The Last Inheritance

Chapter Nine

Trent was halfway through a lazy story about one of his party nights when Carla burst into the Voss living room, breathless and wide-eyed.

“Turn on the TV,” she gasped. “Channel 5. Now.”

Everyone looked up. Mara lowered her wine glass. Vivian adjusted her shawl. Dray, annoyed, grabbed the remote and switched the channel.

The screen blinked, then cut to a stern-faced news anchor sitting behind a sleek glass desk. The words flashing on the screen behind her made everyone freeze.

**BREAKING: BRIGHTSTAR SOFTWARE COMPANY ACQUIRED BY KANETECH HOLDINGS.**

“What?” Trent said, sitting up. “That’s a joke, right?”

Mara’s eyes locked on the screen. “No,” she whispered.

The anchor spoke clearly, her tone urgent. “We’ve just confirmed that KaneTech Holdings, led by heir Elias Kane, has officially acquired BrightStar in a complete private buyout. The deal was signed late last night. Sources say it was quiet, fast, and undisputed.”

Carla’s hand went to her mouth. Dray leaned forward.

“No one even knew BrightStar was for sale,” the anchor continued. “But Elias Kane paid in full. And today, he becomes the legal owner of one of Chicago’s most powerful energy companies.”

Mara blinked slowly. “He… bought BrightStar?”

“That’s impossible,” Dray muttered. “How did he get the rights? The contracts? The money?”

Vivian’s face had gone pale. “If he can buy BrightStar, what’s next?”

The anchor’s voice cut through again.

“Joining us live from the BrightStar building is Elias Kane himself. This is his first official public statement since claiming to be the son of Amelia Kane — the late CEO of KaneTech.”

The screen shifted. And then he appeared.

Elias Kane.

Standing tall in a sharp black suit, no longer the janitor they remembered. His face calm, confident. Behind him, the BrightStar tower gleamed with a new KaneTech logo on a banner above the entrance.

He looked like he owned the world.

The reporter beside him smiled nervously. “Mr. Kane, thank you for joining us. Everyone’s wondering the same thing—why BrightStar? Why now?”

Elias looked into the camera, his voice smooth and quiet.

“I worked in the shadows for years. Everyone assumed KaneTech was done. That it had no one. But KaneTech was never dead. It was sleeping. And I didn’t come back for revenge. I came back for legacy.”

Mara stared at the screen, her heart pounding.

Dray crossed his arms. “He’s putting on a show.”

Elias continued, “BrightStar holds documents tied to the 2015 contract between the Voss Group and my mother, Amelia Kane. That contract was never meant to disappear. Now it’s mine.”

Trent jumped to his feet. “What contract?”

Vivian's lips parted slightly. She said nothing.

Elias’s voice stayed calm. “This isn’t personal. It’s correction. My mother built a trillion-dollar empire. Some tried to bury it. I’m here to uncover it.”

The reporter looked stunned. “You’re saying you bought BrightStar to access Voss Group records?”

“Yes,” Elias said. “And because this is only the beginning.”

The reporter hesitated. “And… your net worth? Reports say you’re worth more than the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Is that true?”

Elias gave a small smile. “Numbers are just numbers. What matters is control.”

Trent cursed under his breath.

Mara leaned back in her seat. She could feel her hands shaking.

“I was nothing to them,” Elias said. “Until I stopped asking for their approval.”

Vivian whispered to herself, “My God. He’s doing it. He’s really doing it.”

Back in the room, the atmosphere was heavy. Carla looked like she couldn’t breathe. Dray grabbed his phone, already dialing.

“This isn’t good,” he muttered. “If he’s got access to Voss contracts, he could expose—”

Vivian stood. “Quiet.”

Everyone froze.

Vivian turned to Mara. “Did you know this?”

Mara shook her head slowly. “I didn’t even know he could do something like this.”

Trent scoffed. “Well, congrats. Your janitor ex just bought one of our biggest companies.”

Mara didn’t respond. Her eyes were still locked on the TV screen.

The anchor returned as the interview ended.

“Elias Kane has made his first major move, shaking the foundation of Chicago’s power structure. The Voss family has yet to release a statement. We’ll continue to follow this story.”

The screen faded into commercials.

Silence.

Only the hum of the TV remained.

Mara stood up and walked to the window. Outside, the city looked the same — glowing buildings, cars buzzing by, people living their lives. But inside her, something cracked.

“He was serious,” she whispered. “He’s not bluffing.”

Dray turned to Vivian. “Do you know anything about that 2015 contract?”

Vivian hesitated. “There were talks. Meetings with a foreign company. We signed some documents… I took the KaneTech contract shares before they were officially allocated to Amelia. I thought it was over when she died.”

Mara spun around. “What if it wasn’t?”

No one answered.

Trent rubbed his temples. “Okay. Let’s say he has the contract or evidence. So what? What’s he gonna do, sue us?”

Carla looked over. “What if he’s not just coming for lawsuits? What if he wants to take everything?”

Dray was already pacing. “We need a legal team on this. Now. We need to find out what BrightStar gave him access to.”

Mara stepped forward. “And what if we can’t stop him?”

Dray stared at her. “We always stop people like him.”

She didn’t believe it.

Vivian slowly sat back down. “I told you,” she said. “Amelia’s son would be dangerous. She didn’t raise a fool.”

Trent huffed. “He still used to mop our floors.”

Mara turned. “And now he owns the building.”

Silence again.

She walked back to her seat, her legs heavy.

She thought of their anniversary. Of the streetlight. Of the ring she took from his hand.

She had laughed when Carla gave him the papers. Had looked away when he begged for answers. Had told him he was nothing.

And now — now he was everything they feared.

“I left him,” she murmured, almost to herself. “I left him, and now he’s coming for all of us.”

Carla shifted uneasily. “What if the press starts digging into you, Mara? What if people start asking questions? You divorced the heir to a trillion-dollar company.”

Mara didn’t reply.

Dray’s phone buzzed. He looked down, frowning.

“What is it?” Vivian asked.

He hesitated. “The board wants an emergency meeting. They want to know what we’re doing about… him.”

Mara sat back down, her expression blank.

“What are we going to do?” Carla asked.

No one had an answer.