CHAP 2: THE MAN BEHIND VICTOR BLACKWOOD
CHAP 2: THE MAN BEHIND VICTOR BLACKWOOD
The Blackwood Tower had never witnessed a night like this.
For seven years, the building stood as a monument to power.
A symbol of wealth.
A fortress built on secrets.
But tonight…
the walls felt different.
Because the ghosts Victor Blackwood buried had returned.
Ethan stood inside his private office on the top floor, staring through the glass window overlooking the city.
Millions of lights stretched beneath him.
A city that never slept.
A city that had watched him lose everything.
A city that believed the Blackwood family tragedy was just another headline forgotten after a few weeks.
But Ethan remembered every second.
Every scream.
Every phone call.
Every doctor who lowered his eyes and told him there was nothing they could do.
He remembered standing beside Amelia’s grave.
Holding a tiny box containing a hospital bracelet.
The only thing left of his daughter.
Or so he thought.
Behind him, Lily sat on the sofa beside Amelia.
The little girl was holding her mother’s hand tightly.
As if afraid that if she let go…
Amelia would disappear again.
Ethan turned around.
For seven years, he had imagined this moment.
Thousands of times.
He imagined finding Lily.
He imagined Amelia walking through the door.
But imagination was cruel.
Because reality was heavier.
More painful.
More beautiful.
He walked toward them slowly.
“Lily.”
The little girl looked up.
“Yes, Daddy?”
That word still hurt.
Not because it was painful.
Because it was something Ethan never believed he would hear again.
He sat down in front of her.
“There is something you need to know.”
Lily became nervous.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Ethan immediately shook his head.
“No.”
He touched her hair gently.
“You saved my life.”
The little girl looked confused.
“You mean because of the tea?”
“Yes.”
He smiled sadly.
“But you did something much bigger.”
“What?”
“You brought me back my family.”
Lily looked toward Amelia.
Her mother smiled.
But tears filled her eyes.
Because she knew.
The hardest part was not returning.
The hardest part was explaining everything that happened before.
Seven years of stolen memories.
Seven years of missing birthdays.
Seven years that could never return.
Suddenly…
the office door opened.
Ethan’s security chief, Daniel Cross, walked inside.
Daniel had worked for the Blackwood family for fifteen years.
He was one of the few people Ethan trusted.
His expression was serious.
“Mr. Blackwood.”
Ethan immediately stood.
“What happened?”
Daniel placed a tablet on the desk.
“We traced the message Victor received.”
Ethan looked at the screen.
A security image appeared.
A man standing outside the building.
The same man from earlier.
Dark coat.
Cold expression.
Unknown identity.
“Who is he?”
Daniel hesitated.
“That’s the problem.”
Ethan frowned.
“We couldn’t find him.”
“Everyone can be found.”
“Not this person.”
Daniel zoomed in.
“His face appears in international databases.”
“Then who is he?”
Daniel looked at Ethan.
“The databases say he is dead.”
Silence.
Ethan stared at the screen.
“Dead?”
“Twenty years ago.”
Amelia slowly stood.
“What is his name?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Alexander Voss.”
The moment that name was spoken…
Amelia froze.
Ethan noticed.
“You know him?”
She did not answer.
Her face had changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not the fear of someone remembering pain.
The fear of someone seeing a nightmare return.
“Amelia.”
She looked at Ethan.
“Before I met you…”
She paused.
“There was someone who wanted to marry me.”
Ethan’s expression hardened.
“Who?”
“Alexander Voss.”
The room became colder.
“He was older than me.”
She continued.
“Powerful. Wealthy. Brilliant.”
“Then why didn’t you marry him?”
Amelia looked down.
“Because I discovered what kind of man he really was.”
Daniel looked between them.
“What does that mean?”
Amelia walked toward the window.
“Alexander didn’t believe people were born equal.”
“He believed powerful families should control everything.”
“He believed love was weakness.”
Ethan clenched his fist.
“And Victor worked with him?”
