Chapter 6 - The Man Behind the Glass
Leo had imagined meeting his father thousands of times.
In some dreams, Daniel walked through the shelter doors carrying presents.
In others, he waited outside Leo’s school and explained that a terrible mistake had kept him away.
The reality was a cold room divided by thick glass.
Daniel looked older than the photographs. His cheeks were hollow, and gray threaded through his beard. A faded scar ran from his left temple toward his ear.
He pressed one palm against the glass.
Leo did the same.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Then Daniel whispered, “You have your mother’s eyes.”
Leo’s throat tightened.
“Are you really my father?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you come home?”
Daniel lowered his gaze.
“I couldn’t.”
“Uncle Gabriel said you were a prisoner.”
“For a long time.”
“And after?”
Daniel looked toward the camera mounted in the corner.
“I was still trapped, even when there were no chains.”
Leo did not understand.
“Did you steal the money?”
“No.”
“Did Mr. Vale know?”
“No.”
“Did his brother do it?”
Daniel’s expression changed.
“Who told you about Jonathan?”
“I heard Uncle Gabriel talking.”
Daniel stepped closer to the glass.
“You must not trust everything Gabriel says.”
“He saved me.”
“He also took you from school.”
“He said someone else was coming.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“That may be true.”
Leo felt anger replacing fear.
“Everybody keeps hiding things. Mama hid your notebook. Mr. Vale believed you were a thief. Uncle Gabriel cut the car. You stayed gone.”
“I know.”
“Why can’t adults just tell the truth?”
Daniel had no answer.
Across the city, Adrian entered the Vale Industries boardroom at noon.
Twenty-two directors sat around a black marble table. Victor Kane occupied the seat to Adrian’s right. Claire Dawson stood near the wall with legal advisers.
No one mentioned Leo.
No one asked whether the missing boy had been found.
The meeting began with Victor displaying financial reports.
“Over the past six months,” he said, “Mr. Vale has transferred more than eighty million dollars through charitable entities without proper board authorization.”
Adrian did not react.
Documents appeared on the screens.
They showed payments from the Vale Foundation to shell companies linked to Meridian Transit Systems.
His electronic signature appeared on each transfer.
“The signatures are forged,” Adrian said.
Victor looked regretful.
“Cybersecurity found no evidence of external intrusion.”
“Because the transfers were created by someone with internal access.”
“Your access.”
Several directors avoided Adrian’s gaze.
Victor continued.
“Federal authorities are investigating the use of shelter properties to conceal restricted technology.”
Adrian glanced toward Claire.
Gabriel had predicted everything.
“Are you representing me or the board?” he asked.
Claire remained calm.
“I represent Vale Industries.”
“You represented me yesterday.”
“Circumstances changed.”
The betrayal was quiet and complete.
Victor introduced a motion to suspend Adrian as chief executive until the investigation ended.
The vote passed nineteen to three.
Security officers entered.
Darius stood among them.
For one terrible moment, Adrian believed even he had turned.
Then Darius looked toward the ceiling.
The lights went out.
Emergency systems activated.
When they returned, every screen displayed a live video.
Gabriel Reyes stood inside an unknown warehouse.
Leo was beside him.
Daniel remained chained behind glass.
Board members erupted in alarm.
Gabriel raised a hand.
“Please remain seated. This transmission is also being sent to three federal agencies and six news organizations.”
Victor’s face turned white.
Gabriel smiled.
“Hello, Victor.”
“You’re dead,” Victor whispered.
“So were several people you buried.”
Gabriel displayed records showing Vale Industries had sold Project Raven technology through private contractors. The payments moved through charitable organizations, exactly as Victor’s accusation claimed.
But the oldest records began twenty years earlier.
They contained the electronic approval of Charles Vale.
Adrian’s father.
“This proves nothing about the current board,” Victor said.
Gabriel changed the screen.
A recording showed Victor meeting Claire Dawson inside a Blackwing property.
Claire’s voice was clear.
“Once Adrian is removed, the foundation accounts can be closed. The Reyes boy must be controlled before he identifies Marcus.”
Adrian stared at her.
Claire remained motionless.
Victor turned toward the security officers.
“Stop this transmission.”
No one moved.
Gabriel continued.
“The man who entered Adrian’s property and later removed Leo from school was Marcus Shaw, Adrian’s former driver.”
A photograph appeared.
Pale scar.
Dark cap.
But Leo shook his head.
“That’s not right.”
Gabriel looked down at him.
“What?”
“The man at the car moved differently.”
Adrian heard him through the speakers.
“How?”
Leo approached the camera.
“The person who cut the wires used his left hand. The man who took me from school used his right.”
Gabriel looked toward Daniel.
Daniel stood suddenly.
“Show the photograph again.”
Marcus Shaw’s image filled the screen.
Daniel studied the scar.
“That isn’t Marcus.”
Victor moved toward the door.
Darius blocked him.
“Sit down.”
Daniel pointed toward the image.
“The scar is false. Gabriel, enlarge the ear.”
Gabriel did.
The man’s left ear had a small notch.
Daniel turned toward his brother.
“That’s Jonathan Vale.”
Adrian’s knees nearly failed.
The boardroom became silent.
Gabriel zoomed further.
Beneath the artificial scar, the man was older than the photographs Adrian remembered. But the shape of the eyes, the ear, and the line of the mouth were unmistakable.
Adrian’s brother was alive.
Jonathan had taken Leo from school.
Gabriel stared at the screen in disbelief.
“I thought Marcus was working for him.”
A loud explosion shook the warehouse.
The video feed trembled.
Men shouted.
Gabriel reached for Leo as smoke entered the room.
Daniel struck the glass with his chained hands.
“Get him out!”
The feed went black.
Adrian rushed toward the boardroom door.
Victor called after him.
“You leave this building, and you lose everything.”
Adrian turned.
“My brother has Leo.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know you’re afraid of him.”
For the first time, Victor’s polished mask broke.
“You should be afraid too.”
Adrian crossed the room and seized him by the jacket.
“Where is Jonathan?”
Victor’s voice fell to a whisper.
“You still don’t understand. Jonathan didn’t survive the plane crash.”
Adrian tightened his grip.
May you like
Victor looked directly into his eyes.
“He caused it.”
