The Billionaire Hidden in Plain Sight

Chapter Eight

The Harper estate felt like a war zone when Liam returned. Raised voices echoed from the living room, punctuated by the sharp crack of Margaret’s cane against the marble floor. Through the doorway, he saw the entire family gathered in a tense circle, faces tight with anger and disbelief.

Liam paused in the hallway, listening to the chaos unfolding in the next room.

“This is a disaster!” Margaret’s voice cut through the noise, cold and furious. “An absolute catastrophe!”

“Grandmother, please, let me explain—” Tara’s voice was trembling, desperate.

“Explain?” Margaret’s bitter laugh echoed. “Explain how you threw away our family’s future? How you destroyed our only connection to Titan Global Holdings?”

Liam quietly stepped closer to the doorway, staying just out of sight.

Tara sat hunched in an armchair, mascara streaking down her cheeks, her once-perfect appearance now crumbling under humiliation. “I didn’t know Patrick would get fired!” she protested. “How could I have predicted that?”

“You should have been more careful!” another relative snapped. “You should’ve made sure he was dependable.”

“He was dependable—for three years!” Tara’s voice cracked. “Something went wrong today. Something unexpected.”

Margaret’s cane struck the floor again, the sound sharp as a gavel. “Unexpected or not, you failed. You promised us a partnership with Titans Global, and now we have nothing.”

“Worse than nothing,” someone muttered cruelly, “Now we look like fools.”

Victoria Harper paced near the window, her hands clasped tightly behind her back. “What are we supposed to do now? How do we recover from this embarrassment?”

“I don’t know,” Margaret admitted, her tone weary with defeat. “Titan Global Holdings was our best chance. Without them—”

"Without them, we're finished," Tara's younger brother,  Mark, said bluntly. "The company's still bleeding money. The Enzo partnership helps, but it's not enough."

The room fell into gloomy silence as the weight of their situation settled over everyone.

Mark pulled out his phone, absently scrolling through news feeds to distract himself from the depressing conversation. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he nearly dropped the device.

"Wait!" he shouted, jumping to his feet. "Everyone check your phones! Titan Global Holdings just made a major announcement!"

The room erupted in motion as every person scrambled for their mobile devices. The sound of frantic tapping and swiping filled the air.

"Oh my God,"  Victoria breathed, staring at her screen.

"This is incredible,"  Margaret  whispered, her stern expression transforming into one of amazement.

What is it?" Tara demanded, frantically trying to load the news on her phone. "What's happening?"

"Titan Global Holdings just announced a new project,"  Mark read aloud from his screen. "A five-star luxury hotel in the city center. They're opening public bidding for construction companies."

The room exploded with excitement.

"A five-star hotel?" someone gasped.

"That's a multi-million dollar project!"

"This could save everything!"

 Margaret 's eyes blazed with renewed hope. "This changes everything. Absolutely everything."

"The bidding is open to all qualified construction companies,"  Victoria  continued reading. "And the Harper family definitely qualifies."

"More than qualifies,"  Margaret  declared, striking her cane triumphantly. "We have twenty years of experience in luxury construction. This is exactly our specialty."

Tara looked up from her phone, hope flickering in her tear-stained eyes. "Does this mean we still have a chance?"

"It means,"  Margaret  said slowly, her voice carrying the weight of a royal decree, "that we have one final opportunity to prove ourselves."

She turned to face the entire room, her expression stern and commanding.

"Whoever secures this Titan Global Holdings contract,"  Margaret  announced, "will become the new president of our company. No exceptions. No second chances."

Every eye in the room turned toward the staircase, where Emma could be heard moving around in her office upstairs.

"If Emma wants to keep her position,"  Margaret  continued, "she'll have to win this contract herself. Otherwise, leadership passes to whoever can deliver results."

 Victoria’s  face lit up with sudden inspiration. She hurried toward the staircase, calling up to her daughter.

"Emma! Come down here immediately!"

