CHAPTER 2 — The Fire He Thought Nobody Survived
CHAPTER 2 — The Fire He Thought Nobody Survived
Marcus followed Maya into the Chicago morning before Ethan could stop him.
The cold wind swept between the buildings, but neither of them seemed to notice.
"Maya."
She stopped walking.
For a moment neither spoke.
Fifteen years was a long time to carry a secret.
"You survived," Marcus finally whispered.
Maya turned slowly.
"So did you."
The words hit him harder than any accusation.
Because she was right.
The warehouse fire had been ruled an accident.
Official reports had closed the case within weeks.
Insurance companies paid settlements.
Politicians shook hands.
New construction replaced the ashes.
Everyone moved on.
Everyone except the people trapped inside that building.
Marcus swallowed.
"You know who owned the warehouse."
It wasn't a question.
Maya's eyes hardened.
"Yes."
Marcus looked back toward the café.
Toward Ethan Carter.
Toward the empire built by his father.
"Richard Carter."
Maya nodded.
The founder of Carter Industries.
Ethan's father.
The man celebrated as a visionary entrepreneur.
The man newspapers called a philanthropist.
The man Maya knew as something else entirely.
A killer.
"My brother died in that fire," Maya said quietly.
Marcus closed his eyes.
He remembered.
The little boy.
The smoke.
The screaming.
The locked emergency exits.
The orders nobody questioned.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
Maya reached into her bag.
She pulled out a weathered folder.
The edges were worn from years of handling.
Inside were photographs.
Contracts.
Witness statements.
Bank transfers.
Evidence.
Enough evidence to destroy a dynasty.
"I was waiting for the right moment."
Marcus stared at the folder.
Then he thought about the slap.
The cameras.
The witnesses.
The video already spreading across social media.
A sad smile crossed Maya's face.
"I think the moment just arrived."
May you like
Meanwhile, inside the café, Ethan's phone would not stop ringing.
By the time he reached his limousine, the video had already been viewed six million times.
