CHAP 6
CHAPTER 6
The Man Behind Every Shadow
Rachel couldn't sleep.
Her father's warning echoed through her mind.
Never trust a Carter.
But something didn't fit.
If William Carter had truly betrayed her family...
Why had Elijah looked genuinely shocked when she arrived in London?
Why had he investigated her instead of hiding?
Questions multiplied faster than answers.
The next morning, the Bennett family lawyers gathered in the estate's conference room.
Stacks of confidential files covered the polished oak table.
Daniel stood beside the head attorney.
"There is one matter Father insisted we discuss immediately."
The attorney unlocked a leather briefcase.
Inside lay dozens of documents.
One file carried a familiar name.
Greg Sullivan.
Rachel frowned.
"What does he have to do with us?"
The attorney exchanged a nervous glance with Daniel.
"Mr. Sullivan quietly purchased shares in over forty companies connected to both the Bennett and Carter families."
Rachel's eyes narrowed.
"He was inside both empires."
"For decades."
Another folder appeared.
Wire transfers.
Offshore accounts.
Shell corporations.
Millions of dollars disappearing over thirty years.
Someone had been stealing from both families.
Not one.
Both.
Meanwhile, Elijah flew back to New York.
The first person waiting inside his office was Greg.
His usual smile seemed effortless.
"You've been traveling."
Elijah nodded carefully.
"London."
Greg laughed.
"Interesting choice."
"I had business."
"I'm sure you did."
For the first time in years, Elijah truly looked at the man who had been like an uncle throughout his childhood.
Every smile now felt rehearsed.
Every word calculated.
"So..."
Greg poured himself a drink.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
Elijah smiled politely.
"Not yet."
Greg raised his glass.
"I'm sure the truth is... disappointing."
Later that evening, Elijah secretly copied the old crime-scene photographs and sent them to a forensic specialist.
The phone rang just before midnight.
"I've enhanced the image."
"And?"
"You should sit down."
Elijah did.
"The timestamp proves something impossible."
"What?"
"The police hadn't officially arrived yet."
Elijah frowned.
"So?"
"So whoever appears in these photographs..."
"...was already inside the Bennett estate before law enforcement."
His heartbeat quickened.
"You mean Greg Sullivan?"
"Yes."
"He shouldn't have been there."
Thousands of miles away, Rachel received an anonymous envelope slipped beneath her bedroom door.
No return address.
Only one sentence typed on white paper.
Your mother didn't die because of the Bennetts.
Another photograph fell onto the floor.
Rachel picked it up.
Her hands began to shake.
The image showed a much younger Greg Sullivan standing beside William Carter.
Both men smiling.
Both shaking hands.
On the back, someone had written in red ink:
One of them betrayed you.
The other tried to stop it.
Rachel's breath caught.
Which one?
Before she could think further, every light in the mansion suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the estate.
Emergency alarms exploded through the halls.
Then came a terrified scream from upstairs.
"Mr. Bennett!"
Rachel ran toward her father's room.
The door stood open.
The security guards were unconscious.
The oxygen machine had been ripped away.
Her father's bed...
Was empty.
Someone had taken him.
And on the pillow lay a single black chess piece.
May you like
The king had been stolen.
The game had finally begun.
