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Axel didn’t hesitate. “If I could build the Wright Group once and trust you to run it, I can do it again and assign someone…” His gaze was unwavering. “You focus on healing. I’ll handle the rest. No need to worry about it.”
Ethan exhaled slowly, guilt flickering across his face. “You’re carrying too much
because of me.”
Axel stepped closer, his voice steady and unyielding. “That’s what family does.”
Ethan fell silent, the weight of those words sinking deep into his chest–heavier than any wound, but somehowforting.
“Thanks, Axel…” Ethan’s faint voice broke the heavy silence that had settled over the medical room. The words sounded sincere, and for a moment, even the steady hum of the machines seemed to pause.
Axel shook his head slowly, his expression unreadable. “Don’t thank me yet. This
matter isn’t over.” His eyes sharpened. “We still haven’t found the real mastermind who tried to kill you.”
Ethan shrugs his shoulders, frustration shing across his face. “Damn it… You’re right.”
Before Axel could respond, his phone vibrated in his hand. He nced down at the screen, his gaze tightening when he saw the name.
Collins.
Without hesitation, Axel answered and put the call on speaker. “You’re on.”
“Boss, sorry,” Collins’s voice came through immediately, slightly breathless. “It took me a few hours <i>to </i>find a solid clue.”
“You’d better give me something worth those hours, Collins!” Axel said firmly.
Ethan smirked faintly, shifting slightly on the bed. “No pressure, man.”
Collins cleared his throat. “Alright. That night, Ethan was attacked by two teams. The first was a local gangster group. Sloppy and not very organized. The second team was professional… foreign assassins, highly trained.”
Axel frowned. “That’s it?” His tone carried unmistakable disappointment. “That’s what
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took you hours?”
Ethan couldn’t help it. He chuckled. “Yeah, Collins. We already figured that part out.”
There was a pause on the line. Then Collins sighed heavily. “Can you both please let me finish before crushing my professional pride?”
“Sorry, man,” Ethan replied, sobering instantly. “Go on.”
“Thank you.” Collins continued, his tone sharpening. “Here’s the important part. Both teams were hired by the same person.”
Axel straightened. “One person?”
“Yes,” Collins said firmly. “ke Martinez.”
The room seemed to freeze.
Ethan’s smile vanished instantly. His eyes darkened, anger ring so fast it was almost visible. “What the fuck?” he snapped. “Why would ke Martinez want me dead?”
There was a beat of silence before Collins spoke again, sounding genuinely puzzled. “Did you offend him somehow?”
Ethan let out a harshugh. “If I offended every powerful man who hated me, I’d need a longer list than your database.”
Then Collins muttered, half to himself, “Oh, fuck…”
Axel’s gaze sharpened as he stared at his cell phone. “What?”
Collins inhaled slowly. “Did he know about the secret task? The one involving his daughter?”
The air in the room dropped several degrees.
Axel and Ethan locked eyes.
Neither of them spoke.
For a moment, the only sound was the rhythmic beeping of the monitor beside Ethan’s bed.
Axel broke the silence first. His voice was calm, but there was an edge beneath it. “Collins, how confident are you about this information?”
“Very,” Collins replied without hesitation. “I wouldn’t bring ke Martinez’s name into
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this without proof. I’ve traced the payments, the intermediaries, the phone records, and the timing. I’ll send you the evidence immediately.”
Axel nodded slowly, though Collins couldn’t see it. “Good.”
Ethan ran a hand through his hair, frustration clearly shing from his gaze.
“I don’t get it,” he said, frowning. “If this were about business between Wright Group and Martinez Group, ke wouldn’t go to this extent. Sending assassins isn’t how he handles corporate disputes. At least that I know of.”
“That’s exactly what bothered me, too,” Collins said. “Which means this is personal.”
Ethan turned to Axel. “Then why? Why me?”
Axel’s jaw tightened slightly. He took a breath before speaking. “Because this isn’t about the Wright Group.”
Both Ethan and Collins went silent.
“It’s about Natalie Martinez,” Axel continued.
Ethan’s body stiffened.
Axel met his gaze steadily. “You were the one who executed her.”
Ethan exhaled slowly, his eyes lowering for a brief moment before lifting again. “Yes. But it was clean. No witnesses. No loose ends. There was no way to trace it back to you
or me.”
“That’s what you believed,” Axel said quietly. “And under normal circumstances, you would’ve been right.”
Collins cursed softly on the other end. “You think ke knows it wasn’t a suicide.”
“I don’t,” Axel replied. “I know for certain he does.”
He began pacing slowly, his mind clearly working through the pieces. “ke Martinez suspected something after Natalie’s death. And that something was rted to me. That’s why he tried to find my weakness. He wanted leverage on me.”
Ethan frowned. “But he stopped.”
“Exactly,” Axel said. “He suddenly stopped digging into me. At the time, we thought he’d given up. But now, it makes sense.”
Collins inhaled sharply. “He shifted targets.”
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“Yes,” Axel said. “He stopped looking at me… and started looking at the executor.”
Ethan’s expression darkened. “He’s looking at me.”
“Not immediately,” Axel added. “But once he confirmed Natalie’s death wasn’t suicide, he would’ve traced everyone involved. Eventually, he would’ve found you.”
Ethan clenched his jaw. “Wait! How did he know about it?” He stared at Axel, as if waiting for him to say something. But Axel seemed lost in his own thoughts.
“That’s ke Martinez,” Collins‘ voice echoed from the cell phone speaker. “Cold and
vindictive.”
Ethan let out a bitterugh. “The old man, sending two teams just to be sure. Overkill
suits him.”
Axel stopped pacing and looked directly at Ethan. “What worries me more is how he knows about you. How did he know Natalie’s death was not a suicide?”
“That’s what I asked earlier…” Ethan softly responds.
Silence fell again, heavier this time.
Then Axel spoke, his voice lower. “There’s something else.”
Ethan lifted his head. “What?”
“I suspect someone leaked information to ke,” Axel said. “Someone in your team or close to you told him that you were the executor.”
Both Ethan and Collins froze.
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<strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.