THE HEIR'S AGONY TRIAL BY FIRE

THE PRICE OF LOYALTY

The darkened room was alive with the soft hum of computers. Screens glowed with streams of data, illuminating Elliot’s focused face as his fingers danced across the keyboard.

"I’ve got something," Elliot muttered.

Aidan, leaning against the wall with arms crossed, straightened up. "What is it?"

Elliot paused, glancing at him. "You’re not going to like it."

"Try me," Aidan said, walking over.

Elliot pulled up a folder of encrypted files. "These are financial transactions from Sinclair Enterprises, but they’re routed through offshore accounts. The money’s being funneled into some... questionable activities."

"Questionable how?" Dante asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Weapon deals. Bribery. Blackmail." Elliot hesitated. "There’s more."

"Spit it out," Aidan said.

Elliot sighed. "Victor has a team of mercenaries on retainer. Looks like he’s been using them to eliminate threats. People who’ve gotten too close to the truth."

"Like us," Aidan said grimly.

Elliot nodded. "Exactly."

Dante moved to the table, scanning the data. "This isn’t just a power move. Victor’s laying the groundwork for a complete takeover. If this goes public, it could destroy the Cross empire—and you with it, Aidan."

"We need proof," Aidan said firmly.

"We have proof," Elliot replied, tapping the screen. "But decrypting this isn’t going to be easy. It’s military-grade encryption."

"How long?" Aidan asked.

"Days. Maybe weeks," Elliot said.

"We don’t have that kind of time," Dante interjected. "Victor’s already moving. We need to be ready for anything."

The next day, chaos erupted.

Leo Novak, Aidan’s reluctant ally and an old associate of the Cross family, had gone silent after a routine meeting with one of Victor’s informants.

Dante stormed into Aidan’s study, his expression grim. "We’ve got a problem."

Aidan looked up from his laptop. "What now?"

"Leo’s been ambushed. Mercenaries. We tracked his last known location to an abandoned warehouse on the docks."

Aidan’s jaw tightened. "Victor’s cleaning house."

"Looks like it," Dante agreed. "We need to move fast."

"Wait," Elliot said, entering the room. "You’re not seriously thinking of going there, are you?"

"Of course I am," Aidan said.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" Elliot argued. "Victor’s men won’t hesitate to kill you."

"Then we’ll have to make sure they don’t get the chance," Dante said coldly.

Elliot threw up his hands. "This is insane."

"Maybe," Aidan said, grabbing his coat. "But Leo’s risked enough for me already. I’m not leaving him to die."

The docks were shrouded in fog, the air heavy with the smell of salt and decay. Dante parked the car a block away, handing Aidan a small earpiece.

"Stay close," Dante instructed.

"You sound like you’ve done this before," Aidan said.

"I have," Dante replied.

They crept toward the warehouse, shadows melting into the gloom. Dante motioned for Aidan to stay low as they approached the side entrance.

Inside, the warehouse was dimly lit, the sound of muffled voices echoing through the space. Aidan’s heart pounded as he caught sight of Leo, tied to a chair and bloodied but alive.

"Stay here," Dante whispered.

"Like hell I will," Aidan shot back.

Dante glared at him but didn’t argue. Together, they moved closer, sticking to the shadows.

One of the mercenaries barked orders. "We’re not waiting much longer. If Sinclair doesn’t pay up, we finish him."

Aidan’s fists clenched.

Dante leaned in. "On my signal, we take them out."

"With what?" Aidan hissed.

Dante smirked, pulling a compact stun gun from his jacket. "Improvisation."

The fight was chaos.

Dante moved like a predator, dispatching the first mercenary with swift precision. Aidan, less experienced but driven by adrenaline, managed to tackle another to the ground.

"Leo!" Aidan shouted, running to his side.

"Aidan?" Leo groaned, his face swollen and bruised.

"Yeah, it’s me," Aidan said, cutting through the ropes binding him. "Can you stand?"

"Not really," Leo admitted.

"Too bad," Aidan said, hauling him up.

The remaining mercenaries regrouped, drawing their weapons.

"We’re out of time," Dante called, grabbing Aidan’s arm. "Move!"

The three of them bolted for the exit, bullets ricocheting off the walls behind them.

Back at the estate, Leo sat on the couch, wincing as Elliot cleaned his wounds.

"That was... not fun," Leo muttered.

"You’re lucky we got there in time," Dante said.

"Lucky," Leo echoed bitterly. "Victor’s not going to stop, you know. This is just the beginning."

Aidan paced the room, his mind racing. "Then we hit him where it hurts. We expose everything."

"You don’t have the resources for that," Leo argued.

"Not yet," Aidan admitted. "But I will."

The next morning, Aidan faced an unexpected challenge: a Cross Enterprises board meeting.

Lydia was already seated when he arrived, her icy demeanor as unyielding as ever.

"Glad you could join us," she said dryly.

"Don’t start," Aidan warned.

Victor entered moments later, his smirk infuriatingly smug. "Aidan. Always a pleasure."

"Victor," Aidan said coldly.

The meeting began, but it quickly devolved into thinly veiled attacks.

"With all due respect," Victor said, his tone dripping with condescension, "Aidan’s recent... actions have put the company at risk. Perhaps it’s time we reevaluate his role here."

"Enough," Lydia interjected, surprising everyone.

Victor raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Lydia said. "Aidan may be inexperienced, but he’s still a Cross. And last I checked, this is a family business."

Aidan stared at her, stunned.

Victor leaned back in his chair, studying her. "Interesting. I didn’t realize you’d taken such an interest in your little brother’s welfare."

"Don’t mistake pragmatism for loyalty," Lydia said coolly.

Victor’s eyes narrowed. "Noted."

As the meeting adjourned, Lydia brushed past Aidan.

"Why?" he asked quietly.

She paused, not looking at him. "Because as much as I hate you, I hate Victor more."

With that, she was gone, leaving Aidan with more questions than answers.

That night, Aidan returned to his room, exhausted but determined.

His phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.

You saved Leo, but you won’t save the others.

Aidan’s blood ran cold as he realized the stakes had just gotten higher.