Revenge Of The Hidden Heir.

Chapter 10: The Present.

"What happened, Soph?" Mr. Anderson asked, his voice weak as he woke to find himself at home with Sophia by his side.

"You collapsed at the company, Dad," Sophia replied, her face etched with concern.

Mr. Anderson looked at his hand, attempting to remove the IV drip connected to his bedside. "I collapsed?" he muttered, disoriented.

"Dad, no," Sophia intervened, gently pushing his hand away. "You can't take it off now. The doctor said to keep it on until the last drop."

"I'm fine, Sophia," he insisted, still fidgeting with the IV. "What's going on? How long have I been out?"

"Since yesterday, Dad."

"Yesterday?!" Mr. Anderson exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Oh no, we don't have time. We have to get the company back up."

Sophia took a deep breath before speaking. "Well, about that... After that awful scenario with Ethan Blackwood, I got a call from Luther Corps, a very influential company in the USA. They have branches in every single state, and they offered to help us if we agreed to give them a particular percentage of our shares."

Mr. Anderson's brow furrowed. "Really? I hope the percentage is reasonable and not one that could threaten our ownership of the company."

"Not at all, it's a small percentage," Sophia assured him. "I'll be meeting with them later today to sign the deal."

"Okay, make sure you secure this deal. In fact, I'm coming with you," Mr. Anderson said, attempting to sit up.

Sophia gently pushed him back. "No, Dad, you need to rest. The doctor said you experienced a great deal of shock from yesterday's events, and that's why you collapsed. You're not getting any younger, so you need to recover fully. Let me handle this."

"I'll go with her," Leo interjected, entering the room.

Sophia turned to her brother, skepticism clear in her voice. "You'd go with me? Since when did you get concerned about meeting clients? I thought what you loved most was just sitting around and acting all bossy."

"Come on, Sophia," Leo retorted. "Dad wants to go with you, but he's clearly not strong enough. Let me go in his stead. The quicker I get to know our partners, the better for us."

"What do you mean by that?" Sophia asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Sophia, that's enough," Mr. Anderson intervened. "Let him go with you."

After a deep sigh, Sophia relented. "Okay."

The siblings left for the meeting, which was scheduled to take place at an eatery. Upon arrival, they sat down and waited, but no one seemed to be coming. After an hour, just as they were about to give up and leave, the representative from Luther Corps arrived.

"I apologize for being late," the man said, slightly out of breath. "I had to attend to other matters before coming."

"No problem, sir," Sophia replied, handing over the document. "Here are the papers."

The representative took the document, scanning through it quickly before looking up with an apologetic expression. "I'm afraid I can't accept this offer anymore. We've received a better deal from another company."

"A better deal?" Leo scoffed. "What deal is better than being partners with the great Anderson Corps?"

"A deal with Rising Star," the man replied matter-of-factly.

"Rising Star?!" Leo and Sophia exclaimed in unison.

The representative nodded. "Yes, Rising Star. I came thinking you might have a better offer for me. Do you?"

Sophia, trying to maintain her composure, asked, "Better offer? What would you propose, sir?"

"Do you have about eighty percent of shares to offer?" he said, his tone casual as if he weren't asking for control of their entire company.

Leo's face reddened with anger. "Eighty percent?! That's outrageous! That's like giving you full managing rights of Anderson Corps. You must be deranged to make such a request."

"I'm sorry, but that's what it would take for me to drop the offer I got from Rising Star and accept yours," the man said, standing up to leave.

"Sir, you said we were good before. Why the change of mind?" Sophia asked, desperately trying to salvage the situation.

"I'm sorry, Sophia, but this is business, and I will always choose profit over loss," he replied before walking away.

Leo, seething with anger, was about to rush after the man when Sophia held him back. "Let's go home, Leo. This isn't the way to handle this."

Upon returning home, they narrated the events to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Sophia revealed that she had been contacting other companies, all of which had told her they had received better offers. Curious, she decided to investigate further.

"Oh my God," she exclaimed, her eyes widening as she looked at her laptop screen. "Rising Star has been the one sabotaging our meetings all this while."

"He really wants to see our downfall and make this empire his own," Mr. Anderson said, his voice weak but filled with anger.

"Never," Leo declared. "I won't let that happen as long as I'm alive."

Sophia, her mind racing, turned to her father. "Dad, do you know if our family did something to a Blackwood in the past? This kind of takeover seems too specific. There's no smoke without fire."

Without waiting for an answer, she stood up. "I'm going to set up a meeting with Ethan Blackwood."

"I'm coming with you," Leo insisted.

Sophia shook her head firmly. "No, not after that charade you pulled at the CEO's office, charging at someone who clearly has the means to bring us down. I'll be going to this meeting alone. There's something off about this Ethan, and I need to figure out what it is."

She left, contacting Rising Star through an email address. A meeting was set for later that evening. When the time came, both parties arrived at the designated location. For a moment, silence reigned.

"Who are you?" Sophia finally asked, breaking the tension.

The question seemed to catch Ethan off guard. "What do you mean, who am I?"

"What have my family members done to yours in the past? Why are you hell-bent on destroying my family's legacy? What is it you really want from us?" Sophia pressed, her voice steady but tinged with frustration.

Ethan was quiet for a moment, as if considering his words carefully. Then he burst out laughing. "I told you before, I just like to pick on random companies, prey on them, and make them mine."

"What do you gain from doing that?" Sophia asked, her eyes narrowing.

"It reminds me of how rich I am," Ethan replied, his tone casual and cold.

Both parties fell silent again until Sophia spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Jonathan."

Ethan's composure faltered for a split second, confusion flickering across his face. Had his cover been blown?

Sophia continued, her gaze intense. "That's the name of my ex-husband and my grandfather’s murderer. You look just like him in a way, except for the eye color and hair color, and the fact that you're more built than he was."

"So what happened to him?" Ethan asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

"I was told he was dead," she answered, her eyes never leaving his face.

"And you don't believe it?"

"Why do you care what I believe?" Sophia countered.

Ethan stood up abruptly. "I think our meeting is done here, Sophia. You and your family should get ready to see me soon." With that, he walked out, leaving Sophia lost in her thoughts.

She couldn't help but notice the tiny resemblances between Jonathan and Ethan. The way they moved, the set of their jaw, the intensity in their eyes. 'Sophia, you're becoming delusional,' she chided herself. 'Jonathan is dead.'

As she sat there, the weight of her family's predicament pressing down on her, Sophia couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Ethan Blackwood than met the eye. The mystery surrounding him only deepened her resolve to uncover the truth and protect her family's legacy, no matter the cost.