The Conglomerate Heir Awakens

8

The Bravotech company had once been a promising co-company under the Vale conglomerate—until years of internal rot hollowed it out. Now it was drowning in debt, lawsuits, theft, and lazy management.

Perfect for Ethan to rebuild.

It was just last three weeks that he walked in with an unmistakable confidence. Thieves and saboteurs were fired. He installed competent and qualified department heads. Froze suspicious accounts. Dragged corrupt managers into meetings they never walked out of with the same arrogance.

Word spread fast:

The new boss doesn’t tolerate nonsense. He doesn’t negotiate. He turned a rotten company into a new one.

In just three weeks, the profit numbers had risen by 80%, something that hadn’t been achieved for the past three years.

Expenses stabilized. Revenue projections climbed. Old partners who had abandoned the company suddenly begged for contracts again.

Board members who doubted Ethan found themselves speechless in meetings, staring at the rise in profit graphs.

Employees whispered:

“He turned it around in weeks…”

“Who is he really?”

“I heard he came from a foreign group…”

“No, I heard he has ties to underground investors…”

“Whatever he is, he’s terrifying.”

Rivals outside the company, however?

They didn’t whisper.

They panicked.

Inside the board meeting, where all directors of the companies under the Vale conglomerate were present, Ethan could be seen walking in with Rowan behind him.

Unlike in the previous meeting, this time, Ethan had chosen to sit at the highest seat which was meant for the CEO of the Vale Conglomerate. It has been empty for a long time, so Ethan had decided to sit in today.

Eyes were raised, but none were bold enough to speak up. Ethan might not be the CEO yet, but the seat was still meant for him, after all, he was the rightful heir of the Vale family.

“So, has the board finally come to a conclusion based on the test given to me?” Ethan spoke, fiddling with a pen in his hand.

“Ahem,” one of the directors cleared his throat, he was the oldest and first to be made director when the Vale Conglomerate had its first co-company.

He is known as Harry Luxwood, and was the one that gave Ethan the Bravotech company as a test, hoping that he fails to revive it. But surprisingly, Ethan had risen beyond his expectations.

“Congratulations Ethan, you have passed our test. But that’s just the first one, it’s not enough for us to make you the director yet.” Harry said.

“What do you mean?” Rowan interrupted, “He’s the heir of the Vale company, which means he could become the CEO even without consulting the board. You’re lucky Ethan decided to consult you guys first!”

“I understand your concerns Rowan, but we’re merely just doing the rightful thing any board of directors would do before the installation of a new CEO.” Harry replied.

Rowan wanted to speak, but a quick nod from Ethan had made him halt.

“So, what has the board conclude I do next?” Ethan simply asked.

“We haven’t come to a conclusion yet, we’ll have a discussion and give you the answers by tomorrow noon.” Harry answered.

“Then I guess I’m done for today’s meeting.” Ethan said as he stood from his seat, and started walking towards the exit.

But before he left, he turned to look at the board once more. “I have a question though, if I find something strong enough, I could always claim the CEO position right?”

Something strong enough? The board didn’t understand what Ethan meant, but once again, it was Harry that replied him.

“It depends on what the thing is, and how true it is.” Harry answered.

“Then great!” Ethan said as he opened the door to leave.

As he walked out, Rowan who was beside him pulled out a tab containing some piece of information.

“We’ve learnt the identity of the assassin that attacked you. They’re from a group of handlers who worked secretly in the shadows. But how will we get them confess that they worked for some of our directors.”

“I know just the best way to do that. What about the corrupt files you have on them, we’ll be using them all tomorrow. I’m sure they won’t be expecting it.” Ethan smiled, “But right now, I have an enemy to get rid of.”

***

Granger had always been meticulous. Dirty money, secret deals, bribes, backdoor permits—he handled everything quietly.

But Ethan had something Granger didn’t:

A team capable of fetching out lies and corruption no matter how hidden they might be. The secret team whose loyalty lies in serving the Vale family, they were able to hack into different servers, do things secretly without anyone finding out.

And their expertise had made them discover the secrets that Granger thought he had hidden forever.

Ethan visited City Hall under the guise of reviewing old permits for the company’s new expansion project. What he actually wanted was access to the public archives.

He went with one of the members of his secret team. They spent hours combing through documents, cross-referencing signatures, matching dates. The deeper they dug, the clearer the pattern became.

Granger’s name appeared everywhere.

Illegal zoning approvals. Slush fund transfers. Ghost contractors that didn’t exist. Even Clara’s name appeared on one of the authorization letters.

Ethan felt nothing as he did this, no anger, no bitterness, just focus.

They scanned the documents, uploaded copies to a secure encrypted server, and then left City Hall soon after.

Outside, Ethan leaned against his car, breathing in the crisp evening air.

The path ahead was clear:

Granger wasn’t only corrupt.

He was stupid enough to leave a paper trail.

Ethan glanced toward the city skyline, the lights glinting like steel.

It was time to ruin Granger permanently. The initial one was just a warning, he hadn’t been arrested due to inadequate evidence, but now there’s enough evidence to put him behind bars.

And when he was done, Granger would pray the cliff had killed Ethan the first time.

***

Granger woke up to the sound of his phone exploding with notifications. Hundreds of messages. Missed calls. Emails. News alerts.

His name was everywhere.

CITY HALL CORRUPTION SCANDAL – EXECUTIVE IMPLICATED

ILLEGAL PERMITS LINKED TO GRANGER ASHALL

ARREST WARRANT EXPECTED!!

He felt the blood drain from his face.

The documents were precise. Dates lined up too perfectly. Transactions he thought were buried had resurfaced. Permits he signed years ago were now highlighted in red boxes in every news article.

“How?” he whispered to himself, pacing across his living room like a caged animal. “How did this leak… who got access?”

He dialed his lawyer. No answer.

Tried another. Straight to voicemail.

His assistant quit through text.

His empire—his carefully built influence—crumbled in minutes.

A knock at the door made him freeze.

“Police! Mr. Granger Ashall, open up!”

His legs nearly gave out. He stumbled backward, hands trembling.

No escape. No protection.

When the door burst open and officers swarmed in, Granger lifted his hands shakily, eyes wild.

“It wasn’t me,” he choked. “You don’t understand—I—I was framed—!”

But the cuffs snapped shut.

The world had already decided his fate.