The Rightful Heir

Chapter Six

Liam’s POV

The file arrived exactly an hour later, just as Charles promised.

I sat on my bed, my laptop opened in front of me, fingers working as I clicked on the keypad 

Ryan Blackwood had secrets. And I was about to uncover them.

I clicked on the email. A single attachment stared back at me:

[ RYAN BLACKWOOD - CONFIDENTIAL FILE ] 

My heart beat fast as I double-clicked.

The document loaded.

And what I saw made my blood run cold. My phone vibrated right beside me, making my heart jump in my mouth. 

“You’re going to want to see this in person.” Charles’s voice rang through the phone.

I had called him the second I finished reading. “Meet me at the Carter Enterprises penthouse. It’s safer there.”

Who knew how much power Ryan’s family actually had?

I wasn’t going to take chances.

“I’ll be there.”

The penthouse was in the heart of the city. The moment I stepped in, Charles was already waiting, a glass of whiskey in one hand and a folder in the other.

“Mr Liam,” he greeted. “I assume you’ve read the file.”

I nodded. “Work me through it.”

Charles smirked. “Where do I begin?”

He set the folder down on the glass table and opened it.

“Ryan Blackwood is not as untouchable as he likes to think.”

I leaned forward. “Can you explain to me what you mean by that?" Charles took a sip of his drink before continuing.

“The Blackwoods have built their empire on sloppy grounds. Shady deals, money laundering, and—” he tapped the file “—several under-the-table business dealings that could ruin them.”

I exhaled sharply. “And Ryan? How's he caught up in all of this? Isn't his father supposed to be like the boss of everything?" 

Charles’s smirk widened. “That’s the interesting part.”

He flipped a page, revealing photos.

I looked at them quickly—

Then I froze. One image stood out.

Ryan, In a dark alley. Handing over a thick envelope to a man in a black hoodie.

“What the hell is this?” I asked.

Charles tapped the photo. “That, Liam, is proof of Ryan’s drug dealings.”

I stiffened.

I wonder how he managed to run his drug business right inside the university grounds. 

Charles continued. “Ryan has been funding an underground drug ring, using his father’s business to launder the money. That’s why he’s untouchable at Crestwood. Half the faculty? Paid off. The students? Too scared to talk.”

I gritted my teeth. “And Melissa? Does she know about this too?" 

"I don't think she does. But I believe she must know where all the money is coming from." 

I clenched my fists in anger. All this time, I thought Ryan was just a spoiled rich kid who always wanted to make people like me suffer.

But this?

This was so much worse. “What do you want to do?” Charles asked.

I swallowed hard. There was only one answer. “I want to bury him.”

Charles chuckled. “Now we’re talking.”

[ Next day at school ]

The next day at Crestwood, I was no longer the invisible nobody.

People had already started noticing something different.

Maybe it was the way I walked. The way I held my head higher.

Or maybe it was the whispers.

I could hear them. “Is that Liam? He looks… different.”

“I heard he came in a luxury car this morning.”

“No way. That’s impossible.”

I ignored them.

Right now, my focus was Ryan. And I found him exactly where I expected—

At the student lounge, laughing with his friends. Melissa was beside him, practically all over him. 

I walked straight toward them.

Ryan noticed me first. His smirk in an unusual manner that makes me want to smack him on the cheek 

“Carter,” he said, jesting. “Did you finally take Melissa’s advice? Planning to drop out?”

His friends laughed. I didn’t. Instead, I pulled out my phone.

And played the video. Ryan’s laughter stopped.

His eyes fixed onto the screen. A video of him playing with him handling an envelope to a man in the alley. The blood drained from his face.

“What…?”

I smirked. “I wonder how the university board would feel about this. Or maybe the police? Should I forward it to them?”

Ryan stood up so fast his chair scraped against the floor.

“You—” His voice was low, dangerous.

Melissa frowned. “Ryan? What’s going on?”

Ryan didn’t answer.

Instead, he grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the hallway. His grip was tight. 

Furious.

Good.

We stopped in a quiet corridor. Ryan turned to me, his expression a bit shaky. “Where the hell did you get that?” I smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

His jaw clenched.

“Listen, Carter,” he hissed. “I don’t know what game you think you’re playing, but you’re messing with the wrong person.”

I leaned in. “No, Ryan. You’re messing with the wrong person.”

His eyes darkened. I could see it—the realization creeping in.

Something had changed.

I wasn’t the same pathetic scholarship student he used to mock.

I was something else now. Something he should be afraid of.

“You’re going to delete that video,” he ordered

I tilted my head. “Or what?” His fists clenched. “You don’t want to find out.” I took a step closer. “Try me.”

For the first time ever, I saw something flicker in Ryan’s eyes.

Uncertainty.

But it was gone in an instant, replaced by anger.

“You think you’re untouchable now?” he sneered.I smiled. “I don’t think so. I know.”

Ryan exhaled sharply. “Fine. What do you want?”

I tapped my chin mockingly. “Haven’t decided yet. But when I do, you’ll know.”

Ryan gritted his teeth. “You’re making a mistake.” 

I shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out.” And with that, I turned and walked away.

Leaving Ryan Blackwood standing there—speechless.

Back in my dorm, I dialed Charles. “It worked,” I said. Charles chuckled. “Told you it would.”

I exhaled. “But Ryan won’t back down easily. He’ll retaliate.”

“Of course he will,” Charles agreed. “Which is why we’re going to make sure his retaliation destroys him.”

I frowned. “How?” There was a pause. Then Charles’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“Because, Liam, there’s one more secret you haven’t uncovered yet.” My stomach tightened. “What do you mean?”

Charles hesitated.

Then he said three words that made my blood freeze.