The figure stood silently in the doorway, half-shadowed by the flickering hallway light. Brian froze, unable to trust his own eyes. The man stepped into view—and Brian's breath caught.
"...No," he whispered. "You?"
Dressed in a sleek grey coat, gloves still on, and eyes colder than death, stood Ethan Wright, Brian's former business mentor. The man who had once lifted him up… and vanished when he needed him most.
Brian shot to his feet, fists clenched. "You were behind this? Why, Ethan? I trusted you!"
Ethan didn't flinch. Instead, he stepped calmly over Marcus's unconscious body and looked around at the wreckage. "Trust is a liability, Brian. You should've learned that by now."
"You sent those men to kill me?"
"I gave Jason and Lisa the idea. Helped set up the pieces." His voice was indifferent, devoid of remorse. "But I warned you, didn't I? I told you to walk away from all of this."
Brian took a step forward, his voice a growl. "And you expect me to just forget everything you did? The money you stole, the deals you sabotaged—?"
Ethan raised a hand. "Brian, listen to me. This isn't about revenge. It's about control. Jason and Lisa are arrogant, yes, but useful. You're emotional. Dangerous."
Brian laughed bitterly. "You're afraid. That's what this is."
"No," Ethan said. "I'm realistic."
---
Brian's phone buzzed again. Another unknown number.
"They're coming for her next. You have ten minutes."
His blood turned to ice. There was only one her the message could be referring to.
"Emma," he whispered. His sister.
Without another word, Brian lunged past Ethan and sprinted out into the hall. Ethan called after him, "You won't make it in time!"
But Brian didn't stop.
---
He drove like a man possessed, weaving through the late-night traffic with a singular mission: get to Emma before Jason's thugs did. His mind was racing — Ethan had played them all. Helped Brian rise just to knock him down harder.
And now, they were targeting the only family he had left.
Emma had nothing to do with this war. She was a schoolteacher, barely involved in his business. But Jason knew hurting her would break Brian faster than any fist.
He swerved into her neighborhood just as he saw two dark SUVs pulling up to her apartment block.
Too late.
---
Brian slammed the brakes and leaped out, sprinting toward the stairs. Shouts echoed above. He skipped steps in threes, heart pounding, and crashed through her door — just in time to see Emma struggling in the grip of two masked men.
"Let her go!" Brian roared.
He tackled the nearest one, slamming the man's head into the wall. Emma broke free and scrambled behind Brian as the second man swung a crowbar. Brian ducked, grabbed a lamp, and cracked it over the attacker's head.
They collapsed.
Emma clutched him tightly, trembling. "Brian, what's happening?!"
He didn't answer. There was no time.
---
They didn't go back to his place. He knew it wasn't safe anymore. Instead, Brian drove them to an old motel on the outskirts of the city. One he used to stay in when he had nothing but coins in his pocket.
Fitting.
As Emma lay down to rest, Brian sat outside, scrolling through his phone, piecing together everything: Ethan's betrayal. Lisa and Jason's alliance with him. Marcus's warning. And the note.
This is only the beginning.
What did they want?
He was done playing defense.
He needed allies. Someone outside Ethan's web. Someone just as ruthless. He opened a contact labeled N.
He hesitated… then hit call.
---
The next day, Lisa strolled confidently into a private spa, her heels echoing on the marble floors. She was wrapped in luxury, skin glowing, pride at an all-time high.
But as she settled into the massage chair, sipping wine, her smile froze.
The TV on the wall — meant for calming landscapes — now showed her. Not from a photoshoot. No. Footage from three nights ago. Of her in a hotel room, half-dressed, kissing a much older man.
The same man she'd once mocked Brian for "embarrassing" her with during their marriage.
The camera angle was perfect.
Lisa's wine glass slipped from her hand.
---
Her phone exploded with calls and messages. News articles. Screenshots. Videos. Social media was devouring her.
"Brian releases humiliating footage of ex-wife caught cheating again."
"Lisa Harrow's elite image shattered."
Lisa stood up in fury, rage boiling in her throat. She stormed out of the spa and called Jason.
"He released it," she screamed. "He's coming after me publicly now!"
Jason cursed. "We need to get ahead of this. Shut him down before he burns everything."
But it was too late.
Brian had gone from hunted… to hunter.
---
Later that night, Brian met in a rooftop garage with the man he had called earlier — Noah Cheng, an underground fixer and digital genius. A man who owed Brian a favor.
Noah leaned against the hood of his car, flipping a USB drive. "You sure you want to go nuclear?"
Brian's eyes were hard. "I want them ruined. I want Ethan exposed, Jason broken, and Lisa erased from every boardroom she ever walked into."
Noah grinned. "Then let's start with this."
He handed Brian a second USB.
"What's this?"
"Jason's offshore accounts. Hidden investments. Money trails that lead to cartel ties and shady politicians."
Brian's breath caught. "How did you—?"
"I'm very good," Noah said simply.
Brian stared at the drive. The storm had officially begun.
---
The next morning, the world woke up to a scandal bigger than anything the elite had seen in years.
News anchors read headlines with disbelief:
"Jason Ryker accused of laundering millions through criminal networks."
"Anonymous source drops financial bombs, FBI opens investigation."
Lisa's name was dragged through the mud again, labeled a co-conspirator. Her face was splashed across tabloids, mocked, dissected, destroyed.
Ethan, watching it all unfold from his hidden office, clenched his jaw. Brian had moved faster than he expected.
"Reckless," he muttered.
His assistant stepped in. "Sir… should I activate Plan C?"
Ethan stared out the window, thinking.
"No," he said coldly. "Not yet. First… bring me her."
The assistant blinked. "Her?"
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Yes. Emma."
---
Meanwhile, Brian was watching the chaos unfold from a darkened hotel room. He didn't smile. He didn't cheer.
He knew this wasn't over. Jason was rich, Lisa was desperate, and Ethan was a ghost with teeth. But for the first time in years… Brian had power.
He walked over to the window and looked at the storm clouds rolling over the skyline.
The city had no idea what was coming.
Just as he turned back to check on Emma, his burner phone buzzed.
One word.
"Taken."
His blood ran cold.
"Emma," he whispered.
She was gone.