Chapter 8 - Unmasking the Empire|
I looked past my father’s shoulder at the four stone-faced men standing guard in my hospital room.
“Dad... who are these people?” I asked, wiping my tears. “How did you get here from London in four hours? There are no commercial flights that fast.”
Marcus sat back in his chair and folded his large, grease-stained hands over his knee.
“I didn't take a commercial flight, Mara,” he explained quietly. “I flew on a supersonic corporate jet owned by one of my subsidiary holding companies.”
I stared at him, utterly bewildered.
“Subsidiary holding companies? Dad, you run an auto repair shop in South London!”
A faint, sad smile touched my father’s lips.
“I run a garage because I love fixing things that are broken,” Marcus confessed smoothly. “And because it was the best place in the world to hide from the life I used to lead.”
“What life?” I whispered.
Marcus leaned forward, lowering his voice.
“Thirty years ago, before you were born, your mother and I built an international logistics and intelligence network,” Marcus revealed. “We controlled trade routes across West Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Governments paid us to move sensitive cargo. Intelligence agencies paid us for information. Corporations paid us for protection.”
My jaw dropped in sheer disbelief.
“You... you were a crime boss?”
“I was a man who survived in a dangerous world, Mara,” Marcus corrected gently. “When your mother became pregnant with you, we made a choice. We dismantled the active operations, placed our assets into private shadow trusts, and retired. I wanted you to grow up in a normal world, untainted by the blood on my hands.”
I pulled my knees up slightly, processing the mind-blowing truth.
“So... Silas’s shell company? Kade Capital?”
Marcus’s eyes turned cold as ice.
“Silas thought he was a financial genius when he set up Kade Capital to steal your patent royalties,” Marcus sneered softly. “He had no idea that the offshore bank Kade Capital uses in Switzerland is entirely owned by one of my holding firms.”
My eyes widened.
“You own his bank?”
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“I froze Kade Capital’s accounts three hours ago,” Marcus said with a dark, ruthless satisfaction. “Every dollar Silas stole from you is now under my direct control. He is completely broke, Mara. He just doesn't know it yet.”
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