2026-02-03 10:01:42
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Chapter 30: The Grandson's Dilemma
Ethan's POV"My grandfather is a liar."Maxwell's voice came through my phone at two in the morning. I'd been asleep for an hour, the first sleep in days."What?" I sat up, trying to clear my head."I asked him about the Sterling kidnapping and about Elena, just about everything you said." Maxwell sounded wrecked. Broken. "He didn't deny it, he just spun it differently.""Where are you?""Driving, I don't know where, just driving." I heard traffic in the background. "He said Sterling Cross killed his own son, he made it look like an accident for insurance money, and said the children were hidden to protect them from their murderous grandfather.""That's a lie.""I know, but the way he told it, with evidence and documents and witnesses, it sounded true." Maxwell's voice cracked. "He made himself the hero, said he rescued Elena, protected her, and gave her to a good family to raise.""And you believed him?""For about five minutes until I asked why he sent me to Elena's bar two years ag
Chapter 29: The Enemy's Grandson
Ethan's POV"Maxwell Blackwell isn't what you think."Sophia dropped a thick file on my desk. I'd been staring at my phone for an hour, debating whether to storm the hospital or wait for a better opportunity."What do you mean?" I opened the file."I mean he's not his grandfather, not even close." She pulled out documents. "Maxwell started his own real estate company five years ago, he refused family money, he took out loans like a commoner and built everything from scratch.""So?""So that's not how Blackwells operate, they use family wealth, family influence and connections as well as family power." She showed me more papers. "But Maxwell refused, he said he wanted to succeed on his own merit. Victor was furious.""They fought?""More than fought. Maxwell didn't speak to his grandfather for three years, completely cut off, he wouldn't attend family dinners, wouldn't take calls." Sophia pulled up emails. "Then two years ago, suddenly Maxwell reaches out, says he's met someone and he
Chapter 28: The DNA Heist
Ethan's POV"The team is in position outside Elena's apartment."Sophia's voice came through my earpiece. I sat in a car three blocks away, watching the operation unfold on a tablet screen. Three agents, one mission, get a DNA sample without being detected."How long will this take?" I asked."Ten minutes in and out. She's at work, the apartment should be empty." Sophia was monitoring from Zenith headquarters. "They'll grab a hairbrush, maybe a toothbrush. Something with clear DNA. Easy.""Nothing about this feels easy.""That's because you're overthinking." She paused. "Agent One is picking the lock now."On screen, I watched thermal imaging show a figure entering Elena's apartment, moving through rooms, searching."Bathroom located, retrieving hairbrush."My phone buzzed, a text from Marcus Zhou: "Yo, heard you might have a secret sister. That's wild. Want me to hack the DNA lab to speed up results?"I ignored it."Sample secured," the agent's voice crackled. "Exiting now.""Wait."
Chapter 27: The Sister's Suspicion
Ethan's POV"You have thirty seconds to explain why I shouldn't call security."Elena stood in her doorway, arms crossed, eyes red from crying. Behind her, Maxwell hovered protectively."Please," I said. "Just let me explain.""Explain what? Why you lied to me? Why you pretended to be some regular guy when you're a billionaire?" Her voice cracked. "I trusted you, Ethan. I gave you my number. I thought we were becoming friends.""We are friends. Or we could be, if you'd just listen.""I'm done listening to rich people tell me lies." She started to close the door.I put my hand against it. "At the garden party, when we talked, did I lie about anything I said?""You lied about who you are.""No, I didn't. I told you I worked at Walmart. That I struggled, and that I knew what it was like to have nothing." I looked at her directly. "All of that was true. The money, the position, all of that happened six weeks ago. Six weeks, Elena. Before that, I was exactly who I said I was."She hesitat
Chapter 26: The Prodigy's Challenge
Ethan's POV"Round two. Ready?"Marcus Zhou cracked his knuckles, grinning at me like a kid about to destroy me at video games, which, essentially, he was."Ready," I lied.The simulation loaded again, different variables this time. New market conditions, but the same objective: build a company that crushes the competition.My company, his company. A virtual decade and winner takes all."Go!" Marcus shouted.His fingers flew across the keyboard. Decisions made in seconds. Hire, expand and acquire. His company exploded out of the gate.Mine stumbled. I was thinking too much, tried analysing. By the time I made my first major move, he'd already captured twenty percent of the market."You're too slow," Marcus said, not looking away from his screen. "In business, hesitation kills.""I'm being careful.""Careful is just another word for scared."He was right though, I was scared of making the wrong choice and afraid of losing, above all, I was scared of going back to Amanda and admitting I
Chapter 25: The Accidental Meeting
Ethan's POV"You're that guy from the hospital."I looked up from my phone. The SEC emergency had been resolved in two hours. Douglas's accusations were baseless. Amanda had watched me handle it without help, said nothing, and left. Now I was back at another charity event, this one outdoors in a garden pavilion.And Elena was standing in front of me."I'm sorry?" I said, trying to sound casual."A few weeks ago. I collapsed at work and you came into my hospital room by accident." She tilted her head. "You said you had the wrong room, but I remember your face. You looked terrified.""I was in the wrong room.""Were you?" She studied me with those eyes. My mother's eyes. "Because you looked at me like you'd seen a ghost, then you ran away."I had no response. She'd remembered. Of course she'd remembered."I'm Elena," she said, extending her hand."Ethan." I shook it. That same warmth. That same strange feeling of holding my sister's hand."I know who you are. We met at the art auction l
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