Rebirth of the Forsaken Heir

Chapter Four: The woman From The past

The office was quiet—unnaturally so.

Ethan stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of his new workspace in the Atlas Venture building. Below him, the city pulsed like a living organism: noisy, relentless, full of ambition. But up here, it was calm.

Too calm.

He had won. The million-dollar investment from Arnold Grayson had made him a partner. Overnight, Ethan Blake was no longer a mystery investor—he was a rising titan.

But power came with eyes.

And eyes meant danger.

Jayden’s Message

A ping lit up his phone. Jayden had just texted.

Jayden: "We’ve got a breach. Zara says someone tried to trace the AI’s source code. She locked it down, but someone’s fishing for data."

Ethan’s jaw clenched.

It hadn’t even been 24 hours.

Ethan: "Did they get anything?"

Jayden: "No. But they know what we’re building now."

Ethan: "Trace the IP. Quietly. Report only to me."

He tossed the phone onto the desk and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He’d barely started and already someone wanted him shut down.

Was it Marcus? The Board? Or someone worse?

A Surprise Visitor

A knock came on the glass door.

Victoria Grayson leaned in. “You have a visitor. She’s... unexpected.”

“Who is it?”

“She says her name is Cassandra.”

Ethan froze.

His world tilted for a brief second.

Cassandra.

His sister.

The one person he had sworn never to face again.

The girl who had watched in silence when their father signed Ethan’s fate with blood and betrayal.

He straightened. “Send her in.”

Face to Face

Cassandra Blake walked in like she owned the floor.

Tall, elegant, and immaculately dressed, she looked every inch the heiress of Blake Corporation.

Her dark hair was coiled in a low bun, her crimson lipstick a deliberate weapon.

“Hello, brother,” she said smoothly.

Ethan said nothing.

Her voice hadn’t changed. Neither had the smug calculation in her eyes.

“You’ve come far,” she said, glancing around the office. “From drowning in that river to sitting in one of Atlas’s most powerful chairs. Quite the resurrection.”

“I don’t recall inviting you into my life.”

“You didn’t. But Marcus is… concerned.”

“So, you’re his messenger now?”

“I’m here of my own volition. I needed to see if the rumors were true. The ghost boy has returned.”

Ethan’s voice turned cold. “I’m not a ghost. I’m the reckoning.”

Cassandra smirked. “You always were dramatic. But let’s be clear—this little empire of yours? It won’t last. Marcus will find out who you are, and he’ll destroy you again. He won’t fail twice.”

He stepped closer. “Tell Marcus that the next time he sends someone to spy on me, I’ll trace the signal back to his server room and burn it from the inside out.”

For the first time, Cassandra’s smile faltered.

“I see,” she said quietly. “So this is war.”

“It always was.”

She turned to leave but paused at the door. “You may hate me, Ethan, but you and I—we’re still the same blood. One day, you’ll understand why I did what I did.”

“I already do,” he said. “You’re just like him.”

[New Threat Detected: Cassandra Blake – Family Ties / Hidden Agenda]

[Warning: Blake Corporation may escalate surveillance and counterattacks]

Later That Night – Zara’s Workshop

Zara was chewing on a lollipop, sitting upside down on a beanbag, as Jayden poured over code like a madman.

“You two look like hackers from a bad N*****x adaptation,” Ethan muttered, walking in.

Zara popped the candy out. “Thanks. I modeled my whole aesthetic on glitchcore disaster.”

Jayden snorted. “We traced the attempt. Origin server points to a masked IP running through several proxies. But Zara got a break.”

Zara flipped her tablet toward him. A string of code scrolled across the screen.

“What am I looking at?”

“A backdoor,” Zara said. “Someone tried to copy our tool’s behavior using a ghost code injection. Amateur stuff, but layered in old BlakeCorp firewall protocols.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning they used Cassandra’s old server credentials to ping us.”

Ethan exhaled slowly. So it was personal.

“They know you’re alive,” Jayden said. “And they’re scared.”

“Good,” Ethan said. “Fear is the first crack in their armor.”

Morning – A New Ally Appears

As Ethan arrived at his office the next morning, he found a small note taped to his door.

No guards. No cameras. Rooftop, 10:00 a.m.

Curious, he followed the cryptic message.

On the rooftop, the wind was sharp, the sky a bright steel gray.

A man leaned on the railing, smoking. Late thirties, lean, with faded scars along his jawline. He turned as Ethan approached.

“Ethan Blake,” he said. “Didn’t expect to meet a dead man.”

“Name?”

“Cole Maddox. Used to work private security for the Blakes. Until Marcus framed me for embezzlement and blacklisted me.”

Ethan’s interest piqued. “So why contact me?”

“Because you’re the only one with the guts to take Marcus down. And because I still have access codes, surveillance networks, and a very personal grudge.”

Ethan folded his arms. “What do you want?”

“Revenge. And a piece of your empire when the dust settles.”

Ethan extended a hand. “You’ve got it.”

[New Ally Acquired: Cole Maddox – Intelligence & Security Ops]

[Bond Level: 1/5]

[Ability Unlocked: Surveillance Override + BlakeCorp Internal Access]

Midweek – Strategic Attack

With Cole feeding insider data, Ethan launched his first strategic strike.

He shorted BlakeCorp’s newest renewable subsidiary—GreenCore—seconds before a false environmental violation was leaked online. Stock prices plunged.

A “leaked” insider report spread through crypto forums, traced back to an anonymous whistleblower—aka, Zara.

Ethan bought the dip in secret, flipping profits into Atlas stocks.

By Friday, Ethan’s portfolio had grown from one million to six.

The sharks started circling.

BlakeCorp Boardroom

Marcus threw a crystal tumbler across the room.

“Three subsidiaries lost major valuation in one week. I want names. I want firewalls redone. And I want that bastard’s ghost dug out of whatever rat hole he’s hiding in.”

Daniel cleared his throat. “We traced the leak back to an IP used by Zara Lin. She’s working under someone else now. We think it’s—Ethan Blake.”

Marcus’s face darkened.

“I watched him die,” he said. “I saw the blood.”

“Apparently not enough of it.”

Marcus turned slowly.

“Then I’ll finish the job.”

Closing Scene – Ethan’s Office, Midnight

The office was dark except for the glow of the city beyond the windows.

Ethan sat alone, sipping black coffee, staring at a photo he’d dug up from the past.

It was of him and Cassandra—ages seven and ten—standing with their mother before she died.

He touched her face gently.

“I’m going to burn it all down,” he whispered. “And when I do, I’ll rebuild it from ash.”

His phone buzzed again.

Another message.

From an unknown number.

You’re walking into the lion’s mouth, Ethan. Be careful who you trust.