Chapter 2: The Man Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
The courtroom doors closed.
But the mystery had only just opened.
Outside, hundreds of reporters rushed toward the courthouse entrance, desperate to understand what had just happened.
For three weeks, Daniel Carter had been the villain in their headlines.
"The Billionaire Fraud Mastermind."
"The Businessman Who Betrayed His Own Company."
"The Man Who Chose Money Over Loyalty."
Every newspaper had already written his story.
Every television channel had already decided his fate.
They had shown his expensive houses.
His luxury cars.
His successful company.
They had painted a picture of a greedy man who believed money could buy his way out of anything.
But now, one small girl with an old smartphone had shaken the entire case.
Inside the courtroom, Judge Williams ordered everyone to remain.
The jury was removed.
The audience was instructed not to leave.
And Daniel Carter sat frozen at the defense table.
But his mind was no longer in the courtroom.
It was five years earlier.
A different office.
A different life.
A different person.
Victor Hayes.
The man who was supposed to be dead.
Five years ago, Victor Hayes had been Daniel's closest friend.
Not just a business partner.
A brother.
They had built Carter Technologies together from nothing.
Before the millions.
Before the skyscrapers.
Before the magazine covers.
There were only two young men sitting in a small rented office, eating cheap food and dreaming about changing the world.
Victor was the genius behind the technology.
Daniel was the person who knew how to turn dreams into reality.
Together, they created something powerful.
A company worth billions.
But success changed things.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
The official story was simple.
Victor Hayes died in a private plane crash.
The investigation concluded mechanical failure.
No survivors.
No evidence of sabotage.
No reason to question it.
Daniel attended the funeral.
He stood beside Victor's empty coffin.
He cried.
He blamed himself.
Because two weeks before the crash, Victor had confronted him.
They had argued.
Badly.
"You think this company belongs to you now," Victor had said.
Daniel remembered those words.
"I built this with you."
"No," Victor replied angrily.
"You built the empire. I built the future."
That was their last conversation.
Three days later, Victor's plane disappeared.
And everyone assumed Daniel lost his friend.
But now...
Five years later...
Victor Hayes had walked into the courtroom.
Alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Daniel."
Rachel's voice pulled him back.
He looked at his wife.
Her face was filled with fear.
"What happened?"
Daniel didn't answer.
She grabbed his hand.
"Who was that man?"
Daniel looked around.
The courtroom was still chaotic.
Lawyers whispered.
Police officers moved around.
Technicians examined the phone.
Nobody was paying attention to them.
"Rachel..."
His voice was low.
"That man was supposed to be dead."
Her expression changed.
"What?"
Daniel swallowed.
"His name was Victor Hayes."
Rachel stared at him.
"The Victor Hayes?"
Daniel nodded.
"My former partner."
The color disappeared from her face.
Everyone knew Victor Hayes.
His disappearance had become one of the biggest business mysteries in America.
"But Daniel..." Rachel whispered.
"You said he died."
"I believed he did."
A painful silence passed between them.
Then Emily spoke.
"He was nice at first."
Both parents turned.
Their daughter was standing beside them.
Daniel crouched down.
"What did you say?"
Emily looked at him.
"The man who gave me the phone."
Her voice was quiet.
"He was nice."
Daniel felt his heart tighten.
"Emily, when did you meet him?"
The little girl looked down.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"He came to the house."
Rachel froze.
"What?"
Emily continued.
"He talked to me in the garden."
Daniel's face changed.
"How many times?"
The little girl counted on her fingers.
"Three."
Three.
Daniel felt a cold wave move through his body.
Three times.
Someone had been near his daughter.
Someone who everyone thought was dead.
Someone who was now connected to the evidence that could destroy his entire trial.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
Emily looked ashamed.
"Because he said Daddy was in danger."
Daniel's eyes softened.
"Sweetheart..."
"He said bad people were trying to blame you."
Rachel covered her mouth.
"And you believed him?"
Emily nodded.
"He showed me things."
"What things?"
"The phone."
The courtroom became silent around them again.
Daniel looked at the evidence bag.
The phone.
The one thing that could save him.
Or destroy him.
The technician suddenly called out.
"Judge!"
Everyone turned.
The forensic examiner stood near the evidence table.
"We were able to access the device."
The judge leaned forward.
"What did you find?"
The examiner looked nervous.
"Your Honor..."
He glanced at Daniel.
"Everything on this phone appears to have been recorded during the weeks before Mr. Carter's arrest."
The prosecutor smiled slightly.
For a moment, he looked confident again.
"Recorded what?"
The examiner hesitated.
"Conversations."
"Between who?"
The examiner looked at the prosecutor.
Then at Daniel.
Then at the judge.
"Between several individuals involved in this investigation."
The courtroom erupted.
The prosecutor stood immediately.
"Objection!"
The judge slammed his gavel.
"Order!"
The examiner continued.
"And one of those conversations includes the lead investigator on this case."
Every person in the room turned.
The lead investigator.
Detective Robert Mason.
The man who had spent months collecting evidence against Daniel.
The man who testified that every piece of evidence was authentic.
The man who convinced everyone Daniel was guilty.
Detective Mason sat frozen.
His face had changed.
The confidence was gone.
The same fear that appeared on the prosecutor's face now appeared on his.
Judge Williams stared.
"Play the recording."
The examiner connected the phone.
A small speaker filled the courtroom.
Static.
Then voices.
A familiar voice.
A voice everyone recognized.
Detective Mason.
"I don't care if the evidence is perfect. We need Carter convicted before he exposes everything."
A wave of shock moved through the room.
Daniel stopped breathing.
Rachel grabbed his arm.
The prosecutor slowly turned toward Detective Mason.
"What is this?"
The recording continued.
Another voice appeared.
A voice that made Daniel's blood run cold.
Victor Hayes.
"You promised me he would go down."
Detective Mason replied.
"And you promised nobody would find out you were alive."
The courtroom exploded.
The judge repeatedly struck the gavel.
But nobody was listening.
Because the impossible truth had just been revealed.
Victor Hayes was alive.
Detective Mason was involved.
And Daniel Carter was never supposed to get a fair trial.
Then the recording played one final sentence.
A sentence that changed everything.
Victor's voice whispered:
"Once Daniel is convicted, we take control of Carter Technologies."
Daniel stared ahead.
His entire world shattered.
Because the case was never about money.
It was never about fraud.
It was about stealing everything he had built.
And the person behind it all was the man he once called his brother.
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End of Chapter 2
(Chương tiếp theo: Chapter 3: The Hidden Conspiracy Inside Carter Technologies.)
