Chapter 6 – The Brother From the Shadows
953 Words
The room fell silent.
Ethan Hayes stared at the masked man as if he had seen a ghost.
“No…”
“You died seven years ago.”
The man laughed, his voice cold and mocking.
“That’s what everyone was supposed to believe.”
He slowly removed his gloves, revealing a scar running across the back of his right hand.
It was the same scar Ethan remembered from childhood.
“There was never a body,” Ethan murmured.
“There didn’t need to be.”
The man’s smile widened.
“The dead are much harder to find.”
Damien stepped beside Ethan.
“You know him?”
Ethan didn’t take his eyes off the stranger.
“This is my older brother…”
Nathan Hayes.
Seven Years Earlier
The Hayes family had built one of the world’s largest private security and intelligence firms.
Two brothers were expected to inherit it.
Ethan chose to protect innocent people.
Nathan chose power.
Their rivalry tore the family apart.
One night, the company headquarters exploded.
Nathan disappeared.
The world believed he had died.
Only Ethan refused to believe it.
Now…
His worst fear had become reality.
Nathan picked up the silver box.
“You’ve spent years guarding this secret.”
“Tonight…”
“It finally belongs to me.”
Ethan raised his pistol.
“Put it down.”
Nathan laughed.
“Are you going to shoot your own brother?”
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Even if Aria dies because of it?”
Ethan hesitated.
That single moment was enough.
Nathan threw a smoke grenade onto the floor.
Boom!
Thick gray smoke filled the archive room.
Damien covered his mouth.
“Everyone back!”
By the time the smoke cleared…
Nathan was gone.
The silver box had vanished with him.
Downstairs
Aria held onto Grace’s hand while police officers secured the mansion.
Arthur Kingsley walked toward her slowly.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For failing your parents.”
Aria looked confused.
“What do you mean?”
Arthur reached into his coat pocket.
There was one item the thieves hadn’t found.
A faded photograph.
It showed two smiling couples standing together.
Arthur pointed at one man.
“This was your father.”
He pointed at the elegant woman beside him.
“And this…”
“…was your mother.”
Aria stared at the picture.
The woman looked remarkably like her.
The same eyes.
The same smile.
The same dimple on her left cheek.
Tears rolled down her face.
“They’re dead?”
Arthur lowered his head.
“They were murdered.”
Aria’s legs gave way.
Grace quickly caught her.
“No…”
“No…”
Arthur closed his eyes.
“They died protecting you.” Elsewhere…
Nathan entered an abandoned cathedral hidden deep in the mountains.
Several armed men stood as he approached a long table.
At the head of the table sat a mysterious woman dressed in white.
Her face remained hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat.
Nathan placed the silver box before her.
“I have it.”
The woman smiled.
“Excellent.”
She opened the box.
Inside was an old gold pendant engraved with a phoenix.
Nothing more.
Nathan frowned.
“That’s it?”
The woman chuckled softly.
“You still don’t understand.”
“This pendant isn’t valuable.”
“It’s a key.”
“A key?”
“To an account worth over twelve billion dollars.”
Nathan’s eyes widened.
“And the only person who can unlock it…”
The woman slowly looked toward the window.
“…is Aria Bennett.” Kingsley Mansion
Late that night…
Aria stood alone on the balcony, unable to sleep.
The city lights shimmered below.
Her life had changed in less than forty-eight hours.
She had lost her marriage.
Discovered she was pregnant with twins.
Survived two assassination attempts.
Learned she was adopted.
And now…
Someone wanted her because of a mysterious inheritance.
Footsteps approached behind her.
She turned.
It was Damien.
He stood silently for a moment before speaking.
“I owe you an apology.”
Aria looked away.
“You owe me more than that.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
“I should have trusted you.”
“I should never have let Sophia manipulate me.”
Aria’s voice trembled.
“When I needed you most…”
“…you chose someone else.”
Damien couldn’t deny it.
“I was wrong.”
For the first time in years…
The powerful billionaire lowered his head.
“I’m sorry.”
Before Aria could answer—
A loud ringtone shattered the silence.
It was Liam.
Damien answered immediately.
“What is it?”
Liam sounded panicked.
“Sir!”
“We’ve found Sophia Lancaster.”
“Where?”
“She was trying to board a private jet.”
Damien’s eyes darkened.
“Did you arrest her?”
There was a long pause.
Then Liam whispered,
“We were too late…”
“The jet exploded before takeoff.”
Damien froze.
“What?”
“There were no survivors.”
Aria’s heart sank.
If Sophia was dead…
Then who was truly behind everything?
Far away, in the shadows, the mysterious woman in white watched a live news broadcast of the explosion.
She smiled.
“One loose end…”
“…has been erased.”
She lifted a glass of wine.
“Now bring me Aria Bennett.”
Cliffhanger
Sophia appears to be dead, but the real mastermind has finally emerged. Who is the mysterious woman in white, and why does she believe only Aria can unlock a hidden fortune worth billions? Meanwhile, Aria has no idea that her unborn twins may be the final piece of a decades-old conspiracy.
- Writer