Amelia nodded.
“I think Victor was never the real leader.”
The realization hit harder than expected.
Victor Blackwood…
the man Ethan hated for seven years…
may have only been following orders.
Daniel looked at the tablet again.
“There is more.”
He opened another file.
“Alexander Voss founded a private organization twenty-five years ago.”
“What organization?”
Daniel hesitated.
“The Eclipse Circle.”
Ethan frowned.
The name meant nothing.
But Amelia reacted immediately.
“No.”
Everyone looked at her.
She whispered:
“They are not supposed to exist anymore.”
Daniel looked confused.
“What are they?”
Amelia slowly turned around.
“A group of the world’s richest families.”
“Politicians.”
“Business leaders.”
“People who control governments without appearing in them.”
Ethan stared.
“And Alexander is one of them?”
“Not one of them.”
Amelia’s voice became quiet.
“He created them.”
The room went silent.
For years, Ethan believed his enemy was one man.
Victor.
But now he realized something.
Victor was only a door.
Behind that door…
was an entire empire of shadows.
A knock interrupted them.
A security guard entered.
“Mr. Blackwood.”
“What?”
“We found something in Victor’s office.”
Ethan followed him downstairs.
The entire executive floor had been sealed.
Victor’s office was empty.
The man who controlled everything for seven years was gone.
But something remained.
A hidden compartment behind his bookshelf.
Inside was a small wooden box.
Ethan opened it.
Inside were photographs.
Hundreds of them.
Photos of Ethan.
Amelia.
Lily.
From before the fire.
From after.
From years ago.
Someone had been watching them.
Studying them.
Following every movement.
At the bottom of the box was a letter.
No name.
No signature.
Only one sentence.
Ethan read it.
And his blood ran cold.
"Dear Ethan Blackwood,
You spent seven years searching for the people who stole your family.
You never asked the more important question.
Who gave them permission?"
Ethan turned the paper over.
Nothing.
Then Daniel noticed something.
“Wait.”
He pointed.
A tiny symbol was carved into the paper.
A black circle.
With a silver line through the center.
Amelia stepped closer.
Her face lost all color.
“No…”
Ethan looked at her.
“What?”
She whispered:
“That symbol…”
A pause.
“Was on the door of the room where they kept me.”
Everyone froze.
Ethan’s voice became dangerous.
“Where?”
Amelia looked at him.
“The underground facility.”
“What facility?”
Her eyes filled with memories.
“The place Alexander built.”
Ethan stared.
“You were there?”
Amelia nodded.
“For seven years.”
The words struck him.
Seven years.
Not just missing.
Not just hidden.
She had been imprisoned.
Ethan’s breathing became heavier.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I was afraid.”
“Of Victor?”
Amelia shook her head.
“No.”
A tear rolled down.
“Of what would happen if Alexander knew I escaped.”
Before Ethan could answer…
every screen in the building suddenly turned black.
The lights flickered.
The security system shut down.
Then one image appeared.
A man’s face.
Alexander Voss.
Live.
Every employee in Blackwood Tower saw him.
His voice echoed through the building.
“Ethan Blackwood.”
Everyone stopped.
“You have spent seven years believing this was revenge.”
Alexander smiled.
“It was never revenge.”
“It was a test.”
Ethan stared at the screen.
Alexander continued.
“You wanted your family back.”
A pause.
“Congratulations.”
“Now I will take them away again.”
The screen changed.
A video appeared.
A small room.
A young girl.
Another child.
A child Ethan had never seen before.
Then Alexander spoke.
“Every family has secrets.”
The camera moved closer.
The child looked into the lens.
And whispered:
“Daddy…”
Ethan froze.
Because the child’s voice…
sounded exactly like Lily.
Alexander smiled.
“Let me introduce you to the daughter you never knew existed.”
The screen went black.
And for the first time since Amelia returned…
Ethan felt something worse than losing his family.
May you like
The possibility…
that there was another truth waiting to destroy them.
