The black Rolls-Royce glided through the morning traffic, its sleek body shining under the early sunlight. Surrounded by the city’s rush, it moved with quiet elegance and authority toward Ashford Global Headquarters, where power and ambition awaited.From the back seat, Ethan stared through the tinted window at the forty-two-story tower rising above Nova City’s financial district.Today would be his first time stepping inside the company his father had built.Samuel Grant sat opposite him, reading a thin leather folder.Without looking up, he spoke.“Are you nervous?”Ethan smiled faintly.“I’d be lying if I said no.”Samuel closed the folder.“Good.”Ethan looked surprised.“You expected a different answer?”Samuel shook his head.“Overconfidence destroys more leaders than fear ever does.”“A man who knows the weight of responsibility thinks carefully before acting.”The Rolls-Royce slowed as it approached the headquarters.News cameras crowded the entrance.Reporters stood behind se

The boardroom remained frozen.The words on the black screens had disappeared, but the shock they left behind lingered.WELCOME BACK, ETHAN ASHFORD.THE GAME HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN.The monitors slowly returned to normal.No one spoke.Victor Kane was the first to regain his composure.“Disconnect every system from the network,” he ordered sharply.Olivia Carter was already on the phone with the cybersecurity department.“Seal the servers immediately. No data leaves this building.”Within seconds, the boardroom became a hive of activity.Only Ethan remained seated.His eyes stayed fixed on the screen where the message had appeared.Whoever was behind this wasn’t just attacking Ashford Global.They were sending him a personal invitation.Samuel stepped beside him.“What are you thinking?”Ethan answered quietly.“The hacker could have stolen money.”“They could have deleted files.”“They did neither.”Samuel nodded.“They wanted attention.”“No,” Ethan corrected.“They wanted a reaction.”

The convoy of black SUVs raced through the streets of Nova City.Blue and red lights from the security escort reflected off the rain slick roads as they sped toward the eastern docks.Inside the lead vehicle, Ethan sat beside Samuel Grant.Neither man spoke.Ethan’s thoughts were fixed on one thing.Ava Bennett.She had risked everything to expose corruption inside Ashford Global.Now she had disappeared because of it.Samuel finally broke the silence.“Young Master…”“If this turns into a firefight…”“You stay behind the security team.”Ethan shook his head.“I won’t be reckless.”“But I won’t hide either.”Samuel studied him for a moment.Then nodded.“Fair enough.”Fifteen minutes later…The convoy came to a stop outside an abandoned warehouse overlooking the harbor.The building stood in darkness.Rusted shipping containers surrounded the entrance.A cold wind swept in from the sea.The head of security, Captain Mason Reed, approached.A former special operations officer, Mason ha

Ethan stared at the message on his phone.Ask Samuel Grant what happened the night your father died.For several minutes, he didn’t move.The room was silent except for the sound of rain hitting the window.Samuel Grant had been the one person Ethan never questioned.When the world turned its back on him, Samuel was the person who came looking.He gave him answers.He gave him a family name.He gave him a purpose.But now someone was telling him that Samuel was hiding something.Ethan knew one thing.A true leader did not ignore uncomfortable truths.Even when they involved the people closest to him.The next morning, Ethan found Samuel in the Ashford library.The old man stood beside a shelf filled with decades of family history.“You wanted to see me?”Samuel turned.He immediately noticed something was different.“What happened?”Ethan placed his phone on the table.The message was displayed on the screen.Samuel read it.His expression changed.Only for a moment.But Ethan noticed

The name on the screen remained visible.Nobody in the room spoke.The security report had revealed the impossible.Someone inside Ashford Manor had helped the attackers enter.Someone who knew the estate.Someone who knew the security system.Someone who had earned the trust of the Ashford family.Ethan stared at the file in Gabriel’s hands.“Who is it?”Gabriel hesitated.That hesitation made the room even colder.“His name is Thomas Reed.”Samuel’s expression changed immediately.“Thomas?”Gabriel nodded.“Head of internal security records. He has worked for the Ashford family for seventeen years.”Ethan looked toward Samuel.“Do you trust him?”Samuel was silent for a moment.Then he answered carefully.“I did.”The answer was enough.Ethan understood.The most dangerous betrayals were not committed by strangers.They were committed by people who had already earned your trust.“Where is he now?” Ethan asked.Gabriel checked the report.“He disappeared shortly after the attack.”“A