Chapter 9: The Choice That Broke the Empire
Chapter 9: The Choice That Broke the Empire
The video played on Nathan's phone.
Dominic saw Harper sitting beside Claire.
The little girl looked terrified.
Her eyes searched the camera.
Searching for him.
"Dominic!"
Claire screamed through the screen.
"Please!"
"Help us!"
The video stopped.
The room became silent.
Dominic didn't move.
But Victoria saw it.
The small change in his expression.
The one nobody else noticed.
Fear.
Not for himself.
For Harper.
Nathan lowered the phone.
"There it is."
"The expression I was waiting for."
Dominic looked at him.
"Where is she?"
Nathan smiled.
"You still think you can order me around."
"You really haven't changed."
Dominic raised his weapon.
"Where."
Nathan didn't react.
"Put the gun down."
"No."
Nathan sighed.
"Then Harper disappears."
Victoria stepped forward.
"Leave her out of this."
Nathan looked at her.
"You were always emotional."
"That was your biggest weakness."
Victoria's eyes hardened.
"No."
"My biggest mistake was believing you were human."
For the first time...
Nathan's face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Dominic noticed.
Nathan still cared what Victoria thought.
Interesting.
"You don't understand what you've done, Nathan."
Dominic spoke calmly.
"You came into my house."
"You kidnapped my employee."
"You hurt a child."
"You exposed yourself."
Nathan laughed.
"Exposed myself?"
"Dominic, I have spent seventeen years standing beside you."
"People trust me because you trusted me."
"That is not exposure."
"That is power."
Dominic looked around the abandoned mansion.
"The Black Raven symbol."
"The money."
"The attacks."
"Was all of this you?"
Nathan nodded.
"Everything."
"Why?"
Nathan looked almost offended.
"Because this world belongs to people willing to take it."
"You were given an empire."
"I built one."
Dominic shook his head.
"You were jealous."
Nathan smiled.
"Maybe."
"But jealousy alone doesn't create something like this."
He stepped closer.
"You know what the difference is between us?"
Dominic remained silent.
"You wanted people to love you."
"I wanted people to obey me."
Victoria whispered:
"That's why you'll lose."
Nathan looked at her.
"Still believing in hope."
"After twelve years."
He laughed.
"You really haven't learned."
Nathan turned toward Dominic.
"You have two choices."
"Come with me."
"Give me control of your organization."
"Walk away."
"Your people live."
Dominic stared at him.
"And if I refuse?"
Nathan looked at his phone.
"Then Harper pays for your pride."
The words were barely spoken before Dominic moved.
Fast.
Unexpected.
He grabbed Nathan's wrist and twisted.
The phone flew across the room.
Nathan crashed against the wooden wall.
Dominic's gun was instantly aimed at him.
But Nathan was smiling.
Because he wanted exactly this.
Dominic realized too late.
A red laser appeared on Victoria's chest.
Someone else was in the room.
A sniper.
Victoria looked down.
Then slowly looked at Dominic.
"Don't."
Dominic froze.
Nathan straightened his jacket.
"You always protect the people you love."
"Predictable."
Dominic slowly lowered his weapon.
Nathan picked up the phone.
"Good."
"Now you're thinking."
Dominic's eyes remained on Victoria.
"Who is your shooter?"
Nathan smiled.
"You really want to know?"
"Yes."
Nathan looked toward the broken window.
"Someone you never suspected."
A figure appeared outside.
Dominic couldn't see the face.
Only the silhouette.
Nathan continued:
"Your own security team has been compromised for years."
Dominic's expression darkened.
"No."
Nathan laughed.
"You still don't understand."
"Trust is a disease."
"And I cured you of it."
Back at the Vale estate...
Daniel stared at the security monitors.
The signal had returned.
But something was wrong.
Every camera showed the same image.
Empty hallways.
Empty rooms.
Nothing moving.
"Something's wrong."
Marcus looked over.
"What?"
"The cameras are fake."
Marcus frowned.
"What?"
Daniel pointed.
"They're showing recorded footage."
"Someone is controlling the entire system."
A guard suddenly entered.
"Sir."
"We found something."
Marcus turned.
"What?"
The guard placed a small device on the table.
"A transmitter."
"Hidden inside the main security room."
Daniel picked it up.
His face changed.
"Impossible."
Marcus looked at him.
"What?"
Daniel turned the device over.
"This belongs to us."
"Where did you find it?"
The guard answered:
"Inside Victor Sloan's office."
Silence.
Marcus frowned.
"Victor?"
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
"Someone planted it there."
A voice suddenly came through the radio.
Everyone turned.
It was Dominic.
But the signal was weak.
"Daniel."
The entire room froze.
"Boss?"
Dominic's voice whispered through the speaker.
"Listen carefully."
"Do not trust anyone."
Daniel immediately answered.
"Where are you?"
No response.
Only static.
Then Dominic spoke again.
"Nathan isn't alone."
The transmission cut.
Marcus looked around the room.
"Did anyone else hear that?"
Nobody answered.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
If Nathan had someone inside Dominic's organization...
Who could they trust?
At the abandoned mansion...
Nathan walked Dominic and Victoria toward a waiting vehicle.
Dominic remained silent.
But his eyes were working.
Counting.
Analyzing.
Waiting.
Nathan opened the car door.
"Get in."
Dominic looked at him.
"You think you won."
Nathan smiled.
"I know I won."
"You have no army."
"No allies."
"No one you trust."
Dominic looked at Victoria.
Then at Nathan.
"You made one mistake."
Nathan raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Dominic stepped into the vehicle.
"You forgot something."
"What?"
Dominic's voice became colder.
"I built this empire from nothing."
"I survived without trust before."
A small smile appeared on Nathan's face.
"Still arrogant."
"No."
Dominic looked back at him.
"Still alive."
The car door closed.
As the vehicle disappeared into the darkness...
Nathan received a message.
The sender's name appeared.
UNKNOWN.
The message contained only four words.
HE KNOWS ABOUT VICTOR.
Nathan's smile disappeared.
May you like
For the first time...
Nathan Cross looked worried.
