BETRAYED ONCE: FROM NOTHING TO BILLIONIARE POWER

Chapter 20: First Step

Marcus stood up. “Someone in your father's organization tried to kill you.”

Harrison's sigh. “I swear to you I didn't know I would have done something if I did.”

“I believe you,” Ryan's voice came out low. “But someone did, and I'm going to find out who and then make sure they regret it.”

The two figures nodded their heads in response.

“Where do we start?” he asked.

Marcus's gaze shifted to Harrison. “With him.”

Harrison's eyes went wide. “Me?! You think I—”

“I don't think anything." Marcus narrowed his gaze at him. “But you are the one who is familiar with the company and his father, so there is that.”

Harrison stood up. “I've been loyal to Thomas Wright for thirty years! I would never ever do something like that!”

“Then prove it,” Marcus said, directing his gaze to Ryan. “I know you want to trust him, but to clear up this mess, you need a reason.”

The room went quiet, with everyone bundled in thoughts.

Harrison looked at Ryan and at the coldness that was creeping into his eyes. Ryan didn't hide the hint of doubt that threatened to slip in, but the thought of Harrison helping him from the beginning erased it. 

“Tell me what to do,” Harrison said quietly. "Anything I'll do to make this right.”

Ryan walked to the window, looking out at the driveway and at the world that had tried to kill him and failed.

“I will be arriving at my father's company soon; I need information,” he said. “I need something that would help me locate the mole before they find me.”

“I will,” Harrison replied immediately.

With a nod Ryan stepped out of the mansion. The sun was setting. “One more thing,” he called out. “Hire new staff,” he added.

Harrison without hesitation nodded his head. After his father's death Nikolai fired the previous staff and hired a new one, none of which Ryan could trust.

Ryan did not look back as he stepped out of the iron gates. The guards who noticed his presence stood straighter than usual, their eyes following him with a mix of curiosity and restrained respect. 

“News traveled fast,” Ryan muttered to himself. The forgotten son had returned, and just like that, everything had changed.

But not for him; seventy years without a single word still has its toll. 

The gravel crunched beneath his shoes as he walked toward the waiting car.

Ryan opened the door before Marcus could. He slid into the leather seat, shutting and sealing off the mansion and everything it represented behind tinted glass.

“Where to?” Marcus asked.

Ryan leaned back, his gaze fixed ahead. “Take me back to Selena.”

Marvis nodded without a word.

The engine hummed to life, and the car pulled away from the estate.

Ryan didn’t turn around; rather, he watched as the city gradually swallowed the quiet luxury of the outskirts. In a matter of minutes, buildings rose, traffic thickened, and the distant hum of life grew louder. 

Ryan remained silent throughout the drive, his thoughts unreadable. Outside the windshield was filled with mundane activities, none of which caught his attention until his eyes settled on a crowd.

They gathered by the roadside, and at first, he ignored them since it was common in this part of the city: either accidents or street performances.

Ryan squints his eyes to see a boy, crying on the ground.

Just like that, the rest of the scene faded into the background as his focus locked onto the child. The boy looked no older than ten, curled slightly inward as if trying to make himself smaller. His hands were raised weakly in defense against a man standing over him with a cane in his grip.

The man’s face twisted with anger, and his lips widened as he shouted, “How dare you steal from me?!”

The cane sliced through the air, coming down hard.

Ryan frowned, and something cold flickered behind his eyes.

The cane came down again, faster this time, making his frown harden.

“Stop the car,” he instructed, and as if Marcus could read his thoughts, he swayed toward the street where the crowd had gathered.

The crowd parted as the Mercedes came to a controlled stop. Its presence alone was enough to draw their attention.

Ryan didn’t wait; he opened the door and stepped out. The noise of the crowd became clearer with murmurs, whispers, and an uneasy shuffle of people who watched but did nothing.

“You brat!” the man spat, then raised the cane again, but this time it never landed.