Chapter 12: The Battle for the Grand Regent
The next forty-eight hours became the most chaotic period in Ethan Vance's career.
News outlets covered the investigation constantly.
Investors called.
Employees worried.
Competitors watched.
And Victor Blackwell remained silent.
That silence frightened Ethan more than any public attack.
Because silence meant planning.
Victor had always operated from the shadows.
He never rushed.
He waited.
Then he struck when people were weakest.
Ethan knew he had to find the ownership files before Victor did.
The question was where.
Daniel had hidden everything carefully.
The evidence room beneath the hotel contained information about Victor.
But not the original ownership records.
Those had to be somewhere else.
Then Ethan remembered something.
Something Sarah had said years ago.
"The truth is always kept where people refuse to look.""
He repeated the sentence.
Marcus looked at him.
"Where would Daniel hide something important?""
Ethan looked around the hotel.
"Somewhere ordinary.""
Lupita suddenly spoke.
"The kitchen.""
Everyone looked at her.
"The kitchen?""
She nodded.
"Daniel loved talking with employees there.""
Ethan remembered.
A hotel was not just offices.
Not just executive rooms.
The heart of the building was where people worked.
They searched the old kitchen area.
Behind walls.
Under floors.
Inside storage spaces.
Nothing.
Until Lupita noticed something.
A loose tile.
Beneath it was a small metal box.
Inside were documents.
Old.
Protected.
And sealed.
The original ownership records.
Ethan opened them carefully.
Then his expression changed.
Because the truth was worse than expected.
Victor had not been trying to buy the Grand Regent.
He had been trying to hide the fact that he had stolen from Daniel.
The documents showed years of fraud.
Manipulated contracts.
Fake transfers.
Illegal acquisitions.
Enough evidence to destroy Victor permanently.
But there was one final page.
A handwritten note from Daniel.
Ethan read it aloud.
"If you found this, then Victor failed.""
A pause.
"But there is something you must know.""
Everyone leaned closer.
"Victor was never working alone.""
Ethan's blood ran cold.
The note continued.
"The person closest to me betrayed me.""
Marcus looked away.
Again.
Another mystery.
Another hidden truth.
Then the final sentence appeared.
"The person who destroyed my life is still protecting the person who destroyed yours.""
Ethan looked up.
"What does that mean?""
Nobody answered.
Then every phone in the room received the same alert.
A breaking news notification.
Victor Blackwell had appeared on television.
And he was accusing Ethan Vance of everything.
Fraud.
Corruption.
Cover-ups.
The reporter's final words were chilling.
"Sources claim Ethan Vance inherited a company built on stolen information.""
The world turned against him again.
But this time, Ethan wasn't surprised.
Because Victor had made one mistake.
He had attacked publicly.
And Ethan finally had the evidence to fight back.
But before Ethan could respond, Marcus received a call.
His face changed.
"Ethan.""
"What?""
Marcus looked terrified.
"It's Lily.""
Everything stopped.
May you like
"What happened?""
"She's missing.""
