CHAPTER 8 — The Secret Hidden Inside Lily's Teddy Bear
Chaos erupted.
Federal agents rushed toward Robert, but it was too late.
He collapsed to the floor.
Doctors fought to save him while Michael laughed hysterically.
"It's over now."
Daniel looked defeated.
Without the evidence, the entire case against Michael could collapse.
Lily quietly wiped away her tears.
Then she remembered something.
"Daddy..."
Daniel knelt beside her.
"What is it?"
Lily held up her old stuffed teddy bear—the same worn bear she had carried since she was a baby.
"You gave me this before you disappeared."
Daniel smiled sadly.
"I remember."
Lily squeezed the bear.
Something hard clicked inside.
Daniel's expression changed instantly.
He carefully opened a tiny zipper hidden beneath the bear's arm.
Inside...
...was another flash drive.
Smaller.
Hidden so perfectly that no one had ever noticed.
Daniel's hands began to shake.
"I completely forgot..."
He inserted it into a nearby laptop.
A single video file appeared.
Recorded six years earlier.
The video showed Michael Ross meeting with several powerful executives.
But then...
The camera turned.
Another face entered the room.
Everyone gasped.
It wasn't Robert.
It wasn't Emma.
It was Daniel's own older brother, James Carter.
The man who had spent six years pretending to search for Daniel...
...had secretly financed the entire conspiracy.
Just then, every television inside the bank switched on.
Breaking News flashed across the screen.
"James Carter, Acting CEO of Carter Technologies, has just announced a press conference."
Daniel's phone rang.
He answered.
A calm voice came through the speaker.
"Hello, little brother."
James laughed softly.
"If you want your company back..."
"...come alone."
Then the line went dead.
Daniel looked at Lily one last time.
May you like
He realized the nightmare wasn't over.
It had only reached the halfway point.
