CHAPTER 4 – THE SECRET THAT SHATTERED EVERYTHING
The room was so silent that even the cameras stopped clicking.
Every eye was locked on Ethan.
He slowly stood, straightened his wrinkled jacket, and smiled for the first time in weeks.
"You think Daniel is the victim?" he asked.
"You've only heard half the story."
Daniel's expression remained calm.
"Go ahead."
Ethan reached into his briefcase and pulled out a faded envelope.
"This was left by your father."
Daniel frowned.
"My father died twenty years ago."
"Did he?" Ethan replied.
The room erupted with whispers.
Ethan slid the envelope across the conference table.
Inside were photographs.
Old newspaper clippings.
Financial records.
And one birth certificate.
Daniel's hands began to tremble.
The name of his father wasn't the one who had raised him.
Instead, another name appeared.
Richard Holloway.
The billionaire founder of Holloway Industries.
The same man whose empire had secretly financed Daniel's education through anonymous scholarships.
Olivia covered her mouth in disbelief.
"No..."
Daniel whispered.
"This can't be real."
Ethan looked directly into Daniel's eyes.
"Richard Holloway wasn't your sponsor."
"He was your biological father."
Daniel felt the world spinning.
Every memory of his childhood suddenly felt like a lie.
His mother had taken that secret to her grave.
Before anyone could react, another voice echoed from the back of the room.
"He's telling the truth."
An elderly man walked slowly toward the stage.
Everyone recognized him instantly.
It was William Hayes...
Richard Holloway's personal attorney for over thirty years.
William held a sealed legal file.
"I was ordered to keep this hidden until both men stood face-to-face."
He placed the file before Daniel.
"There is one more truth."
Daniel opened the document.
His breathing stopped.
Richard Holloway's final will had left half of his multi-billion-dollar fortune...
Not to his public heirs.
Not to his famous corporation.
But to one unknown son.
Daniel Brooks.
The entire board gasped.
Reporters rushed forward.
Stock prices began flashing across every television screen.
But then William spoke the sentence that changed everything.
"There is one condition."
"If Daniel accepts the inheritance..."
"He must discover who ordered Richard Holloway's death."
The conference room fell into complete silence.
Because Richard Holloway had never died of natural causes.
He had been murdered.
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And someone in that very room...
Already knew who the killer was.
