2025-12-24 20:14:00Lizzy Gold led Kendrick through corridors that felt unreal.
The floors were polished obsidian, reflecting chandeliers that looked like frozen lightning. Walls were lined with rare art pieces—some ancient, some futuristic—each radiating quiet dominance. Every person they passed stopped immediately, stepped aside, and bowed deeply. No questions. No hesitation.
Kendrick walked stiffly behind Lizzy, his heart pounding harder with every step.
This didn’t feel like a company.
It felt like a kingdom.
At the end of the hall stood a pair of massive black doors, trimmed with gold. Two guards opened them instantly without being told.
Inside was a vast office that overlooked the entire city. Floor-to-ceiling glass revealed a skyline that bent beneath the tower’s shadow. At the center stood a man in a tailored suit, tall, broad-shouldered, his presence suffocating yet reverent.
The moment the man saw Kendrick—
He bowed.
Not casually.
Not slightly.
He went down on one knee.
“Welcome home,” the man said solemnly. “My master.”
Kendrick froze.
His breath caught painfully in his throat.
“What…?” he whispered. “Sir, please—stand up. I don’t understand.”
The man rose quickly, eyes shining with something dangerously close to devotion.
“My name is Adrian Drax,” he said. “Acting CEO of the Hale Empire. And I have waited my entire life for this moment.”
Kendrick swallowed hard. “You… welcomed me home. What does that mean?”
Adrian took a step closer, his voice lowering with reverence.
“It means,” he said slowly, “that you are Kendrick Hale. Grandson of the late Graham Hale.”
Kendrick blinked.
“Graham Hale?” he echoed.
Adrian nodded.
“The most powerful man to ever grace this earth,” he said. “Net worth exceeding five trillion dollars. A man whose decisions reshaped continents. Whose name made presidents bow and markets collapse.”
Kendrick felt dizzy.
“That’s impossible,” he said hoarsely. “I—I’ve never even heard of him.”
Adrian smiled sadly.
“Of course you haven’t. That was intentional.”
He turned and gestured toward the window.
“Mr. Graham Hale passed away a month ago,” Adrian continued. “But before his death, he made me swear an oath. That I would find his lost heir and hand over everything to him.”
Kendrick’s head throbbed.
“You… were looking for me?” he asked.
“For years,” Adrian replied. “But officially, since his passing, I have been holding the empire in trust while searching for you.”
Kendrick clenched his fists. “But how am I related to the Hales?”
Adrian’s expression softened.
“It was your father,” he said. “He was the rightful heir. Graham Hale’s only son.”
Kendrick’s breath hitched.
“Your father died in a helicopter crash,” Adrian continued, voice steady but heavy. “He died when you were only six months conceived.”
The words felt like a hammer to Kendrick’s chest.
“And your mother…” Adrian paused. “She disappeared shortly after. We searched endlessly, but she vanished completely. By the time we traced anything, you were already lost to the system.”
Kendrick staggered back a step.
“No…” he whispered. “That can’t be real.”
He shook his head violently.
“I grew up in an orphanage,” he said. “I never knew my parents. No one ever told me anything. This—this sounds like a movie.”
Lizzy Gold chuckled softly.
Adrian laughed too, though respectfully.
“If this were a prank,” Adrian said, “do you think we would dare pull it on you?”
Kendrick looked between them, panic and disbelief warring inside him.
“You’re serious?” he asked. “Both of you?”
Lizzy bowed slightly. “Whether you recognize it or not, sir, you are our master.”
Adrian nodded. “If you still think this is a joke, then give us an instruction.”
Kendrick frowned. “An instruction?”
“Anything,” Adrian said calmly. “Absolutely anything. And watch it be carried out.”
Kendrick hesitated.
“Anything…?” he repeated.
Adrian stood straight. “If you tell us to jump like frogs until you’re satisfied, we will do it without question.”
Kendrick let out a nervous laugh.
Was he really this powerful… and never knew it?
His gaze hardened slightly.
“Alright,” he said. “Let me test it.”
Adrian’s eyes sharpened. “Please.”
Kendrick inhaled slowly.
“There’s a schoolmate of mine,” he said. “His name is Clinton. He bullies me. Ridicules me publicly.”
Adrian’s expression darkened instantly.
“He humiliated me last night,” Kendrick continued. “Publicly. And he connived with his best friend, Bryan, to steal my girlfriend.”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Adrian’s fists clenched.
