CHAPTER 3 – The Brother Who Smiled at the Funeral
The courtroom exploded.
Ryan’s younger brother, Ethan Carter, slammed both hands on the table.
“This is ridiculous!” he shouted. “My brother was paranoid. He was sick. He recorded nonsense all the time!”
But Emily didn’t look afraid.
She looked ready.
For the first time since the trial began, Daniel lifted his head. The man who had been treated like a monster for six months suddenly saw hope.
The judge ordered Ethan to sit down.
Emily continued.
“Ryan knew he was being watched. He knew someone close to him was stealing from the company. But he didn’t know how far Ethan would go to protect himself.”
The flash drive was handed to the court technician.
A file opened on the projector.
Bank transfers.
Fake contracts.
Shell companies.
Millions of dollars moving from Carter Industries into hidden offshore accounts.
Every document carried one signature.
Ethan Carter.
Reporters began typing so fast it sounded like rain.
Ethan’s face turned gray.
Then another file appeared.
A security clip from Ryan’s penthouse hallway.
The same night Ryan died.
The same hour Daniel was accused of entering the building.
But the timestamp showed something different.
Daniel had left at 9:14 p.m.
Ryan was still alive.
At 10:03 p.m., another person entered through the private elevator.
Ethan.
Wearing gloves.
Carrying a black bag.
The entire courtroom froze.
Emily’s voice was soft but deadly.
“You smiled at Ryan’s funeral.”
She turned to Ethan.
“You hugged me. You told me you would protect me.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“But you were the one who killed him.”
Ethan shook his head, backing away.
“No. No, you don’t understand. Ryan was going to destroy everything.”
The prosecutor, who had spent the entire trial blaming Daniel, now looked horrified.
Daniel whispered, “He framed me…”
Emily nodded.
“Yes. And he almost succeeded.”
But then Ethan laughed.
A cold, broken laugh.
“You think this ends with me?”
He looked around the courtroom.
“You people have no idea how deep this goes.”
Then he turned to Emily.
And smiled.
“Ryan wasn’t the only one who left secrets behind.”
Emily’s face changed.
Because she knew exactly what he meant.
There was one more file on the flash drive.
One file she had not opened yet.
May you like
And its name was not Ethan.
It was hers.
