CHAPTER 9 — The Mastermind Steps Out of the Shadows
At exactly 11:59 PM...
Richard Harrington arrived alone at an abandoned train station on the edge of the city.
No security.
No police.
Just the envelope... and Daniel's flash drive.
The station was silent except for the sound of dripping rainwater.
Then...
A voice echoed through the darkness.
"You actually came."
Richard turned.
A woman stepped into the dim light.
She wore a long black coat, her face partially hidden beneath the hood.
Richard frowned.
"I don't know you."
The woman smiled sadly.
"No..."
"But your wife did."
Richard froze.
"My wife died twenty years ago."
"That's what they wanted you to believe."
His heart nearly stopped.
The woman slowly handed him an old photograph.
Richard's hands trembled.
It showed him...
His wife...
And the mysterious woman standing beside them.
She wasn't a stranger.
She had been his wife's personal attorney.
"My name is Evelyn Brooks," she said quietly.
"Your wife trusted me with one secret before she disappeared."
Richard's breathing became shallow.
"What secret?"
Evelyn pulled out a faded leather journal.
"It wasn't an accident."
Richard stared at her.
"The car crash that supposedly killed your wife..."
"...was staged."
His legs gave way.
He collapsed onto a nearby bench.
"No..."
Evelyn opened the journal.
"Your wife discovered the financial conspiracy years before Daniel did."
"She was going to expose everyone."
Richard's eyes filled with tears.
"But before she could..."
"...someone made her disappear."
Richard whispered,
"Who?"
Evelyn looked directly into his eyes.
"The man you've been hunting."
At that moment...
Footsteps echoed through the station.
A slow clap filled the air.
Clap...
Clap...
Clap...
A tall man emerged from the shadows.
Perfect suit.
Silver hair.
Calm smile.
Richard recognized him instantly.
His oldest friend.
His business partner.
The man everyone believed was already fleeing the country.
Instead...
He had been waiting.
"I was wondering when you'd finally learn the truth, Richard."
Richard's fists clenched.
"You murdered my wife."
The man smiled.
"No."
"I simply gave her a choice."
Richard lunged toward him—
But dozens of armed men stepped from the darkness, surrounding the platform.
The old man laughed.
"You still don't understand."
"This company..."
"...was never my real goal."
He snapped his fingers.
A giant screen hanging inside the abandoned station suddenly turned on.
The screen displayed a countdown.
00:09:59
Richard looked up in confusion.
"What is that?"
The man smiled.
"In exactly ten minutes..."
"...every financial market in the country will believe Harrington Global has collapsed."
"The company will lose billions before sunrise."
"And everyone will blame..."
May you like
He looked Richard directly in the eyes.
"...you."
