The Hidden Heir

Chapter 7: Enemies in the Shadows

Three days after the press conference, Hercules was leaving the King Corporation building when a car tried to hit him.

He jumped out of the way just in time. The car crashed into the building's wall. Security guards ran toward him. Dominic grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.

"This is what I warned you about," Dominic said, his face very serious. "Your uncle has enemies too. Many of them will now try to use you to get to him. Many of them will try to kill you."

Hercules realized he needed protection. Dominic introduced him to a man named Victor. Victor was a former military officer. He ran a private security company. He had protected presidents and kings.

"You need a team around you," Victor said. "You need people who can watch you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You need people who are willing to die for you."

"I can pay for that," Hercules said.

"Yes, you can," Victor agreed. "And you will also need a new place to live. The hotel is not safe. We need a private mansion with guards and security systems."

Within one week, Hercules had moved into a mansion that belonged to the King family. The mansion had twenty bedrooms, a swimming pool, a movie theater, and a gym. Guards surrounded the property twenty-four hours a day.

But Hercules felt trapped. He was richer than he had ever imagined. He had power beyond anything he could have dreamed of. But he was also a prisoner.

He could not walk down the street without guards. He could not eat at a restaurant without it being searched first. He could not trust anyone who wanted to be his friend.

One day, Hercules decided to visit his old neighborhood. He wanted to see where he had grown up. He wanted to remember his life before all this happened.

Victor and his security team took him there in an armored car.

The apartment building looked the same as it always had. It was old and dirty. Kids played on the street. People sat on the steps, talking and laughing.

"Why did you want to come here?" Dominic asked.

"I just wanted to remember," Hercules said. "I wanted to see if anything had changed."

They parked the car a block away from the apartment. Hercules got out and walked down the street. No one recognized him. To them, he was just a stranger in an expensive suit.

He climbed the stairs to the apartment he had shared with Nora. He did not knock. He just opened the door.

Inside, he found Nora and Seth together. They were sitting on the couch. Nora was wearing an expensive dress. Seth had his arm around her.

When they saw Hercules, their faces went white.

"You," Seth said, standing up. "What are you doing here?"

Hercules said nothing. He just looked at Nora. She could not meet his eyes.

"I came to see my old home," Hercules said calmly. "But I see you have made some changes."

"Get out of here," Seth said. "This is my apartment now."

Hercules looked around. He realized that Seth had probably paid for the apartment. Seth had bought Nora with money and gifts, just like he had bought everything else in his life.

"You are right," Hercules said. "I will leave. But I want you to know something, Seth. I am Hercules King. I own the King Corporation. I am worth fifty billion dollars. And one day, you are going to wish you had treated me with respect."

Seth's face changed. He looked scared. He knew who Hercules King was. Everyone in the world knew now.

"You are lying," Seth said, but his voice was shaking.

"I am not lying," Hercules said. "And I am giving you a warning. Stay away from the people I care about. Stay away from my friends. If you hurt anyone I care about, I will destroy you."

Hercules looked at Nora one more time. She was crying, but he did not care. She had thrown him away when he was poor. She did not deserve his sympathy now.

He turned and walked out of the apartment.

As he was leaving, he heard Seth on the phone. Seth was calling someone. Seth was asking for protection. Seth was scared.

Hercules did not care. Seth deserved to be scared.

But as Hercules was walking back to the car, he noticed something strange. A man in a black jacket was watching him from across the street. When their eyes met, the man ran away.

"We have a problem," Victor said when Hercules told him about the man. "Someone is trying to track you. Someone is trying to find your weaknesses."

"Who?" Hercules asked.

"I do not know yet," Victor said. "But we need to find out. And we need to find out fast."