The Masked Tycoon

CHAPTER FIVE

“Tell me this is a joke.”

Robert Westwood’s voice was hard as stone. He slammed the morning paper on the table. The headline screamed: Kane Consortium Acquires Westwood Suppliers in Surprise Move.

Victor paced the room, his face pale. “It’s not a joke. I spoke to the board this morning. Three suppliers left overnight. Contracts void. Kane paid in cash.”

Miranda’s jaw tightened. “This… this Kane. Who is he? Where did he come from?”

Victor turned to her, his smile brittle. “Mother, it’s worse than you think. Kane Consortium didn’t just buy suppliers. They bought shares. Fifteen percent. And the buyer’s name on every document is Leonard Kane.”

Silence fell like a blade.

Robert’s fingers clenched. “Leonard. Kane.”

Miranda’s voice cracked. “He used our name. Our family. He was in this house eating at this table!”

Victor spat, “And we handed him divorce papers like fools. He signed them like he didn’t care because he didn’t need us.”

Robert grabbed his phone. “Call legal. Freeze every account. Contact the board. I won’t let a stray ruin us.”

But even as he spoke, Victor’s phone buzzed. A message:

“Enjoying breakfast? Watch the market.”

Victor swore and opened a trading app. His face was drained of color. “Our shares they’re sliding. Someone’s buying in bulk.”

Miranda gripped the table. “He’s not bluffing. He’s coming for us.”

Across the city, Leonard’s calm voice carried over a secure line.

“Make it twenty-five percent by tomorrow,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” his aide replied. “Victor’s already scrambling. Do you want us to push harder?”

“Not yet. Let them panic. Fear makes people sloppy.”

Back at the Westwood estate, Elena walked in mid-chaos. “What’s going on?”

Victor snapped, “Your husband’s going on, that’s what. Leonard Kane, your quiet, useless husband is tearing this family apart.”

Elena blinked. “What are you talking about?”

Robert’s glare cut through her. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. The man you married hid everything. He’s not poor. He’s dangerous. He’s at war with us.”

Elena’s chest tightened. “Leonard wouldn’t ”

Miranda barked a laugh. “Wouldn’t he? He played us, Elena. All those nights you defended him, he was laughing behind your back. And you brought him into our home.”

Elena shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”

Victor threw the newspaper at her. “Read it. It’s his name. His company. He’s not the stray you pitied. He’s the shark you invited into the pool.”

Elena’s hands trembled. She didn’t know if it was fear, anger, or something else.

That afternoon, Victor stormed into a private bar, phone pressed to his ear.

“Mick, it’s me. I need information. Everything on Leonard Kane. Bank records, offshore accounts, criminal ties, whatever you can find. I don’t care what it costs.”

The voice on the other end was calm. “You sure you want this, Vic? People who dig too deep into Kane don’t last long.”

Victor’s grip tightened. “I’m not scared of him.”

“You should be,” the man said, then hung up.

Leonard sat in his office reviewing files. His aide stepped in.

“Sir, Westwood’s son is digging. He’s hired outside investigators.”

Leonard didn’t look up. “Let him. The more he looks, the more questions he’ll have. And when he thinks he’s close, pull the ground from under him.”

The aide hesitated. “Do you want me to warn him?”

Leonard finally smiled. “No. Let him sweat. Fear tastes better when it’s earned.”

Later that night, Elena found herself outside Leonard’s building. She didn’t remember driving there, only that she needed answers.

When he opened the door, he didn’t look surprised.

“I thought you might come,” he said.

She stepped inside. “Tell me it’s not true.”

“What part?”

“That you’re doing this to them. That you’re… Kane Consortium.”

He met her gaze. “It’s true.”

Her breath caught. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Would you have believed me? The woman who stood silent while they mocked me?”

Her eyes filled. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know who you were.”

“You didn’t want to know,” he said softly. “And now the game has started.”

“Leonard, stop this,” she pleaded. “They’ll be ruined.”

“They ruined themselves,” he replied calmly. “I’m just letting them see it.”

 Leonard turned away, his voice a quiet promise:

“This is only the first move, Elena. By the time they understand who I am, it’ll be too late.”