Chapter 12: The Real Heir

The enormous steel mill was silent except for the distant dripping of water and the humming of old machinery.

Devon slowly stepped inside, every footstep echoing through the abandoned building.

Moonlight filtered through broken windows, illuminating Victor Kane's cold smile.

Benjamin Hamilton was tied securely to a metal chair several feet away.

His face was bruised, and dried blood stained the collar of his expensive suit.

"Dad!" Devon shouted.

Benjamin immediately lifted his head.

"Devon! No!" he yelled desperately.

"Get out of here! It's a trap!"

"Touching," Victor said with a sarcastic clap.

"A father trying to protect his son."

"Too bad you're twenty-six years too late."

Devon's fists tightened.

"Let him go."

"I'm here."

"Exactly as you requested."

"And you came alone?" Victor asked with a grin.

"Yes."

"Liar."

Victor slowly pointed toward the broken windows surrounding the mill.

"Marco De Luca never sends someone alone."

"Tell your snipers to stay hidden."

"I already know they're there."

Devon's heartbeat quickened.

Victor was smarter than he'd expected.

"Relax," Victor continued.

"If I wanted them dead, this meeting would've ended before it started."

"What do you want?"

"The truth."

"And what exactly is that?"

"Your father stole everything from me."

Benjamin suddenly laughed despite his injuries.

"You're still lying after all these years."

"Lying?" Victor replied coldly.

"Tell your son who Richard Hamilton really trusted."

"Tell him who inherited the original Hamilton fortune."

Devon looked between the two men.

"Someone explain what's happening."

Victor stepped closer.

"Your uncle Richard never intended Benjamin to run Hamilton Group."

"He chose someone else."

"Who?"

"You."

Devon's eyes widened.

"That's impossible."

"I wasn't even born."

"Exactly," Victor smiled.

"Richard believed the next generation deserved a future free from greed."

"Every major company asset..."

"Every international investment..."

"Every controlling share..."

"Was secretly transferred into a trust."

"A trust that automatically belongs to you on your twenty-sixth birthday."

"No..." Devon whispered.

"Dad?"

Benjamin slowly lowered his head.

"He's telling the truth."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted you to live a normal life."

"Victor would've hunted you from childhood if he knew."

"So you lied to me for twenty-six years?"

"To keep you alive."

Devon felt his emotions twisting inside him.

Anger.

Confusion.

Heartbreak.

Everything he believed about his family had suddenly changed.

"Enough family drama," Victor interrupted.

"Now we discuss business."

He snapped his fingers.

One of his men placed a thick folder on a nearby table.

"Inside this folder are legal documents."

"Sign them..."

"Transfer the Hamilton Trust to me..."

"And your father walks free."

"Don't do it!" Benjamin shouted.

"Those documents protect thousands of employees!"

"If Victor controls the trust, he'll destroy everything Richard built."

"You still think people matter," Victor laughed.

"That's why you lost."

Devon stared at the papers.

"If I sign..."

"You'll release him?"

"Immediately."

"You have my word."

Benjamin struggled violently against the ropes.

"Don't believe him!"

"He's never kept a promise in his life!"

"Please, Devon!"

"Don't sacrifice everything because of me!"

Devon's hands trembled.

Every instinct told him Victor couldn't be trusted.

But his father was right there.

Injured.

Helpless.

Running out of time.

"I'm waiting," Victor said impatiently.

"Make your decision."

Devon slowly reached toward the folder.

Hidden in his ear was the tiny communication device Marco had given him.

"Marco..." he whispered almost silently.

"He's forcing me to sign."

No response.

Static.

"Marco?"

Still nothing.

Victor smiled knowingly.

"Looking for this?"

He held up a small electronic device.

"Signal jammer."

"Your boyfriend can't hear you anymore."

Devon's face hardened.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Not yet," Victor chuckled.

"But the chemistry was obvious."

"It's a shame he'll never arrive in time."

Just then...

A single gunshot echoed across the steel mill.

One of Victor's guards collapsed instantly.

"Sniper!" someone shouted.

A second shot followed.

Another mercenary fell.

Victor's confident smile vanished.

"Impossible!"

"I blocked every signal!"

A familiar voice echoed through the building.

"You blocked the radios..."

"Not my instincts."

Marco De Luca stepped out from the shadows, surrounded by dozens of heavily armed men.

His shoulder was still bandaged.

His expression was ice cold.

"Good evening, Victor."

"I've come to collect what's mine."

Victor slowly drew his pistol and laughed.

"You're too late."

"No," Marco replied calmly.

"I arrived exactly on time."

Then Victor grabbed Benjamin Hamilton by the throat, pressed a gun against his head, and shouted...

"One more step..."

"And Benjamin Hamilton dies first!"