Chapter 17 - THE TRUTH UNDER THE LIESThe security chief finally stopped smiling.
The older man turned toward him.
“You said she couldn't remember.”
“She shouldn't.”
The girl stepped forward.
“She told me his face.”
The chief stared.
“You were three.”
“I remember eyes.”
The boss looked at him.
“The sad eyes.”
The chief's expression changed.
The boss understood.
“You were the man.”
The chief didn't answer.
Ethan stepped forward.
“I knew it.”
The chief pulled a weapon.
The boss moved instantly.
A single shot struck the ceiling.
Everyone scattered.
Maya pulled the girl behind a pillar.
Ethan tackled the chief.
The older man disappeared through a hidden door.
The boss chased him.
“Stop!”
The man kept moving.
They entered another chamber.
It contained a single chair.
A monitor.
And hundreds of files.
The older man stopped.
“You want answers?”
“Yes.”
“Then sit.”
The boss didn't.
“You're afraid.”
“No.”
“You should be.”
The man pressed a button.
The monitor displayed a video.
The boss watched himself at twenty-two.
Then twenty-five.
Then thirty.
Every stage of his life had been monitored.
Every relationship.
Every decision.
Every failure.
Every success.
He had never been free.
The man spoke quietly.
“You were created to lead.”
“I wasn't created.”
“You were selected.”
“Why me?”
“Because you could survive what others couldn't.”
The boss stared at him.
“You're insane.”
“Perhaps.”
The man smiled.
“But look at what you became.”
A screen showed the boss's company.
Thousands of employees.
Billions in contracts.
Government partnerships.
Political influence.
“You built exactly what we needed.”
The boss looked away.
“No.”
“Yes.”
The man approached.
“You don't understand the greatest secret.”
“What?”
“You weren't our puppet.”
The boss looked at him.
“You were our test.”
Silence.
“If you broke, we'd replace you.”
“If you survived, you'd inherit everything.”
The boss whispered:
“And the girl?”
“The girl was never supposed to survive.”
The boss's expression hardened.
“Why?”
“Because her mother discovered the final list.”
“What final list?”
The man smiled.
“The names of everyone who built the network.”
The boss looked toward the door.
“And my name?”
The man shook his head.
“Not yet.”
The boss's heart stopped.
May you like
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone added your name yesterday.”
