Chapter 11 The First Strike
Chapter 11: The First Strike
The anonymous message remained on Ethan's phone long after everyone else had left the study.
Most people would have seen it as a threat.
Ethan saw it as a mistake.
For years, his enemies had hidden behind layers of secrecy, manipulating events from the shadows and leaving no trace behind. Now, for the first time, they had reached out directly. That meant one thing.
They were nervous.
The appearance of the Carter heir had disrupted plans that had been carefully protected for fifteen years.
William sat quietly across from him.
"You look calm."
Ethan placed the phone on the desk.
"I'm thinking."
"About the threat?"
"No."
William raised an eyebrow.
"Then what?"
"I'm wondering why they suddenly want us afraid."
The old man smiled faintly.
"Good."
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
"If they truly wanted you dead, they wouldn't send warnings."
"They would act."
William nodded.
"Which means?"
"They need time."
The realization settled over the room.
Whoever stood behind the Shepherd was preparing something significant.
The warning wasn't meant to terrify them.
It was meant to distract them.
Samuel entered carrying a stack of files.
"Our investigation into the executive's death is underway."
Ethan accepted the documents.
The executive who had died in the crash was named Leonard Hayes. He had worked for Carter Group for nearly twenty years and managed access to thousands of confidential records.
At first glance, he seemed completely ordinary.
But something caught Ethan's attention.
Two weeks before his death, Leonard had accessed archived files connected to the year Ethan disappeared.
The same files that someone had tried to steal only hours earlier.
Ethan looked up.
"He wasn't killed because of what he knew."
Samuel frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"He was killed because of what he found."
The room fell silent.
William slowly stood.
"Then we're getting closer."
Ethan nodded.
"Close enough to make them panic."
By sunrise, Carter Group Headquarters was already buzzing with activity.
Ethan arrived before most employees and immediately summoned the senior leadership team.
Within thirty minutes, the boardroom was full.
Executives exchanged nervous glances as Ethan walked to the head of the table.
Everyone could sense something had changed.
The young chairman who had spent the last few days observing was now ready to act.
Ethan activated the screen behind him.
Several company names appeared.
Most of them belonged to firms secretly connected to Victor Graves.
"Our enemies have spent years infiltrating businesses around us."
The executives listened carefully.
"Today we begin removing them."
One director adjusted his glasses.
"Are we launching acquisitions?"
"No."
"Then hostile takeovers?"
Ethan shook his head.
"We're going to expose them."
The room became silent.
Ethan continued.
"Every company on this list has participated in financial fraud, market manipulation, or illegal asset transfers."
Several executives looked surprised.
"How do we know that?"
Samuel distributed folders.
"Because we've spent the last week collecting evidence."
As the directors reviewed the information, expressions of shock spread across the room.
The evidence was overwhelming.
Bank records.
Wire transfers.
Hidden partnerships.
Fake corporations.
Everything was documented.
One executive looked up.
"If this becomes public..."
"Their stock prices will collapse."
Ethan nodded.
"Exactly."
Another director smiled.
"That's brilliant."
Instead of fighting Victor directly, Ethan intended to destroy the foundation supporting him.
The strategy was simple.
Remove the pillars.
Watch the structure fall.
Meanwhile, across the city, Victor Graves was enjoying breakfast inside his penthouse office when his assistant rushed into the room.
The young woman looked pale.
"Sir."
Victor looked up from his coffee.
"What happened?"
She handed him a tablet.
His relaxed expression vanished almost immediately.
A major financial news network had just published an investigative report exposing one of his partner companies.
A second report followed minutes later.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
By the time Victor finished reading, billions of dollars had already begun disappearing from the market.
His phone started ringing nonstop.
Investors.
Lawyers.
Executives.
Everyone wanted answers.
Victor slowly stood and walked toward the window.
Far below, the city moved as if nothing had happened.
But he understood exactly what was happening.
Ethan Carter had finally attacked.
Not recklessly.
Not emotionally.
Surgically.
Victor smiled despite the damage.
"Interesting."
His assistant looked confused.
"Sir?"
Victor continued staring at the skyline.
"Most heirs inherit power."
"He inherited patience."
For the first time since Ethan's return, Victor felt genuine excitement.
The game had finally become dangerous.
Back at Hawthorne Holdings, Isabella sat in her office reviewing reports when another headline appeared on her screen.
Several businesses connected to Victor Graves were collapsing.
She immediately remembered the conversation she'd overheard at the charity gala.
The tension between Victor and Ethan.
The cold confidence in Ethan's eyes.
A realization slowly formed.
Ethan wasn't merely defending himself.
He was hunting the people responsible for destroying his family.
Before she could think further, her assistant entered.
"President Hawthorne."
"What is it?"
"You have a visitor."
"I don't have any appointments."
The assistant hesitated.
"He said you'd want to see him."
"Who?"
The assistant swallowed.
"Former Chairman Leonard Hayes's son."
Isabella frowned.
"What does he want?"
The young woman handed over a sealed envelope.
"He said his father left this before he died."
Isabella stared at the envelope.
Across the front, a handwritten message appeared.
If anything happens to me, give this to Ethan Carter.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Whatever Leonard Hayes had discovered before his death...
It was important enough to die for.
And now part of that secret was sitting on her desk.
Unopened.
Waiting.
