Chapter 8 The Enemy Behind the Curtain

Chapter 8: The Enemy Behind the Curtain

The elevator doors slid open onto the hotel's exclusive executive floor, where silence replaced the noise of the charity gala below. Only a handful of people were permitted access to this level, and every corridor was guarded by Carter Group's private security.

Samuel slowed his pace and looked at Ethan. "Young Master, Victor Graves requested this meeting himself. That alone is unusual. For years, he has avoided any direct contact with the Carter family."

Ethan's expression remained calm. "People only leave the shadows when they believe they're in control."

Samuel nodded. "Or when they're desperate."

They stopped outside a pair of polished wooden doors.

A bodyguard opened them.

Victor Graves was already waiting.

He stood beside the windows overlooking the city, dressed in a perfectly tailored navy suit, a glass of red wine resting comfortably in his hand. At first glance, he looked more like a respected philanthropist than one of the most dangerous businessmen in the country.

He smiled the moment Ethan entered.

"So this is the famous Ethan Carter."

His voice was smooth and welcoming, but there was something unsettling beneath it.

"I've heard so much about you."

Ethan walked into the room without offering his hand.

"I can't say the same."

Victor chuckled.

"Straight to business. I like that."

He gestured toward the sofa.

"Please."

"I prefer standing."

Victor didn't seem offended.

"I've spent years hoping the Carter family would recover. Your grandfather built an extraordinary empire."

Ethan met his gaze without blinking.

"And yet you've spent those same years quietly buying companies connected to my family."

For the first time, Victor's smile faded ever so slightly.

"So you've done your homework."

"I always do."

Victor set his wine glass on the table.

"Then you already know we're competitors."

"No."

Ethan's answer came without hesitation.

"Competitors chase the same opportunities."

"You've been hiding behind other people while trying to weaken my family."

"That's not competition."

"That's cowardice."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

Samuel remained silent, watching the exchange carefully.

Victor laughed, but this time there was no warmth in it.

"I underestimated you."

"Most people do."

Victor slowly walked closer.

"You know, Ethan, wealth changes people."

"I've watched friends betray each other over far less than what you've inherited."

"I wonder..."

He stopped only a few feet away.

"...how long it will take before someone close to you does the same."

Ethan's expression never changed.

"If you're trying to threaten me, you'll have to do better."

Victor smiled again.

"I'm not threatening you."

"I'm giving you advice."

"The business world isn't as forgiving as your grandfather."

Ethan folded his hands behind his back.

"My grandfather taught me something valuable."

Victor raised an eyebrow.

"What's that?"

"Never negotiate with someone who mistakes kindness for weakness."

The room fell silent.

For several seconds, neither man looked away.

It was no longer a conversation.

It was a battle of wills.

Finally, Victor broke the silence.

"I have a proposal."

"I'm listening."

"Our companies are powerful."

"If we cooperate instead of competing, both families will become stronger."

Samuel frowned immediately.

The offer sounded generous.

Too generous.

Ethan looked at Victor thoughtfully before asking, "And what would you want in return?"

Victor's smile widened.

"Only your trust."

Ethan laughed softly.

It was the first genuine laugh of the evening.

When it faded, his eyes turned cold.

"The one thing you can never afford."

Victor's expression hardened.

"I see you've already made your decision."

"I made it before walking into this room."

Without another word, Ethan turned toward the door.

Victor spoke again.

"You're making a mistake."

Ethan stopped but didn't look back.

"No."

"You made yours fifteen years ago."

Then he walked out.

The door closed quietly behind him.

Victor remained standing in silence until the sound of footsteps disappeared.

Only then did another man emerge from a hidden room connected to the office.

He was in his sixties, dressed in a dark suit, his face partially hidden by the shadows.

"You should have killed him when you had the chance," the man said coldly.

Victor poured himself another glass of wine.

"I was beginning to think he died that night."

"So was I."

The older man narrowed his eyes.

"Now he's back."

Victor stared out the window toward the glowing Carter headquarters in the distance.

"And he's smarter than I expected."

The mysterious man spoke quietly.

"If William Carter announces Ethan as permanent chairman, everything we've built over the last fifteen years will collapse."

Victor took a slow sip of wine.

"Then we'll make sure he never gets that opportunity."

Back downstairs, Ethan stepped into the parking area where Samuel was already waiting beside the limousine.

"Young Master?"

"Increase security around my grandfather."

Samuel's face immediately became serious.

"You believe they'll act soon?"

"They already have."

Samuel looked confused.

"They invited me to cooperate."

"And when I refused..."

Ethan glanced toward the upper floors of the hotel.

"...they confirmed they're afraid."

The limousine pulled away from the hotel.

Neither man noticed the black SUV that quietly merged into traffic several cars behind them.

Inside the SUV, a man wearing an earpiece kept his eyes fixed on Ethan's vehicle.

He spoke calmly into his microphone.

"Target is leaving the hotel."

A voice answered through the radio.

"Do not lose him."

"We have our orders."

The SUV maintained a safe distance as it followed the limousine through the brightly lit streets.

Inside the Carter vehicle, Ethan looked out the window, watching the city drift by.

He had expected Victor Graves to make a move eventually.

He simply hadn't expected it to happen this quickly.

A few minutes later, Samuel's phone vibrated.

He answered immediately.

His face changed.

"What happened?"

The voice on the other end spoke rapidly.

Samuel slowly lowered the phone before turning toward Ethan.

"Young Master..."

"Our security team at Carter Manor has just reported an emergency."

Ethan's eyes sharpened.

"What kind of emergency?"

Samuel swallowed hard.

"Someone tried to break into your grandfather's private study."

"And according to the guards..."

"...they weren't looking for money."

"They were searching for a file your grandfather hid fifteen years ago."

Ethan looked back through the rear window.

The black SUV was still following them.

At that moment, everything became clear.

Tonight's meeting with Victor Graves had never been about cooperation.

It had been a distraction.

The real game had already begun.