CHAPTER 5: THE BULLET THAT EXPOSED THE REAL MASTERMIND
BANG!
The deafening shot echoed through the shattered cathedral.
For one terrifying second...
No one moved.
Then a body collapsed to the floor.
It wasn't Jonathan.
It wasn't Ethan.
It was Detective Daniel Brooks.
He had thrown himself in front of Jonathan at the last possible second.
Blood spread across his uniform as chaos erupted inside the church.
"Officer down!"
Jonathan's security team tackled the gunman before he could fire again.
The fake bodyguard struggled violently, laughing like a madman.
"You still don't understand!"
"You've already lost!"
Jonathan knelt beside Daniel.
"Stay with me."
The detective grabbed Jonathan's wrist with surprising strength.
"There isn't much time..."
He slipped a tiny USB drive into Jonathan's hand.
"I copied everything before they found me."
"What are you talking about?" Ethan asked.
Daniel looked directly into Ethan's eyes.
"The conspiracy..."
"...was never led by Richard Vale."
Everyone froze.
"What?"
Daniel coughed, blood staining his lips.
"Richard... was only following orders."
The entire church fell silent.
Jonathan stared at the USB drive.
"Who gave the orders?"
Daniel whispered one name.
"Catherine..."
Margaret gasped.
"No..."
"She died years ago."
Daniel slowly shook his head.
"No."
"She changed her identity."
"And for the last fifteen years..."
"...she has been the Chairwoman of Blackwood Global."
Jonathan's face turned pale.
"That's impossible."
"I personally attended her funeral."
Daniel gave a weak smile.
"So did the whole country."
"But the woman in that coffin..."
"...wasn't Catherine."
A horrifying realization swept across the room.
The company Jonathan had built...
The empire everyone believed belonged to loyal executives...
Had secretly been controlled by the very woman who tried to destroy his family.
Just then, one of Jonathan's assistants rushed into the church holding a tablet.
"Sir!"
"You need to see this!"
The screen displayed a live emergency meeting at Blackwood Global Headquarters.
Every board member had gathered.
At the head of the table sat a woman wearing a white suit.
Elegant.
Calm.
Smiling.
She slowly removed her sunglasses and looked directly into the camera.
"Good afternoon, Jonathan."
"I've waited fifteen years for you to come out of hiding."
She smiled as if she had expected this moment all along.
Then she announced to the entire world:
"As of ten minutes ago..."
"...I now legally own 62% of Blackwood Global."
Jonathan stared at the screen in disbelief.
"That's impossible."
"I still own the controlling shares."
The woman laughed softly.
"You did..."
"...until your son signed them over this morning."
Every eye turned toward Ethan.
His heart stopped.
"I never signed anything!"
The woman held up a document bearing Ethan's signature.
"It wasn't difficult."
"After all..."
"...your marriage license contained everything I needed."
Sophia covered her mouth in horror.
"The wedding..."
"...was never about bringing our families together."
Jonathan slowly lowered his head.
"It was a trap..."
The woman smiled one final time before the broadcast ended.
"Come and find me, Jonathan."
"If you want your company back..."
"...bring your son."
"And come alone."
The screen went black.
Seconds later...
Every phone in the church buzzed at the same time.
A breaking news alert flashed across every screen.
BREAKING NEWS: BLACKWOOD GLOBAL ANNOUNCES THE DEATH OF JONATHAN BLACKWOOD... FOR THE SECOND TIME.
Jonathan looked at Ethan.
"They're erasing me again."
Ethan clenched his fists.
"Then this time..."
"...we'll make sure the whole world learns the truth."
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END OF CHAPTER 5
Continue to Chapter 6... where Ethan infiltrates Blackwood Global, only to discover that the mysterious Chairwoman has been expecting him since the day he was born.
