CHAPTER 5: My Father Never Died
Ethan couldn't breathe.
The old man standing before him was impossible.
His father.
Richard Blackwell.
The man whose funeral Ethan had attended twenty years earlier.
The man whose coffin he had lowered into the ground with his own hands.
"You..." Ethan whispered.
"You died."
Richard chuckled.
"Did I?"
He walked slowly into the light, perfectly dressed, his silver hair neatly combed, his posture as strong as ever.
"You buried exactly what I wanted you to bury."
Ethan's fists clenched.
"The coffin..."
"Empty," Richard replied with a smile.
"I needed the world to believe I was gone."
Sophia struggled against the chains.
"Don't listen to him, Ethan!"
Richard barely glanced at her.
"You've always been too stubborn, Sophia."
Ethan looked from Sophia to his father.
"Why?"
Richard sighed as if explaining something obvious.
"Because power is easier to control from the shadows."
"For twenty years, everyone believed Blackwell Global belonged to you."
"But every important decision..."
"...came from me."
Ethan felt sick.
"The company..."
"It was never yours."
Richard smiled.
"You were simply the public face."
"The perfect son."
"The perfect billionaire."
"The perfect puppet."
Those words shattered Ethan.
Every achievement...
Every award...
Every billion-dollar deal...
Had all been manipulated.
Richard continued walking until he stood inches away.
"You always wanted my approval."
"So I gave you success."
"I gave you wealth."
"I gave you influence."
"And you never once asked who was pulling the strings."
Sophia suddenly shouted,
"Ethan! Emma!"
His eyes widened.
"Where is she?"
Richard smiled.
"Safe."
"For now."
"If she behaves."
Rage exploded inside Ethan.
He charged toward his father.
But before he reached him, armed guards emerged from hidden doors.
Laser sights covered Ethan's chest.
Richard calmly straightened his tie.
"You still act before you think."
He snapped his fingers.
A giant screen descended from the ceiling.
A live security feed appeared.
Emma was locked inside a white room.
She hugged her knees, crying.
"Daddy..."
Ethan slammed his fists against the floor.
"Let her go!"
Richard ignored him.
Instead, he picked up a remote control.
The screen changed again.
This time...
It showed Victoria.
She was tied to a chair.
Bruised.
Terrified.
She wasn't smiling anymore.
Ethan stared in disbelief.
"Victoria?"
Richard laughed softly.
"You really believed she was my partner?"
Ethan frowned.
Richard shook his head.
"No."
"She worked for me."
"But she became... inconvenient."
Sophia whispered,
"I told you..."
"She was never the one in charge."
Richard walked toward Sophia and gently lifted her chin.
"You should have stayed quiet."
"You almost ruined everything."
Sophia spat in his face.
Richard wiped his cheek and smiled.
"I admire your spirit."
"But spirit doesn't win wars."
He turned back to Ethan.
"Now..."
"You have one choice."
He pressed another button.
Two countdown clocks appeared on the screen.
One above Emma.
One above Victoria.
10:00
Richard's voice echoed through the underground chamber.
"When the timers reach zero..."
"Only one of them survives."
Ethan's face turned pale.
"You monster."
Richard smiled without emotion.
"No."
"I'm your father."
"And today..."
"I'm going to find out whether blood is stronger than love."
The countdown began.
09:59...
09:58...
Then, from somewhere deep inside the underground tunnels...
A loud explosion shook the entire mansion.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
The lights flickered violently.
Every guard turned toward the sound.
Richard's confident smile disappeared for the first time.
One of his men shouted into a radio,
"Sir!"
"They're inside!"
Richard's eyes widened.
"Impossible..."
The radio crackled one final sentence.
"She's back."
Sophia suddenly smiled through her tears.
"I told you, Ethan..."
May you like
"I wasn't the only one who escaped."
TO BE CONTINUED...
