Rise of the forgotten general

The banquet hall glittered with chandeliers, each crystal reflecting a brilliance that mocked Cole Brady’s existence. Laughter and applause echoed across the grand room, but none of it belonged to him. He stood at the edge of the crowd, a glass of water in his hand, as if he were nothing more than a servant instead of the man who had once been promised a future.

“Cole, don’t just stand there like an idiot,” Fiona, his wife, hissed under her breath. Her gown shimmered with gold embroidery, making her look like the perfect daughter of the wealthy Parker family. She glanced at him with eyes colder than ice. “At least pretend to be useful. People are watching.”

Cole forced a small nod. He was used to this. Three years of marriage had taught him exactly what role he played in this family: not a husband, not a partner, but a discarded burden they could mock whenever they pleased.

Across the hall, a tall man in a designer suit raised his glass. Blake Morgan the city’s golden boy, heir to the Morgan Group was delivering a speech that had the entire room captivated. His words flowed like honey, his smile dazzling. Even Fiona’s eyes softened as she looked at him, a look Cole had never once received.

“Congratulations to Fiona and her family for hosting such a remarkable evening,” Blake said, raising his glass in a toast. “And to think, this is only the beginning. With our partnership, the Parkers will rise even higher.”

The crowd erupted in cheers. Fiona’s father, Henry Parker, beamed with pride. His wife dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, overcome with emotion. And Cole, he stood there like a ghost, invisible in a hall full of people.

Blake’s eyes slid toward him, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “Of course,” he added, his voice laced with mockery, “every great family has its… eccentric members. Fiona, I must admire your patience.”

The crowd laughed. All eyes turned to Cole, some filled with disdain, others with pity. His knuckles tightened around the glass, but he said nothing. Years of humiliation had taught him that silence was his only shield.

Fiona leaned closer, her whisper sharp as a blade. “Don’t you dare embarrass me. If you care about me at all, just keep your mouth shut.”

Care about her? Cole swallowed the bitter laugh that rose in his throat. Once, he had. Once, he had believed that love could overcome status, that devotion could erase the sneers of her family. But three years of mockery had drained those illusions away.

Dinner was served. The guests gathered around tables covered in silk cloth and golden cutlery. Cole was left standing, no seat reserved for him. He might as well have been part of the staff.

As he stood there, ignored, the memories he kept buried threatened to surface. A different life. A different name. Blood, fire, and the roar of soldiers chanting under his command. He had once been someone. He had once carried a legacy greater than any of these men could imagine.

But that life was gone,or so they all believed.

“Cole,” Henry Parker’s voice cut through his thoughts. The elder’s face twisted with disgust as he gestured toward the door. “Go fetch more wine. The Morgan family deserves the best, not the cheap bottles you brought last time.”

Laughter followed. Cole set his glass down and nodded, as though he were the obedient dog they believed him to be.

On his way out, he caught Blake whispering something to Fiona. She laughed softly, a laugh she had never given him. It struck deeper than any insult.

The cold night air greeted him as he stepped outside. He clenched his fists, breathing deeply to calm the storm raging inside. He could endure the humiliation. He had endured worse. But every man has his limit.

As he walked toward the storage room to collect the wine, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He almost ignored it, no one ever called him but curiosity won.

The number was unfamiliar. He answered.

A deep voice crackled through the line, steady and commanding. “Cole Brady.”

His heart skipped. Few people in this city even remembered his full name. “Who is this?”

There was a pause, heavy with meaning. Then the voice replied, “The time has come. You’ve hidden long enough. Your enemies are moving, and if you don’t rise now, everything you once fought for will be lost forever.”

Cole froze. The words struck like thunder. For years he had buried his past, lived as a shadow. He thought no one knew. But this voice, this stranger had found him.

Before he could respond, the line went dead.

He stood there, gripping the phone, his chest heaving with emotions he had locked away for too long. The humiliation, the betrayal, the endless scorn, it was nothing compared to what he had once endured. And perhaps… nothing compared to what was coming.

Back inside the hall, the laughter continued. Blake raised his glass again, Fiona’s hand resting lightly on his arm as though she belonged there. Cole walked back in carrying the wine like a servant, but his mind was no longer clouded with despair.

Something inside him had awakened.

And when it awakens fully, the Parkers, the Morgans, and everyone else who mocked him would remember the name they had tried so hard to bury.

Cole Brady.