Chapter 13 - THE ENEMY INSIDE THE BLACKWOOD EMPIRE
The photo on Ethan’s phone changed everything.
Someone had been inside the mansion.
Someone close enough to watch them.
Close enough to take the picture.
Close enough to know every move they made.
Ethan stared at the screen.
“Everyone leaves this room.”
The security team immediately moved.
Margaret looked confused.
“What are you doing?”
“Finding the person who has been helping Victoria.”
Daniel looked at the photo again.
“There’s something strange.”
Ethan turned.
“What?”
Daniel pointed.
“The angle.”
Everyone looked closer.
The picture had been taken from above.
Not from a hallway.
Not from a window.
From inside the library.
Ethan’s face turned cold.
“There are no cameras in here.”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“Exactly.”
Silence filled the room.
Someone had been physically inside.
Someone had been standing nearby.
Watching.
The security team searched the mansion.
Every room.
Every hallway.
Every hidden corner.
But they found nothing.
No cameras.
No devices.
No intruders.
Then one guard entered Charles Blackwood’s old office.
“Mr. Blackwood.”
Ethan walked in.
The guard pointed toward the wall.
A small crack was visible behind a bookshelf.
They moved the shelf.
Behind it was a hidden room.
Everyone froze.
Inside were dozens of files.
Old photographs.
Financial records.
And a wall covered with names.
Margaret.
Ethan.
Victoria.
Elena.
Sofia.
Ethan stepped closer.
His blood ran cold.
“This isn’t just about the money.”
Daniel looked at the documents.
“No.”
His voice was quiet.
“This is about control.”
Among the files was a folder with Elena’s name.
Her hands shook as she opened it.
Inside were details about her entire life.
Her address.
Sofia’s school.
Her daily schedule.
Even her mother’s medical history.
Elena felt sick.
“She has been watching me.”
Ethan looked at her.
His expression filled with guilt.
“She knew about you before you found the pillow.”
Elena nodded.
“She chose me.”
“Why?”
Daniel picked up another document.
“Because Victoria needed someone she could blame.”
A list of planned accusations was attached.
Employee theft.
Information leaks.
Blackmail.
Everything was prepared.
Victoria didn’t just react to problems.
She created them.
Then Ethan found another file.
The name on it made him stop.
Richard Sinclair.
Victoria’s father.
Inside was a recording.
Ethan pressed play.
Richard Sinclair appeared on screen.
Older.
Confident.
Smiling.
“The Blackwood family has always believed money makes them untouchable.”
He laughed.
“But every empire has a weakness.”
Ethan’s fists tightened.
Richard continued.
“Victoria will finish what I started.”
The recording ended.
Daniel whispered:
“Her father planned this.”
Ethan looked toward the door where Victoria had been taken.
The woman he loved.
The woman he almost married.
Was never the beginning of the nightmare.
She was only the next step.
That night, Ethan visited Victoria before she was transferred.
She sat calmly in the interrogation room.
Almost like she was waiting for him.
“You finally came.”
Ethan stared at her.
“Why?”
Victoria tilted her head.
“Why what?”
“Why did you choose me?”
For the first time, she looked almost disappointed.
“Because you were easy.”
The answer hurt.
Ethan said nothing.
Victoria smiled.
“You had everything.”
A pause.
“But you were lonely.”
She leaned forward.
“And lonely people are the easiest to control.”
Ethan walked away.
But before he reached the door, Victoria said:
“You still don’t understand.”
He stopped.
“The person who helped me is still inside your company.”
Ethan turned.
May you like
Victoria smiled.
“And they are closer to you than you think.”
