The Conglomerate Heir Awakens

6

Ethan stood in BravoTech’s main conference room with a stack of folders in front of him. The managers he hadn’t fired yet sat stiffly around the table, all pretending not to sweat.

He opened the first file.

“Mr. Alvarez,” Ethan said calmly, “you signed off on six equipment purchases that never arrived.”

Alvarez swallowed. “That must’ve been a supplier mistake—”

“No,” Ethan cut in. “You approved delivery dates on days the supplier was closed. Pack your things. HR will process your termination.”

Security stepped forward.

Ethan opened the next folder.

“Ms. Talbot. You’ve been reporting fake machinery breakdowns to funnel repair fees to your cousin’s company.”

Talbot’s face went pale.

“You don’t understand—this was happening before I arrived, I just—”

Ethan shut the folder. “You continued it. Leave your ID on the table.”

One by one, he went through the list. Every saboteur, every leech, every person bleeding the company dry.

Some begged.

Some threatened.

One man tried to flip the table and punch Ethan—that ended with a security guard tackling him.

By noon, twelve managers were walked out.

By afternoon, the company was lighter—quieter, somehow breathing again.

The remaining employees watched Ethan from behind monitors and hallway corners. Not with fear.

But with relief.

Finally, someone was cleaning house.

Rowan met him by the elevator. “You’re making enemies, you know.”

Ethan exhaled slowly. “Good. It means they’re feeling the pressure.”

As the elevator doors closed, Ethan glanced at the reflection of his own eyes—clearer, sharper.

He wasn’t just fixing a company.

He was sharpening himself for the war ahead.

The news spread fast across the business world:

BravoTech’s profit numbers were rising again.

The ‘lost heir’ was proving he wasn’t a joke.

The Vale Conglomerate was waking from its long freeze.

This wasn’t good news for everyone.

In a private penthouse bar, three directors from rival companies, but from the same board belonging to the Vale company, gathered around a glowing table, trading looks darker than the whiskey in their glasses.

“This boy is becoming a problem,” the first man muttered.

“He’s rebuilding too quickly,” the second hissed. “We should’ve searched and killed him, if only we knew he was alive.”

The third leaned back. “But now, he’s proving too difficult to kill. The assassination attempt failed. The car bomb was sloppy. I’m sure he’ll be extra cautious from now on.”

“What about poisoning him?”

“Already attempted,” the third said. “But he somehow survived.”

They exchanged uneasy glances.

“He’s just a kid,” one finally said. “How is he resisting everything?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll make sure he doesn’t last long like his father.”

They clinked glasses with thinly veiled hatred.

“Then we don’t kill him yet,” another said. “Not until we find out what he’s capable of. We could use him to raise the numbers on some of our company.”

“Agreed. Once he’s done with Bravotech, we’ll give him a few more companies to handle.”

“What if he refuses?”

“He won’t do that, knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to reclaim his position as the CEO if he refuses our test. We’re going to use him to raise the numbers on our company and then once it’s time, we’ll silence him permanently.”

They all rose, shadows stretching behind them.

Their war against Ethan had just began.

***

That evening, a banquet was held in which Ethan was invited to.

The banquet was extravagant—crystal lights, velvet curtains, and a stage decorated with enough gold to blind anyone who stared too long.

Ethan attended because he had to. BravoTech was finally gaining traction, and networking with the big players was part of the job.

He made small talk, shook hands, accepted business cards.

Everything seemed normal.

Until it wasn’t.

A server approached with a silver tray. “Sir, champagne?”

Ethan took a glass… and the moment the stem touched his fingers, something cold rippled through his chest.

His senses flared sharply—like an invisible hand pulling him back.

A warning.

He lowered the glass and watched the liquid swirl.

The server’s smile faltered. “I—I can get you another, sir.”

“No need.” Ethan set the glass on the tray. “Drink it.”

The server froze.

“I asked you to drink it,” Ethan repeated.

“I… I can’t, sir—”

Ethan stepped closer.

“You poisoned it.”

The server bolted.

Ethan moved first.

One step, two steps—then his body blurred. His senses sharpened; the crowd slowed around him. He caught the man by the collar just before he could reach the exit.

Security swarmed in.

The man struggled, shaking violently. “He said you wouldn’t notice! He said you’d drink it!”

“Who?” Ethan demanded.

But the man clamped his jaw shut.

A faint foam formed at the edge of his lips.

“Cyanide,” Rowan muttered as he arrived. “He took a capsule.”

Ethan released the body as it slumped to the floor. His pulse was steady.

Rowan looked at him with concern. “Are you alright, sire.”

“You know, I’m starting to get tired of these cheap assassination attempts,” Ethan said. “If anyone wants to kill me, they should do so by facing me directly.”

Ethan turned back toward the glittering hall.

“I just can’t wait to know who this my enemy is, whoever is, or they are.”

***

The night was quiet.

Too quiet.

Ethan stood outside a small townhouse where warm light spilled through the curtains. He felt his heartbeat soften, slow down.

Inside that house was the only part of his old life he still cared about.

His daughter.

She didn’t know he was alive.

She didn’t know he’d been murdered.

He approached the back gate quietly. Rowan waited in the car, giving him privacy. Ethan knocked twice—soft, careful.

A middle-aged woman opened the door, her eyes widening the moment she recognized him. She was their daughter’s babysitter.

“You… You’re alive,” she whispered.

“Can I see her?” he asked, voice barely audible.

The woman stepped aside.

There she was, Amy, sitting on the floor in pajamas, drawing with crayons.

Her tiny shoulders, her soft hair, the focused expression she always had—

Ethan felt his throat close.

She looked up.

Then blinked.

“Daddy?”

The words hit him harder than anything he had ever felt in his life.

He crouched down as she ran into his arms. He held her tight, steadying himself as a storm of emotions tore through him.

“I missed you,” she said, muffled against his chest.

Ethan swallowed. “I missed you more.”

They talked—quiet, gentle moments. She told him about school. Her favorite teacher. The new teddy bear she named “Star.”

Ethan memorized everything.

Before he left, he knelt in front of her.

“I’m going to make sure you have a safe life,” he whispered. “A better future. I promise.”

She smiled, innocent and trusting.

He hugged her one last time.

He then turned to the babysitter, giving her careful warnings that sounded almost like a threat, it was to keep her mouth shut about him being alive and also visiting his daughter.

Fortunately, Ethan has a leverage on the babysitter, so he was sure she would heed the warning and keep her mouth shut.

When he left the house, he didn’t speak. Rowan started the engine quietly.

After a long silence, Ethan said:

“If anyone tries to use her to get to me… I’ll burn their world to the ground.”