THE HEIR'S AGONY TRIAL BY FIRE

PASTS

The storm outside mirrored Aidan’s turbulent thoughts. Thunder echoed through the halls of the Cross estate as he paced, unable to shake the ominous text from the night before. He paused at the end of a long hallway, staring at an ornate door that seemed out of place amidst the modern opulence of the mansion.

“What’s this?” he murmured.

Elliot, trailing behind with his laptop, looked up. “What’s what?”

“This door,” Aidan said, pushing it. It creaked open, revealing a dusty passage leading to another wing of the estate.

Elliot frowned. “It’s not on the blueprint I hacked.”

“Then we’re definitely going in,” Aidan said, stepping forward.

The air was colder in the hidden wing, and Aidan’s breath fogged slightly as they entered a room at the end of the passage. It was a study, untouched and cloaked in layers of dust. A massive oak desk dominated the space, flanked by bookshelves filled with leather-bound journals.

“This must have been William’s private space,” Aidan said, running his fingers over the desk.

Elliot opened his laptop, setting it on the desk. “Let’s see what we’re working with.”

Aidan picked up one of the journals, flipping through its yellowed pages. The handwriting was sharp and deliberate, the entries written in a cipher that made his head ache.

“Can you decode this?” Aidan asked, handing it to Elliot.

Elliot examined it, his brow furrowing. “This isn’t just any cipher. It’s layered encryption—military-grade.”

“Can you crack it?”

“With time,” Elliot replied. “And coffee. Lots of coffee.”

Hours later, Elliot finally made a breakthrough.

“Got it!” he exclaimed, leaning back with a satisfied grin.

Aidan leaned over his shoulder, staring at the decrypted text on the screen. His stomach churned as he read: **“The System is the key to control. Its success will ensure the Cross legacy remains unchallenged.”**

“What the hell is this?” Aidan muttered.

Elliot scrolled further. “It gets worse. Your father didn’t just design the System for you. He tested it—on others.”

Aidan’s breath hitched. “Tested it?”

“Volunteers, employees, enemies. Some survived. Most didn’t,” Elliot said grimly.

Aidan slumped into a chair, his mind racing. “He experimented on people... to create this thing inside me.”

“Seems like it,” Elliot said. “But why embed it in you? That’s the real question.”

Dante entered the study later that evening, his face a mask of calm as always. “You’ve been busy.”

“Busy uncovering my father’s insanity,” Aidan snapped, tossing a journal onto the desk. “Did you know about this?”

Dante hesitated, then nodded. “I suspected.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” Aidan demanded, his voice rising.

Dante folded his arms. “Would you have believed me? Or would you have dismissed it as paranoia?”

Aidan glared at him. “Try me.”

With a sigh, Dante pulled up a chair. “William Cross hired me years ago. My job was simple: eliminate threats to the family. Competitors, whistleblowers, sometimes even disgruntled employees.”

Aidan’s jaw tightened. “You were a hitman.”

“An enforcer,” Dante corrected. “But I wasn’t blind to what was happening. Your father wasn’t just building an empire—he was creating a fortress. He saw enemies everywhere, even where there weren’t any.”

“And the System?” Aidan pressed.

“His ultimate weapon,” Dante said. “When I found out how far he’d gone—how many people he’d sacrificed—I walked away. I couldn’t be part of it anymore.”

Aidan stared at him, struggling to process the revelation. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“Because you weren’t ready,” Dante said. “And because knowing the truth puts a target on your back.”

The conversation was interrupted by Elliot’s sharp intake of breath. “Uh, guys? We have a problem.”

“What now?” Aidan asked, moving to Elliot’s side.

Elliot pointed to the screen. “This file mentions something called *Project Nemesis*. It’s tied to Victor. Whatever it is, it’s big. And it’s happening soon.”

Dante frowned. “Define ‘soon.’”

“Days. Maybe less,” Elliot said.

“We need more information,” Aidan said.

“That’s going to be tricky,” Elliot replied. “Victor’s security makes your father’s look amateur.”

Aidan’s fist clenched. “Then we find another way.”

Later that night, Aidan sat alone in the study, staring at the journals scattered across the desk. The weight of everything he’d learned pressed down on him, threatening to crush him.

“You okay?” Lydia’s voice cut through the silence.

He looked up, startled to see her standing in the doorway. “What do you want?”

“To talk,” she said, stepping inside.

Aidan laughed bitterly. “Since when do we talk?”

“Since I realized Victor is more dangerous than I thought,” Lydia admitted.

Aidan raised an eyebrow. “And you care because...?”

“Because if he wins, we all lose,” Lydia said simply.

“Do you know anything about Project Nemesis?” Aidan asked.

She hesitated, then nodded. “I’ve heard whispers. It’s... not good.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“I can’t,” she said, looking genuinely torn. “Not yet.”

“Then why are you here?”

“To warn you,” Lydia said. “Victor won’t stop until he’s destroyed you. And if you keep digging, you’re going to make it easier for him.”

Aidan leaned back, studying her. “Why should I trust you?”

“You shouldn’t,” Lydia said bluntly. “But you don’t have much of a choice.”

The next morning, Aidan woke to the sound of his phone buzzing.

Elliot’s voice was frantic. “We’ve been breached. Someone’s hacking into the estate’s servers.”

Aidan shot out of bed. “What? How?”

“I don’t know,” Elliot said. “But they’re good—better than me.”

“I’m on my way,” Aidan said, grabbing his clothes.

As he ran toward the study, a single thought consumed him: Victor was making his move.