The Masked Tycoon

CHAPTER SIX

“Sir, we have a problem.”

Leonard didn’t look up from the file in his hand. “What kind of problem?”

The aide stepped closer, voice low. “Stonecliff made their first move. They’ve hired private operatives. Someone tried to breach our network this morning. They failed, but it was close.”

Leonard set the file down. “Who’s leading them?”

“Name hasn’t surfaced yet, but they’re paying well. And… Westwood’s son has been seen meeting a Stonecliff executive.”

Leonard’s lips curved slightly. “Victor. Of course.”

“Do you want us to shut it down?”

“Not yet.” Leonard’s tone was calm. “Let them think they’re ahead. Fear is louder when it’s close.”

At the Westwood estate, Victor was pacing again.

“They’ll find him,” he told Robert. “Stonecliff has resources. If anyone can expose Leonard Kane, it’s them.”

Robert leaned back. “Careful, Victor. Aligning with a rival family is dangerous. They want us gone as much as they want him.”

Miranda cut in sharply, “Dangerous or not, we need leverage. That man is bleeding us dry. I will not sit and watch our company become his plaything.”

Elena stepped in quietly. “You’re making it worse. Can’t you see he’s ahead of you? Every move you make, he’s already there.”

Victor sneered. “Still defending him? After everything?”

“I’m defending common sense,” Elena snapped. “You think teaming with our enemy will save you? It will destroy you.”

Robert’s voice dropped. “She’s right. We need another approach.”

“No,” Miranda said firmly. “We expose him, we crush him. Whatever it takes.”

Across town, Leonard met with an old associate in a quiet parking garage.

“They’re desperate,” the man said. “Stonecliff wants blood. They think Westwood’s son can hand it to them.”

“And can he?” Leonard asked.

“Not a chance. Your records are sealed tighter than any vault. But they’re trying something else buying loyalty. They’ve paid off one of your wife’s cousins. He’s feeding them scraps, hoping to find meat.”

Leonard’s eyes narrowed. “Name.”

“Damien Westwood.”

Leonard was silent for a long moment. “Let him run. When he trips, we’ll be there.”

That evening, Elena found Leonard waiting outside their old home.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said, glancing nervously at the windows.

“I go where I want,” he said evenly.

She folded her arms. “They’re talking to Stonecliff. Victor’s meeting people he shouldn’t. They’ll ruin everything.”

“They’ll ruin themselves,” Leonard replied.

“Why are you doing this? Revenge? Pride?”

Leonard’s eyes were steady. “Justice. And a promise I made a long time ago. You don’t need to understand, Elena. Just stay out of their way.”

“I can’t,” she said, her voice breaking. “They’re my family.”

“They treated you like property,” he said quietly. “And when I was nothing, they laughed at me. Now they’ll learn.”

She stepped closer. “And what about us? Are we nothing too?”

His jaw tightened. “That depends on you.”

Later that night, Victor sat in a dark office with a Stonecliff representative.

“You have something for us?” the man asked.

“Pieces,” Victor admitted. “But I know one thing Leonard Kane is hiding an empire. If we find the cracks, we own him.”

The Stonecliff man smiled coldly. “Careful, Mr. Westwood. People who try to own Leonard Kane don’t last long.”

Victor leaned forward. “Then we hit him first.”

Meanwhile, Leonard’s phone buzzed.

“Sir,” the aide said urgently, “Stonecliff just made another move. They’ve frozen one of our smaller accounts overseas. And there’s chatter about hiring an extraction team.”

Leonard’s voice was cool. “Let them come. By the time they knock, the door will already be gone.”

 Leonard makes a quiet call.

“Prepare for the next phase,” he said. “No more warnings. If Stonecliff wants a war, they’ll get one. And this time, we won’t leave survivors.”