Every eye darted around the room.
Tal looked confused.
“Don’t look at me,” he said nervously.
Elias rose from his chair.
For the first time, everyone could see the authority in his eyes.
He wasn’t just wealthy.
He was dangerous.
The suited agents surrounded the room.
Mia’s heart pounded.
Elias activated the tablet.
A security video appeared.
The room gasped.
The footage showed someone secretly meeting Elias’s enemies months earlier.
The person’s face was hidden.
Then the video zoomed in.
Mia nearly dropped the tray in her hands.
The traitor was…
Millie’s Diner owner, Frank Dalton.
“No…” Frank whispered.
Elias looked disappointed.
“I trusted you.”
Frank backed away.
“I had no choice! They threatened my family!”
Suddenly the front doors burst open.
Armed men stormed into the diner.
Customers screamed.
The leader pointed at Elias.
“Get him!”
Before anyone could react, the agents moved.
Tables flipped.
Glass shattered.
Chaos exploded across the room.
Mia ducked behind the counter.
When she looked up again, Elias was standing calmly in the middle of the diner.
The attackers were already on the floor.
The leader stared at Elias in disbelief.
“Who are you?”
Elias adjusted his suit.
A faint smile appeared.
“My name is Elias Ward.”
The attacker froze.
Everyone did.
Because they finally recognized the name.
The billionaire founder who had vanished six months ago.
The man everyone thought was dead.
And now…
He was back.
