CHAPTER 7 — The Man Behind the Plan
CHAPTER 7 — The Man Behind the Plan
The stranger's pistol remained steady.
No one moved.
Detective Marcus Hale raised his own weapon.
"Drop it!"
Instead, the man smiled.
It was the calm smile of someone who believed he was still in control.
"So," he said, "Victoria really couldn't finish one simple job."
His voice was smooth.
Educated.
Almost amused.
I stared at him, searching my memory.
Then it hit me.
"Ethan Brooks."
My company's chief financial officer.
The man who had worked beside me for nearly ten years.
He nodded politely.
"I'm impressed you remembered."
I felt sick.
"You've been involved from the beginning?"
He chuckled.
"Not from the beginning."
"Only after Victoria realized she couldn't access your controlling shares while you were alive."
Emily gasped.
Detective Hale kept his weapon trained on Ethan.
"Put the gun down."
Ethan ignored him.
Instead, he looked at me.
"You built an empire, Daniel."
"But empires always change hands."
"You simply weren't supposed to witness it."
My hands tightened into fists.
"You planned to kill my children."
He shrugged.
"They complicated the inheritance."
Those words erased every ounce of restraint I had left.
I lunged.
The gun fired.
The deafening blast echoed through the hidden room.
Pain exploded across my left shoulder as I hit the floor.
Emily screamed.
The twins began crying upstairs, their cries echoing faintly through the house.
Before Ethan could fire again—
Detective Hale pulled the trigger.
The bullet struck Ethan's arm.
His pistol flew across the concrete floor.
Three officers tackled him instantly.
He fought violently.
But within seconds, handcuffs snapped around his wrists.
"It's over," Detective Hale said.
Ethan laughed.
"You think I'm the only one?"
The room fell silent.
"What do you mean?" I demanded.
He smiled through bloody lips.
"Check Victoria's phone."
"She always kept a list."
"A list of useful people."
The detective immediately ordered an officer to seize every electronic device in the house.
May you like
As paramedics rushed in to treat my shoulder, I watched Ethan being dragged away.
He never stopped smiling.
