The boulevard fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Victor looked as though he had seen a ghost.
Because, in a way, he had.
The man standing before him was Ethan Cross.
Ten years earlier, every news channel in the country had reported his death.
His yacht had exploded in the middle of the ocean.
No body was ever found.
Everyone assumed he was gone.
Everyone except Victor.
Because Victor knew exactly what had happened.
Ethan slowly walked forward.
“You seem surprised to see me.”
Victor’s hands shook.
“That’s impossible.”
“No,” Ethan replied. “What was impossible was surviving what you did to me.”
The crowd watched in shock.
Liam looked from Ethan to Victor.
“What is he talking about?”
Ethan’s eyes locked onto Victor.
“Ask him about the vault.”
Victor’s face drained of color.
Liam frowned.
“What vault?”
Ethan smiled grimly.
“The one hidden beneath Victor’s mansion.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
Victor suddenly shouted,
“Don’t listen to him!”
But it was too late.
Ethan reached into his jacket and pulled out a small silver key.
“For ten years,” he said, “this key has protected the truth.”
He tossed it to Liam.
Liam caught it.
“What truth?”
Ethan pointed toward Victor.
“The proof that he murdered people, stole billions, and framed innocent men.”
Victor lunged forward.
“Give me that key!”
Suddenly dozens of security agents surrounded him.
Victor stopped.
He knew he had lost.
Police sirens echoed in the distance.
As officers entered the boulevard, Ethan turned toward Liam.
“Your father spent ten years trying to expose him.”
Liam looked confused.
“My father knew?”
Ethan nodded.
“He was the only person who never believed I was dead.”
Victor was placed in handcuffs.
The billionaire who once controlled everything could do nothing but watch.
As police led him away, he looked back at Liam.
Then he smiled.
A chilling smile.
“You think this is over?”
Liam felt a knot form in his stomach.
Victor leaned closer.
“There are people above me.”
The smile widened.
“And they’re coming for all of you.”
Victor was pushed into the police car.
The door slammed shut.
But Liam couldn’t stop thinking about those final words.
Because for the first time, he realized Victor had been afraid of someone else.
Someone far more dangerous.
The End… or the Beginning?
