The Billionaire Heir's Revenge

Chapter 20: The Arrival of the Black Phoenix Leader

The mountain trembled.

Boom!

Another explosion shook the laboratory.

Emergency lights flickered.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

Everyone in the control room felt it.

The Black Phoenix had arrived.

High above the facility.

Thirty armed helicopters circled through the blizzard.

Their formation was perfect.

Disciplined.

Military.

The lead helicopter slowly descended toward a private landing platform hidden near the summit.

Its doors opened.

A tall man stepped out.

Black suit.

Black gloves.

Silver hair.

Cold eyes.

The Black Phoenix Leader.

The most feared man in the shadows.

The man who had hunted Ethan's family for twenty-one years.

Around him, dozens of elite operatives lowered their heads respectfully.

None dared speak.

The Leader simply looked toward the mountain.

Then smiled.

"At last."

Inside the laboratory.

Adrian's expression grew serious.

"We don't have much time."

He held up the second silver key.

The missing half.

The object everyone had been searching for.

Ethan looked at him.

"Tell me the truth."

Adrian paused.

For a moment, the bitterness disappeared from his face.

Then he nodded.

"Fine."

The room fell silent.

Twenty-one years of secrets were finally about to surface.

Adrian activated another file.

Ancient records appeared.

Photographs.

Research notes.

Security footage.

Then a video began.

The date displayed on the screen:

Twenty-One Years Ago

Everyone watched carefully.

A younger Victor appeared.

So did Ethan's parents.

Several scientists stood nearby.

And in the center of the room—

Two newborn babies.

Twins.

Ethan and Adrian.

The atmosphere inside the recording was tense.

One scientist spoke nervously.

"The results are complete."

Everyone turned toward him.

"What results?"

The scientist swallowed.

Then answered:

"Both children inherited the Phoenix Gene."

Silence.

Even in the recording, everyone looked shocked.

The scientist continued.

"But their compatibility rates are different."

A screen appeared.

Subject Zero: 99.9%

Subject One: 98.7%

The room froze.

Two compatible heirs.

Not one.

Two.

Back in the present.

Ethan stared at the screen.

"Both of us?"

Adrian nodded.

"Yes."

Victor lowered his head.

As though ashamed.

Then Adrian continued.

"The Black Phoenix discovered the experiment."

"The attack happened three months later."

Images appeared.

Fire.

Gunfire.

Chaos.

People running.

Screaming.

Dying.

The laboratory was under siege.

The room became silent.

Then the footage showed Ethan's parents making a decision.

A terrible decision.

One that changed everything.

The mother held Ethan.

The father held Adrian.

Tears filled both of their eyes.

Then another scientist shouted:

"We can only save one!"

Silence.

Everyone watching froze.

One child.

One escape route.

One chance.

The footage ended.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody could.

Adrian finally broke the silence.

"They chose you."

The bitterness returned instantly.

"They saved Subject Zero."

"They saved their future."

His fists tightened.

"And they abandoned me."

Ethan remained silent.

What could he say?

No words existed for that kind of pain.

Suddenly—

A voice echoed through the laboratory speakers.

Calm.

Powerful.

Terrifying.

"Open the Archive."

Everyone froze.

The voice continued.

"I know you're listening, Ethan."

The room became deathly silent.

The Black Phoenix Leader.

He had already infiltrated the system.

The man continued speaking.

"Bring me the keys."

His voice remained calm.

"And nobody dies."

Adrian laughed.

A cold laugh.

"He's lying."

The Leader chuckled.

"Perhaps."

Then his tone changed.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"But if you refuse..."

A massive monitor activated.

Everyone stared.

The screen showed hundreds of Blackwell employees.

Bound.

Held hostage.

Men.

Women.

Executives.

Security personnel.

Even Leonard Pierce.

Ava gasped.

Isabella's face turned pale.

Sebastian clenched his fists.

The hostages looked terrified.

The Leader's voice echoed once more.

"For every hour you delay..."

His smile appeared on screen.

"I'll execute ten."

The room exploded with anger.

Ethan's eyes turned cold.

Colder than ever before.

For years he had been reacting.

Responding.

Surviving.

Not anymore.

The Leader had crossed a line.

A dangerous line.

Ethan slowly picked up Ava's key.

Then looked at Adrian.

"Give me yours."

The room froze.

Adrian frowned.

"You trust me?"

Ethan stared directly into his eyes.

For the first time since meeting.

For the first time in twenty-one years.

The two brothers looked at each other.

Not as enemies.

Not as rivals.

As family.

Then Adrian slowly handed over the second key.

Click.

The two halves connected perfectly.

The room became silent.

A complete key.

At last.

The Phoenix Key.

The central terminal suddenly activated.

Ancient systems awakened.

Lights illuminated throughout the facility.

A hidden wall slowly opened.

Behind it stood a giant steel vault.

Massive.

Ancient.

Covered in symbols.

The Phoenix Archive.

Everyone stared.

Twenty-one years of bloodshed.

Twenty-one years of conspiracies.

Twenty-one years of lies.

All leading to this moment.

The vault door began opening.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

Then finally—

It revealed what was hidden inside.

The room fell silent.

Because there was no treasure.

No gold.

No weapons.

No secret technology.

Only a single black notebook.

A notebook no larger than a school journal.

Everyone froze.

That was it?

That was what billions had died for?

What entire organizations had fought over?

Then Ethan opened the notebook.

And read the first sentence.

His face immediately lost all color.

Because written across the first page were six words:

THE BLACK PHOENIX WAS CREATED BY...

The name that followed made Ethan's heart stop.

It was the name of someone standing in the room.

Someone he trusted.

Someone who had been beside him from the beginning.

Someone who had just betrayed him.

SEBASTIAN COLE.

TO BE CONTINUED...