company stock had plummeted. If only she hadn’t joined companies with Granger, she wouldn’t have been caught up in the mess she found herself. Her o
Last Updated : 2025-11-25