Chapter 10: The Last Secret Of Carter Technologies
The countdown continued.
05:29
05:28
05:27
Every second sounded like a heartbeat.
A heartbeat counting down to the destruction of everything Daniel Carter had spent his entire life building.
But for the first time in weeks, Daniel understood something.
The company was never the prize.
The money was never the prize.
The power was never the prize.
He was.
Someone had spent years creating a trap around him.
Not because they wanted Carter Technologies.
But because they wanted Daniel Carter erased.
His reputation.
His legacy.
His identity.
Everything.
"How do we stop it?"
David looked at Andrew.
The former security chief was already moving between computers.
"I don't know yet."
Daniel stared.
"You don't know?"
Andrew shook his head.
"Richard built this system."
The name carried weight.
"Only he knows the complete structure."
Victor stepped forward.
"That's not true."
Everyone looked at him.
Victor approached the main server.
"I know part of it."
Daniel looked at him.
"Of course you do."
Victor ignored the anger.
"When my father disappeared..."
The room became quiet.
"Before I met you, Daniel, I was searching for answers."
Victor looked at the servers.
"I found this place."
Daniel's expression changed.
"You knew about this underground facility?"
Victor nodded.
"I found it fifteen years ago."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
Victor looked at him.
"Because I found something else."
He touched the keyboard.
"Your father wasn't the only one hiding secrets."
Victor opened a file.
A document appeared.
The title was simple.
PROJECT LEGACY
Daniel frowned.
"What is that?"
Victor looked at him.
"The reason everything happened."
The file contained years of information.
Names.
Projects.
Research.
Private reports.
Then Daniel saw something.
His own name.
He stepped closer.
"What is this?"
Victor didn't answer.
Daniel read the document.
His face slowly changed.
Subject: Daniel Carter
Observation period: 20 years
Potential value: Extremely high
His hands became cold.
"They were watching me?"
Thomas lowered his eyes.
"Yes."
Daniel turned toward his father.
"You knew?"
Thomas looked ashamed.
"I discovered it after you started working with Victor."
Daniel couldn't believe it.
"My entire life..."
He stopped.
Because saying it out loud made it real.
"My entire life was part of someone's plan?"
"No."
Thomas stepped closer.
"Your choices were yours."
Daniel looked at him.
"But they were waiting for me to become something."
Thomas said nothing.
Because that was the truth.
The countdown reached:
03:45
Andrew looked nervous.
"We need to move faster."
David examined the files.
"Maybe this isn't a destruction system."
Everyone looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
David pointed.
"Look at the code."
He studied the screen.
"The system isn't deleting information."
Andrew moved closer.
He looked carefully.
Then his eyes widened.
"He's right."
Daniel frowned.
"Then what is it doing?"
Andrew answered:
"It's uploading."
Silence.
"Uploading where?"
Andrew followed the signal.
His expression became serious.
"Everywhere."
Richard wasn't trying to destroy the evidence.
He was releasing it.
The entire secret network.
Every hidden file.
Every illegal operation.
Every person involved.
Including Daniel.
Including innocent people.
Including thousands of employees who had nothing to do with it.
"He wants chaos."
David whispered.
Andrew nodded.
"Exactly."
Daniel understood.
Richard didn't care if he won.
He wanted everyone to lose.
If the information leaked, governments would investigate.
Companies would collapse.
People would panic.
And Richard would disappear inside the confusion.
A perfect escape.
"He doesn't want Carter Technologies."
Daniel said quietly.
"He wants the world to burn around him."
The countdown reached:
02:10
Suddenly, a message appeared.
Not from the system.
From Richard.
His face appeared on every screen.
Older.
Calm.
Confident.
Like a man watching a game he already won.
"Hello, Daniel."
Nobody spoke.
Richard smiled.
"I imagine you are disappointed."
Daniel stepped toward the screen.
"Where is my daughter?"
Richard smiled slightly.
"Always the father first."
Daniel's eyes hardened.
"Where is Emily?"
Richard leaned back.
"Safe."
"I swear if you hurt her..."
Richard interrupted.
"You misunderstand me."
A pause.
"I don't want your daughter."
"Then why take her?"
Richard looked serious.
"Because she found what everyone else missed."
Daniel froze.
"What?"
Richard smiled.
"Children notice things adults ignore."
The room became silent.
"Emily discovered the hidden entrance."
"She discovered the phone."
"She discovered the truth."
Daniel clenched his fists.
"You used a child."
"No."
Richard shook his head.
"Your daughter was the only honest person in this entire story."
That sentence surprised everyone.
Richard continued:
"Everyone else had a reason to lie."
"Money."
"Power."
"Revenge."
"But Emily?"
He smiled.
"She just wanted her father to come home."
Daniel looked away.
For a brief moment, even Richard sounded human.
Then the screen changed.
The countdown appeared again.
01:00
Richard spoke one final time.
"Daniel, you always believed success was about building something that lasts."
A pause.
"But you forgot the most important question."
Daniel stared.
"What?"
Richard smiled.
"Who decides what your legacy becomes?"
The screen disappeared.
Everyone moved.
Andrew worked on the system.
Victor searched for a shutdown code.
David examined old files.
Thomas stood silently.
Daniel looked at him.
"You know how to stop this."
Thomas didn't answer.
Daniel stepped closer.
"Father."
The word surprised them both.
Thomas looked up.
For the first time in twenty years, Daniel called him that.
Not his name.
Not the man who abandoned him.
His father.
Thomas's eyes filled.
"There is one way."
Everyone stopped.
"What?"
Thomas walked toward the oldest computer in the room.
"The original system."
He opened a hidden panel.
Inside was a small drive.
"The only person who can override Richard's control..."
He looked at Daniel.
"...is you."
Daniel frowned.
"Me?"
Thomas nodded.
"When I created the first system, I built a final protection."
"Why?"
"Because I knew someone might try to control everything."
Thomas handed him the drive.
"I programmed it with your identity."
Daniel stared at it.
"Why me?"
Thomas smiled sadly.
"Because I knew one day you would have to choose."
The countdown:
00:30
Daniel inserted the drive.
The screen requested one thing.
CONFIRM LEGACY OWNER
A fingerprint scanner appeared.
Everyone looked at Daniel.
His entire life had led to this moment.
Not the money.
Not the company.
Not the empire.
A choice.
Who was Daniel Carter?
The businessman everyone feared?
The man everyone accused?
Or the person he always wanted to be?
He placed his finger on the scanner.
The system scanned.
ACCESS DENIED
Everyone froze.
Daniel looked shocked.
Then another message appeared.
SECOND VERIFICATION REQUIRED
A question appeared.
One simple question.
A question only Daniel would know.
What was the first promise made in the original Carter Technologies office?
Daniel closed his eyes.
A memory returned.
A young man.
A dream.
A promise.
He typed.
"We build something that helps people, not controls them."
The system paused.
Then:
ACCESS GRANTED
The countdown stopped.
00:00
Everyone exhaled.
But before anyone could celebrate...
A new file opened automatically.
One final hidden document.
Created by Richard Vale.
The title appeared.
THE REAL OWNER OF CARTER TECHNOLOGIES
Daniel stared.
Because beneath the title was a name.
Not Richard.
Not Victor.
Not Thomas.
A name that made everyone in the room speechless.
Daniel Carter.
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End of Chapter 10
(Chương tiếp theo: Chapter 11: The Man Who Owned Everything Without Knowing.)