“Who is this man?” Adrian demanded. “And what family does he belong to? I will bankrupt them immediately.”
Kendrick burst out laughing.
The sound surprised even himself.
“No,” he said quickly. “Not yet.”
Adrian paused. “Then what do you want?”
“I just want to prove what you said about my authority,” Kendrick replied. “Nothing more.”
Adrian nodded slowly. “Proceed.”
Kendrick exhaled. “I overheard Clinton and his father earlier. They said they came here to meet a man named Desmond.”
Adrian’s brow furrowed. “Desmond?”
“A senior executive,” Kendrick said. “Apparently he’s supposed to help them secure a contract that would make them billionaires.”
Lizzy’s eyes flashed with anger.
“They are at Hale headquarters?” she asked sharply.
“Yes,” Kendrick said. “They’re the ones who damaged my bike and ordered security to beat me up.”
Lizzy’s jaw tightened dangerously.
“Should I summon them immediately?” she asked. “And flog them until they faint?”
Kendrick’s eyes widened.
“That—that’s too far,” he said quickly.
Adrian studied him carefully.
“Then what do you want done to them?” he asked.
Kendrick thought for a moment.
“I want them thrown out of the building,” he said. “In shame. Publicly.”
Adrian nodded. “And then?”
“It should be recorded,” Kendrick added. “And the video should be sent to me. Only me.”
Adrian stared at him for a long second.
Then he smiled faintly.
“You are being merciful,” Adrian said. “Your grandfather would have had their heads.”
Kendrick shrugged. “I’m just testing the waters.”
Adrian turned sharply.
“Lizzy,” he ordered. “Carry it out. Immediately.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied and exited without another word.
Silence returned.
Adrian gestured to the table.
“Please,” he said. “Let us complete the formalities.”
He laid out several documents.
Kendrick sat slowly, still feeling like this wasn’t real.
He began reading.
And froze.
The Hale Empire’s valuation stared back at him.
$5,000,000,000,000+
Five trillion dollars.
Owner of the top one hundred companies in the world.
Some names he recognized instantly. Others made his head spin.
He signed.
More documents followed.
Properties across continents.
Artifacts older than nations.
Cars that had never been made public.
Mansions worth more than Clinton’s and Bryan’s families combined.
Private jets.
Yachts.
Helicopters.
Everything.
Then came a list of subordinates.
Kendrick’s breath caught.
“These names…” he said slowly. “These are—”
“Yes,” Adrian replied calmly. “The most powerful men in the country.”
Kendrick’s eyes widened.
“The president?” he asked. “Is… is he really my subordinate?”
Adrian nodded.
“If you call him right now,” Adrian said, “he will abandon everything he is doing and rush here immediately.”
Kendrick leaned back, stunned.
He was really this powerful.
Adrian slid a premium card across the table.
“This card gives you access to twenty billion dollars,” he said. “For personal spending.”
Kendrick stared at it.
The errand boy was gone.
In his place stood the richest and most powerful man on earth.
The door opened.
Lizzy Gold returned.
She handed Kendrick a tablet.
“Sir,” she said calmly, “the task is complete.”
He pressed play.
The video showed Clinton and his father screaming, begging, being dragged out of the building as employees watched and laughed.
Kendrick burst out laughing.
Uncontrollably.
For the first time in his life—
He was the one dealing.
Not the one being dealt with.
He held the power.
The gold.
The rule.
And as the laughter faded, a dark thought settled comfortably in his chest.
He could topple anyone.
Bankrupt anyone.
Crush anyone.
All he needed…
Were more scapegoats.
