Chapter 10 - The Man Above MarcusRobert led us into a hidden control room.
Dozens of screens covered the walls.
Bank accounts.
Security cameras.
Shipping manifests.
Political schedules.
Every movement of the network was being tracked.
"You built this?"
"No."
"Who did?"
Robert looked at Rosa.
She stepped forward.
"Your father."
I stared.
"How long has this been running?"
"Thirty-one years."
Robert brought up an old video.
My father appeared on screen.
Older.
Tired.
Serious.
"If Edward ever sees this, then the network has reached him."
I stood frozen.
My father's voice filled the room.
"They will tell him the money was stolen."
He paused.
"They will tell him the company collapsed because of fraud."
Another pause.
"They will blame the partners."
The video changed.
A photograph of Marcus Vale.
Then Harold.
Then Vanessa.
Then several judges.
Then a face I had never expected.
My own attorney.
Charles Whittaker.
The lawyer who had represented me during the bankruptcy.
I felt cold.
He had filed every document.
He had controlled every court response.
He had told me which assets were lost.
He had negotiated with creditors.
And every month, he had billed me for saving what he was secretly destroying.
"Charles."
Robert nodded.
"He's the coordinator."
"Above Marcus?"
"Yes."
"Who is above Charles?"
Robert looked at Rosa.
She hesitated.
"There is one more name."
I already knew I didn't want to hear it.
She opened a file.
The name appeared.
Senator Thomas Calloway.
My uncle.
My father's younger brother.
The man who had helped raise me after my father died.
I sat down.
"No."
Robert nodded.
"He never wanted you to inherit the fortune."
"But why?"
"Because your father disinherited him."
"Why?"
"He stole from your grandfather."
I looked at the screen.
Thomas Calloway had been involved from the beginning.
He had helped create the secret network.
He had orchestrated the original betrayal.
And he had spent decades pretending to protect me.
"Where is Emily?"
Robert pulled up another image.
A private compound in the Florida Keys.
"She's there."
"How do we get her?"
Robert looked at me.
"That's the problem."
"What?"
"Your uncle knows we're coming."
A new alert flashed on the screen.
INTRUSION DETECTED.
Someone had accessed the hidden system.
Robert turned pale.
"They found the control room."
Security cameras displayed men entering the mansion.
My uncle's private security.
Then the screen changed.
A live video appeared.
Emily was sitting at a table.
My uncle stood behind her.
He looked directly into the camera.
"Edward."
I approached the screen.
"You have something that belongs to me."
"The ledger?"
"No."
He smiled.
"My inheritance."
I clenched my fists.
"You mean my money."
"No."
His expression became cold.
"I mean your blood."
He lifted a document.
"The Calloway fortune belongs to the firstborn."
He looked at Emily.
"Not you."
My uncle walked out of frame.
Another figure entered.
Charles Whittaker.
Then Marcus.
Then Harold.
Three men who had betrayed me.
Standing together.
I turned toward the door.
"We go now."
Robert shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
He pointed to the monitor.
A timer had appeared.
00:09:59.
"What is that?"
"The hidden account."
"What's happening?"
"Your uncle has initiated the final transfer."
My stomach dropped.
"To where?"
Robert looked at the screen.
"To an account registered in your name."
I stared.
"Why?"
"Because after the transfer clears, you'll legally become the person who stole it."
The timer kept falling.
9:31.
9:30.
9:29.
Robert looked at me.
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"They aren't trying to steal your money anymore."
"They're trying to put the theft back on me."
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