Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Council and the Secret Contract
Ethan leaned back against the headrest, absorbing the gravity of Jason’s words. His father’s ingenuity—and his own sudden, terrifying importance—settled over him.
"I understand the clause," Ethan finally said, his voice quiet but sharp. "But if Vincent has half the city bought and paid for, why would a simple contract matter? What stops him from just nullifying the contract and taking everything anyway?"
Jason ran a hand over his tired face, relief evident that Ethan was asking strategic questions instead of panicking.
"Because not everyone in the company knows what really happened," Jason explained. "While your father, Vincent, and I owned the core shares and took most of the money, when the company grew, it couldn’t remain a private entity. We had to go public, and that meant forming a Board of Directors—a Council."
He shifted, his gaze becoming serious. "That Council is not friendly to Vincent. They had immense respect for your father because they knew that the entire fortune—the entire success of the company—was owed to your father’s software. If you were to show up, with proof of your claim and your identity, you could call a meeting of the Board and ask them to revoke his mandate."
Ethan’s mind raced, processing the political angle. "So, he can’t just kill me because the money disappears. And he can’t simply discredit the contract because the Board will honor your father’s will, knowing the value of his work."
"Exactly!" Jason whispered, nodding rapidly. "We couldn’t expose him as a murderer because he falsified medical reports and autopsy results to declare everything a natural death, claiming your father suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while driving. So, the Council doesn’t currently know the full extent of what Vincent did."
Jason’s anxiety returned as he looked out the car window; they were nearing the construction zone. "And even though Halbert has some loyal men on the Board, I was afraid that exposing everything right away would just put Vincent completely on guard. That’s why I kept silent, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. And that moment is now."
Ethan clenched his jaw. This wasn’t just about revenge anymore; it was about a corporate power play, a multi-million dollar fight for control, and a legacy his father had secretly prepared.
He pulled the car onto a dirt road, the tires crunching over loose gravel. The alley was far behind them, and in front of them loomed the fence and floodlights of a massive, heavily-guarded construction site.
[Look at that] the System chirped, its tone returning to its usual mockery. [More secrets emerging at every corner. It’s becoming a detective and mob movie all at once, hehe.]
Ethan mentally agreed, the absurdity of the situation sinking in. This is completely insane. "This is all turning into a total mess," he muttered. "I always thought my dad was just a normal guy, maybe a little irresponsible. Now it turns out he was a millionaire and the owner of a massive tech company."
[That’s just how the world works, kid. Mysterious, isn’t it?] the System replied dryly.
Ethan and Jason got out of the car a few blocks from the construction site’s main entrance. Jason immediately took the lead, guiding Ethan through darkened back alleys and abandoned spaces. They finally reached the perimeter fence and Jason, with the ease of a veteran street dweller, slipped beneath a rusted section of chain-link. Ethan followed, his newly conditioned body making the movement easy.
They had reached the actual construction zone.
"I’ve been here several times lately," Jason whispered, his eyes darting around. "The guards are pretty lax at night. Who would want to steal building material, right? We just have to keep moving."
They moved past stacks of lumber and towering cranes, the dust heavy in the air. The site was vast, but Jason guided them directly to a small corner where a single, dilapidated house stood semi-demolished, a haunting remnant of the old neighborhood.
"It’s here," Jason breathed, pointing to the ruin. "By some miracle, they haven’t finished tearing this one down yet. If they had, it would have been buried forever."
"Why didn’t you retrieve it sooner?" Ethan asked, glancing at the shallow rubble pile next to the house. "You knew where it was."
Jason shook his head, the despair in his voice evident. "I tried a couple of times, but digging draws too much attention. I didn’t want to alert anyone unless it was the right day. Besides, as a homeless man, I couldn’t just carry a suitcase full of sensitive documents while I was hiding. I was afraid I’d lose it or, worse, that it would be stolen. I needed to wait for the right person to help."
He looked at Ethan, the gratitude immense. "I needed to wait for you."
Ethan only nodded, his gaze fixed on the mound of dirt and debris. He knelt and began silently moving the smaller pieces of rubble that protected the location of the documents. After clearing a small section, he stood back up, frustration evident.
"We need something to break the ground," Ethan said, his voice a low growl. "They’ve dumped huge chunks of concrete and rock over this spot. We can’t move this by hand. We’d need a backhoe."
He glanced around the dimly lit construction site. His eyes immediately landed on a large piece of equipment parked near the skeletal frame of the new building. "Look over there. There’s an excavator. We could use that."
Jason’s eyes widened in alarm. "That would be ideal, but it’s too loud! It would alert every guard, every dog, every neighbor within a mile! We can’t do that."
Ethan didn’t argue. He paused, his focus turning inward, assessing the risks and the resources. He was risking his life, but he wasn’t going to fail now.
[He’s right, you know,] the System observed. [A loud machine is a terrible idea for a black op.]
Ethan ignored the System for a moment, making a quick count in his head. The area wasn’t that large.
"Fine," Ethan finally conceded, nodding towards the towering shadows of the building under construction. "Let’s go see how many guards they have. If we can put them to sleep, we’ll use the excavator. There shouldn’t be more than four men watching this single building."
Jason stared at the suddenly cold confidence in Ethan’s eyes, a confidence that starkly contrasted with the desperate kid he’d seen two years ago. "Put them to sleep?"
Ethan didn’t answer. He had a debt to collect, a legacy to claim, and a murderer to expose. The time for talking was over.