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Latest Chapter
chapter 94
There were missed safety checks, rushed audits, quiet complaints buried in files and Kendrick watched everything. From afar, he studied reports, spoke quietly with former employees, and listened more than he talked. He sat in small rooms, away from cameras, reading financial statements line by line. He noted which contracts Bernard rewrote. Which safeguards vanished. Which names appeared again and again in places they shouldn’t.Zara found him one evening, surrounded by papers. “You could stop this,” she said softly. “One word from you and the board would hesitate.”“That’s exactly why I won’t,” Kendrick replied.She frowned. “You’re letting him destroy what you built.”“No,” he said calmly. “I’m letting him show everyone how he really runs it. He's going to destroy it himself. I don't have to do anything”While Bernard ruled unchecked, Kendrick learned. He learned who stayed silent out of fear and who stayed loyal out of belief. He learned which investors asked questions and which on
chapter 93
The second family lived across town. A cramped apartment above a shop that smelled of oil and dust. A teenage boy answered the door this time, eyes red, jaw clenched.“My father died because of you,” the boy said flatly.Kendrick nodded. “I know and I'm here with folded hands just to apologize.”The boy’s fists curled. For a second, Kendrick thought he might be hit. He didn’t step back.“You don’t know anything,” the boy said. “You get to walk around. My dad doesn’t.”“I know,” Kendrick said again. And this time, his voice cracked.The boy’s anger wavered, confused by the lack of defense, the lack of excuses. He called his mother. She came out wiping her hands on her clothes, her face tired in a way that had nothing to do with sleep.They didn’t invite him in. They didn’t offer a chair.They talked, mostly, they accused him of killing a lot of innocent people and that because of him, they won't get back their happy family. Kendrick listened. He didn’t interrupt when the woman cried o
chapter 92
Kendrick sat in the corner of Adrian's house, staring out the tall windows at the city below. The sun was bright, but he didn’t notice. He didn’t answer calls, didn’t return messages, and certainly didn’t give interviews. Not a word to the press. Not a hint of defense.The world assumed he was defeated. The tabloids ran stories about a broken empire, a fallen man. Stock prices wavered. Investors whispered.Bernard Hale, in his penthouse high above the river, leaned back in his leather chair, a smirk spreading across his face.“Look at him,” Bernard said, swirling his brandy. “Since he came back, he's been silent, and broken. Prison really did its work.”Cherry, standing nearby, smiled happily, “then let's celebrate?”Bernard shrugged. “He’s done nothing. That’s what makes it delicious. He doesn’t fight. He doesn’t explain. The more he stays quiet, the more people think he’s powerless just as I've made him become.”Meanwhile, Kendrick moved through Adrian's estate with slow, measured
chapter 91
Bernard heard about the accident before the evening news did. The call came while he was in his study, the room lit only by a desk lamp and the blue glow of a city that never quite slept. He was reviewing documents, routine, harmless-looking papers that meant very dangerous things when his secure phone vibrated once.He answered without greeting.“Yes.”A pause. Then, carefully choose words.“There was an incident,” the voice said. “But the target survived.”Bernard leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin. He did not look angry. He did not even look disappointed.“Survived,” he repeated. “Define survived.”“Hospitalized. Injuries, but not fatal.”Bernard exhaled slowly through his nose, almost amused.“So,” he said, “he made it out of prison… and straight into a hospital bed.”“Yes.”Another pause, then Bernard smiled.“That will do,” he said. “For now.”The call ended. Bernard stood and walked toward the wide glass windows overlooking the city. Somewhere out ther
chapter 90
He refused to let this place take anything more from him, not even dignity.The gate buzzed. Metal scraped against metal. Then, for the first time in half a year, the doors opened outward instead of closing behind him.He stepped outside. The sunlight hit him so suddenly he stopped walking. It wasn’t just bright, it was alive, warm, and he loved the feel of it on his face. He squinted, lifting his hand as if touching the light might make it vanish. For a moment, he simply stood there, breathing, letting the sun rest on his face like a quiet Apology.“I forgot,” he murmured to himself. “This is what it feels like.”The sun in prison had always been filtered through bars, through wire, through schedules and permission. This was different. This sun belonged to no one.“Kendrick.” He turned.Zara stood a few steps away, leaning against a dark sedan. Her hair was pulled back, her face thinner than he remembered, but her eyes, those hadn’t changed. They softened the moment they met him.F
chapter 89
Prison learned Kendrick’s name quickly. Not from the guards but from the bruises he usually gets. The fourth month was worse than the first.It began in the laundry room. The machines roared, drowning out sound. Steam fogged the air. Kendrick was folding a stack of uniforms when a shadow fell across him.“You walk like you still own everything right? You think you're still in your mansion, don't you?,” a man said.Kendrick didn’t look up. “I don’t own anything here. I'm just here to just serve my time”The man laughed, mimicking Kendrick. “That’s what they all say.”Hands shoved Kendrick forward. His face slammed into a metal table. Pain exploded across his nose. Someone twisted his arm behind his back.“Say it,” another voice hissed. “Say you deserved it.”Kendrick’s breath came sharp. Blood dripped onto the floor.“I didn’t kill anyone,” he said.The grip tightened, bones creaked. Then the door burst open. Guards stormed in. Batons cracked the air. The attackers scattered like rats.
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