CHAPTER 9 — The Brother Who Buried Him Alive
The abandoned steel factory stood silent beneath the pouring rain.
Daniel arrived alone.
Just as James demanded.
Inside the massive warehouse, old conveyor belts creaked in the darkness. Broken machinery cast long shadows across the concrete floor.
Then the lights flickered on.
James Carter stepped forward wearing an expensive black suit, smiling as if they were meeting for dinner instead of war.
"You actually came."
Daniel stared at him.
"You destroyed our family."
James laughed.
"No... Father destroyed us."
Daniel frowned.
James slowly walked closer.
"Do you remember the day Father announced you would inherit Carter Technologies?"
Daniel remained silent.
"I spent my entire life trying to prove I was worthy... and he handed everything to his favorite son."
His voice became colder.
"So I decided that if I couldn't own the company..."
"...no one would."
James pressed a remote.
A giant screen descended from the ceiling.
Old security footage began to play.
Daniel's eyes widened.
It showed six years earlier...
The night he disappeared.
James had arranged the fake kidnapping.
Michael Ross had only been his employee.
Then another video appeared.
Emma, terrified and crying, begging James not to hurt Daniel.
James handed her a phone.
"Tell the world he's dead."
"If you refuse..."
"...your daughter dies first."
Daniel felt his knees weaken.
Emma had never betrayed him.
She had sacrificed everything to keep Lily alive.
Tears filled his eyes.
"I judged her for six years..."
James smiled.
"And now it's too late."
Just then...
The warehouse doors slammed shut.
Hundreds of armed mercenaries emerged from every corner.
James looked at his younger brother one last time.
"This is where the Carter family ends."
But Daniel simply smiled.
"No..."
He looked toward the ceiling.
"It ends for you."
The skylights exploded.
Dozens of FBI agents rappelled into the warehouse from helicopters above.
James's smile disappeared.
Then Lily's small voice echoed through the loudspeakers.
"Hi, Uncle James."
Everyone looked around in shock.
"I called the FBI before Daddy left."
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James froze.
The seven-year-old had outsmarted the most dangerous man in the room.
