Chapter 3: The Price of the Truth
Chapter 3: The Price of the Truth
The video ended.
No one moved.
The engine purred softly behind them.
The Blackbird had come back to life.
But the garage felt colder than before.
Dorian Vale stood alone near the car.
For the first time, he did not look powerful.
He looked trapped.
Gavin took a breath.
“This is old. It doesn’t prove anything.”
Eli looked at him.
“Then why are you scared?”
Gavin’s mouth tightened.
He stepped toward the exit.
But Rhea blocked his path.
“You knew,” she said.
Gavin’s eyes flashed.
“Move.”
“You knew Daniel had ownership rights.”
“I said move.”
Dorian’s voice cut through the room.
“No one is leaving.”
Everyone froze.
Dorian turned toward Gavin.
“What did you do?”
Gavin looked at him.
For one moment, his confidence cracked.
Then he laughed once, bitterly.
“You really want to pretend you didn’t know?”
Dorian’s face hardened.
“What are you talking about?”
“You signed the acquisition papers.”
“I signed what my legal team gave me.”
“And you never asked why Daniel Carter disappeared from every record?”
The words landed like a blow.
Eli watched Dorian Vale’s face change.
The billionaire looked at the photo again.
Then at the hidden drive.
Then at the boy standing beside the car his father had built.
For years, Dorian had owned the car.
Displayed it.
Driven it.
Featured it in interviews.
Called it the crown jewel of his collection.
But now the Blackbird had woken up.
And it had said Eli’s name.
May you like
Not his.
Eli’s.
