CHAPTER 5 – The Man Who Attended His Own Funeral
The boardroom fell silent.
Every executive stared at the photograph lying in front of Ethan.
The face was unmistakable.
Richard Hale.
Walter's younger brother.
Declared dead twenty years ago after a private jet mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean.
Yet there he was...
Alive.
Smiling.
And preparing to steal the empire he had once betrayed.
Ethan looked at Eleanor.
"If he's alive... why did Grandpa never tell me?"
Eleanor took a deep breath.
"Because Walter believed Richard died the day he chose greed over family."
She pressed a remote.
Old security footage appeared on the giant screen.
Twenty-two years earlier...
Walter and Richard stood inside the original Aurelius headquarters.
Richard demanded full control of the company.
Walter refused.
The brothers argued for hours before Richard shouted words that echoed through the room.
"If I can't own this empire... I'll destroy it."
Days later, Richard vanished.
The world believed he had died in the crash.
Walter never believed it.
For two decades, he secretly built an intelligence network, convinced Richard was waiting for the perfect moment to return.
And that moment had finally arrived.
Suddenly, every phone in the boardroom vibrated at once.
Breaking News.
Aurelius Group CEO Assassinated.
Gasps filled the room.
"What?" Ethan whispered.
Eleanor quickly opened the article.
Then she froze.
"The news isn't talking about today..."
She looked at Ethan with horror.
"They're reporting your death."
A live television broadcast appeared on the screen.
Every major news channel showed Ethan's photograph beside the headline:
'Teen Billionaire Ethan Hale Dies in Helicopter Explosion.'
Outside the skyscraper...
Sirens screamed.
Police surrounded the building.
Investors began dumping Aurelius stock in panic.
Within minutes...
The company lost nearly twelve billion dollars in market value.
Richard hadn't attacked Ethan.
He had erased him.
Without firing a single bullet.
Then the lights inside the boardroom suddenly went dark.
Emergency generators failed.
Security cameras shut off.
A single voice echoed through the speakers.
"Welcome home, nephew."
The voice was calm...
Confident...
Almost amused.
"I spent twenty years preparing for this day."
"You inherited Walter's empire."
"But you also inherited his enemies."
A hidden door slowly opened at the far end of the room.
Footsteps echoed across the marble floor.
One...
Two...
Three...
An elderly man wearing a black suit stepped into the light.
His silver hair matched Walter's.
His eyes carried the same cold determination.
He smiled directly at Ethan.
"I suppose it's time we finally met."
"I'm Richard."
"And before this week is over..."
May you like
"You'll wish your grandfather had never left you a single dollar."
To Be Continued...
