CHAPTER 8: THE FINAL BETRAYAL — THE TRUTH ABOUT ETHAN’S FATHER
The screen flickered.
Sophia Carter and Victor Hayes stood side by side.
Two people Ethan believed were enemies.
Two people who were supposed to hate each other.
But now they were together.
Ethan stared at the screen in disbelief.
“This is impossible.”
Sophia looked at him with sadness.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
She paused.
“You think we were the ones who destroyed your family.”
Ethan clenched his fists.
“Weren’t you?”
Victor lowered his eyes.
For the first time, the powerful businessman looked defeated.
“No.”
Ethan laughed bitterly.
“Everyone says the same thing.”
Everyone had a story.
Everyone had an excuse.
His entire life had been built on secrets.
Sophia looked at Noah.
“Tell him.”
Noah stayed silent.
“Tell him why you were chosen.”
Ethan turned toward his best friend.
The person he trusted most.
The person who knew every part of him.
“Noah…”
His voice was almost a whisper.
“Who are you?”
Noah looked away.
Then he finally answered.
“My real name isn’t Noah Wilson.”
Ethan froze.
“My name is Noah Blackwood.”
The room went silent.
Ethan felt like the ground disappeared beneath him.
“Blackwood?”
Noah nodded.
“I am your cousin.”
Ethan stared at him.
“No…”
“I was sent to watch you.”
Noah’s eyes filled with guilt.
“But not because I wanted to hurt you.”
He took a deep breath.
“Because I was trying to protect you.”
Ethan shook his head.
“Protect me?”
“You lied to me for seventeen years.”
Noah looked down.
“I know.”
“Every memory we had…”
“I know.”
“Every conversation…”
“I know.”
Ethan’s anger turned into pain.
“Was any of it real?”
Noah looked at him.
And that answer hurt the most.
“Yes.”
His voice cracked.
“Every moment was real.”
Sophia’s voice came through the screen.
“Ethan, you need to hear the truth about Daniel Carter.”
Ethan looked up.
“No more lies.”
Sophia nodded.
“No more lies.”
Victor stepped forward.
“Your father didn’t steal you from your family.”
Ethan frowned.
“Then what happened?”
Victor looked ashamed.
“Daniel saved you.”
The room became silent.
“He discovered that the Blackwood family was being destroyed from inside.”
Ethan remembered the birth certificate.
His mother.
The secret organization.
The betrayal.
Victor continued:
“Your uncle Alexander wasn’t trying to save the family.”
“He was trying to take everything.”
Ethan’s eyes widened.
“Alexander?”
Sophia nodded.
“Your uncle created the entire plan.”
“The company collapse.”
“The fake deaths.”
“The destruction of your family.”
“He wanted the Blackwood empire.”
Ethan looked at Noah.
“Then why did everyone think Daniel betrayed us?”
Noah answered quietly.
“Because Daniel allowed them to believe it.”
Ethan froze.
“What?”
Noah continued:
“Your father knew the only way to keep you alive was to become the villain.”
“He let everyone hate him.”
“He let everyone believe he abandoned you.”
“But secretly…”
“He spent seventeen years fighting to destroy the people hunting you.”
Ethan felt tears forming.
All this time…
The man he blamed.
The man he thought left him.
Was the person who sacrificed everything.
Suddenly, the screen changed.
A new video appeared.
Daniel Carter.
The final message.
Ethan stepped closer.
His father looked older than before.
Tired.
But peaceful.
“Ethan.”
The sound of his father’s voice broke him.
“If you are watching this, I know you must hate me.”
Ethan covered his mouth.
Daniel continued.
“And I understand why.”
“I made you believe I left you.”
“I made you believe you were alone.”
A pause.
“But every day of my life, I watched over you.”
Ethan cried silently.
Daniel looked directly into the camera.
“You were never my burden.”
“You were my reason to survive.”
Then Daniel said something nobody expected.
“The person who will decide the future of the Blackwood empire is not me.”
“It is not your mother.”
“It is not Noah.”
“It is you.”
The video paused.
Then one final message appeared.
ACCESS GRANTED: ETHAN BLACKWOOD — OWNER
The entire underground system activated.
Thousands of files opened.
Bank accounts.
Companies.
Properties.
Hidden assets.
An empire worth billions.
Everything belonged to Ethan.
But before he could process it…
A warning appeared on every screen.
EMERGENCY ALERT
ALEXANDER BLACKWOOD HAS ENTERED THE FACILITY.
Everyone froze.
Because the man who started everything…
Was finally coming for Ethan.
The door behind them slowly opened.
Footsteps echoed through the hallway.
A man appeared.
Older.
Calm.
Smiling.
Alexander Blackwood.
He looked at Ethan.
“My nephew.”
Ethan stared at him.
“You destroyed my family.”
Alexander smiled.
“No.”
He walked closer.
“I built your destiny.”
Ethan’s face hardened.
“What do you want?”
Alexander looked at the empire files.
“What every Blackwood wanted.”
He smiled.
“The throne.”
Then he whispered:
“But there is one thing your father never told you…”
Ethan stared.
“What?”
Alexander smiled.
“The Blackwood heir was never supposed to be you.”
Everyone went silent.
Alexander stepped forward.
“Because you were never Daniel Carter’s son.”
Ethan froze.
And with those words…
The last piece of the mystery finally began to fall apart.
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Because the biggest secret of all…
Was the truth about Ethan’s blood.
