CHAPTER 4- The Unknown Enemy
959 Words
Avery Goode was dead.
That was the first news I got when I finally regained consciousness. I ran outside to confirm what I had heard.
It was chaos.
Smoke still curled into the sky, and scorched metal littered the driveway. People ran in every direction, shouting and gesturing wildly.
I walked forward and saw Ethan, barking orders to one of the men. "Make sure everything is cleared out in the next hour. I don't want to attract any attention."
"Is it true?" I asked behind him, still quaking from shock. "Is she dead?'
He turned and frowned. "What are you doing out of bed? Someone will take you back upstairs to rest."
I couldn't understand it. How was he so calm? His girlfriend had just exploded in a car!
"You killed her, didn't you?" I asked, defiant.
His face darkened. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Avery didn't just die by accident. That car f*****g exploded!" I screamed. "I saw everything, I… I—"
The words broke and tears spilled down my cheeks,
I may not have liked her, but I didn't want her to die.
He let out a cold humorless breath. “And why would I kill her? Because she hated you? Don’t flatter yourself.”
Then his tone softened a little. "I’ll excuse this outburst because of the trauma you must be facing right now. I have no hand in this, but I will find the culprit, and they will pay.”
He gestured to a guard. "Take Bennett inside, she's been through enough today.”
...
That night, I was haunted by a terrible dream.
Images of the explosion replayed over and over in my mind. I felt the heat burn through my skin. I tried to run, but my legs wouldn't move. I opened my mouth to scream—
BANG BANG BANG!
A sharp knock on the door yanked me from the nightmare.
It was one of the guards.
"Mr. Vance wants all the staff in the living room in ten minutes." He announced.
I nodded, still disoriented. I quickly freshened up and headed downstairs. By the time I reached the living room, everyone was already lined up in a straight row. Ethan sat in front of them, legs crossed, expression unreadable. I slipped quietly into the line, hoping not to get noticed.
"I called you all here for a very important reason." Ethan began. He held up a small metallic shell, its battered edges catching the light. “I’m sure by now you’ve all heard about the… accident yesterday.”
No one dared respond.
“I found this at the site.” He raised the shell higher. “Can anyone tell me what this is?”
Someone finally spoke. “It looks like a bomb casing, sir.”
“Correct,” Ethan said. “This is the casing shell of a bomb.”
A few people gasped. Soft murmur rippled through the room before dying out.
"But it's not just any shell,” he continued. “This belongs to Grey Industries."
The room shifted instantly. A wave of uneasy murmurs spread through the staff. A few people exchanged worried glances, and one woman covered her mouth in shock.
Clearly everyone understood the weight of that name. Everyone except me.
"Who are they?" I whispered to Mrs. Lang, who happened to be standing beside me.
"His biggest rival,” she whispered back. “And the most dangerous one.”
“Someone here is working for my enemies." Ethan said confidently
The room fell utterly silent.
"Now, I'm sure you all know I could pinpoint the culprit in seconds.” He continued, his eyes scanning the room, “but I'm feeling gracious today. I’ll give the culprit a chance to come clean. If you confess, I’ll let you walk out of here alive. If not…” He smirked.
The silence stretched for several long, suffocating minutes. No one spoke.
Finally, Ethan stood slowly, letting his gaze linger on us one last time, although it felt like he was looking right at me. “Okay then. I’ll find the person myself. Goodluck.”
He strolled out, leaving the room heavy with tension.
As soon as Ethan stepped out, the room burst into chaotic chatter. Voices overlapped, everyone scrambling to guess who the spy could be. The whole thing left me even more shaken.
I hurried back to my room, desperate to breathe. This was too much. I hadn’t come here for fear, terror, and explosions. It suddenly felt like anyone in this house could die without warning, and I refused to wait around for my name to be next.
Right there, I made up my mind: I was leaving. I’d find another way to clear my father’s debts.
I dragged my box out of the closet, ready to start packing, when my phone pinged.
A message from an unknown ID:
Hell of a meeting, wasn’t it?
I scoffed and ignored it. Probably some i***t trying to be funny.
Another message came in.
This time, there were two photos attached.
The first caught the exact moment Avery slapped me.
The second showed me by her car. I knew I had only been loading her things, but from the angle the picture was taken, it looked like I was messing with her trunk. Like I had planted something.
My vision blurred, my grip loosened, and I almost dropped my phone.
Then the third message appeared:
Unknown: Take one step out of that mansion, and this goes straight to Ethan Vance.
My fingers shook as I typed back.
Me: Who are you? What do you want?
A long pause.
Then.
Unknown: I want the Mafia King’s head on a plate… and you’re going to give it to me.
- Writer