Footsteps echoed from above, and Emma appeared at the top of the stairs, looking exhausted and frustrated.

"What's all the shouting about?" she asked wearily.

"Titan Global Holdings just announced a hotel project!"  Victoria  called up excitedly. "This is your chance to redeem yourself!"

Emma descended the stairs slowly, her expression cautious. "What kind of hotel project?"

 Victoria  grabbed her daughter's arm as she reached the bottom step. "A five-star luxury hotel. Open bidding. And darling," she whispered urgently, "you have an advantage the others don't."

"What advantage?"

"Ethan!"  Victoria 's eyes gleamed with possibility. "You can use your connection with Ethan to get closer to Titan Global Holdings. He has ties there, remember?"

Before Emma could respond, Mark shouted again from across the room.

"Holy shit! Everyone look at this!"

"Language!"  Margaret  snapped.

"Sorry, Grandmother, but this is huge!"  Mark waved his phone frantically. "Someone's claiming that Titan Global Holdings's mysterious owner is about to reveal his identity!"

The room fell silent as everyone stared at Mark.

"What mysterious owner?" Tara asked.

"Titan Global Holdings has always been secretive about their ownership structure,"  Mark explained rapidly. "But look at this social media post!"

He held up his phone, and the family crowded around to read the screen.

The post was from Ethan Morgan's verified account, and it had been shared thousands of times in just the past hour.

“Exciting news! I’ve been in contact with Titan Global’s true owner, who plans to reveal himself publicly very soon. As someone with close ties to this powerful figure, I can promise big changes are coming to our city!”

“Ethan knows the owner?” Victoria gasped.

“This is perfect!” Margaret exclaimed. “Emma, you must accept his proposal now. That connection could secure everything!”

Liam watched from the shadows, his eyebrows furrowing with confusion and annoyance. When had he ever planned to reveal himself? And how had Ethan gotten the idea that he would?

"Wait," he muttered under his breath, realization dawning. "That fool thinks he's connected to me somehow."

He sighed deeply, shaking his head. Ethan  had clearly been deceived or was deceiving himself about their relationship.

"Someone else posted something!" another family member called out. "About the same mysterious owner!"

"What now?"  Margaret  demanded.

"There's a photo!" the voice continued excitedly. "Someone photographed Titan Global Holdings's president, Nina Leonardo, bowing to some mysterious man outside the headquarters!"

Liam's blood went cold.

"Show us!" multiple voices demanded.

The family gathered around a different phone, squinting at a grainy, distant photograph. The image was blurry and taken from far away, but it clearly showed Nina in her expensive business suit, bowing deeply to a figure whose face was partially obscured.

"It's definitely her,"  Victoria  confirmed. "That's President Leonardo."

"But who's the man?" Tara asked.

The room fell quiet as everyone studied the photo more carefully.

 Margaret  squinted at the screen, then looked up with a puzzled expression. "Is it just me, or does that man look familiar?"

"Familiar how?"  Mark asked.

"I don't know,"  Margaret  murmured, studying the image again. "Something about his build, his posture..."

"Oh my God,"  Victoria  whispered, her face going pale. "You're right. He does look familiar."

Tara grabbed the phone, staring at the photo intently. Her hand shook as she held the phone closer. The height is right. The hair color matches..."

A dreadful silence settled over the room as the same impossible thought occurred to everyone simultaneously.

"Why,"  Victoria 's voice was barely audible, "does that man look so much like Liam?"

All heads turned toward the doorway, where Liam stood partially hidden in the shadows.

Liam stepped into the light, his expression calm despite the chaos he'd just witnessed. He hadn't seen the photo himself, but from their reactions, it was clear his face had been captured on camera.

The family stared at him in stunned silence, their minds struggling to process the implications.

"Seems there's no hiding it anymore," he said quietly, his voice carrying a mixture of resignation and relief. "I am the mysterious owner of Titan Global Holdings."