Chapter 6: The Crash That Wasn't An Accident
I opened the video.
Nobody spoke.
Not Adrian.
Not Daniel.
Not even Martha.
The screen showed a dark road at night.
Rain covered the windshield.
A black luxury car moved through the empty street.
My car.
My accident.
For six months, I had replayed that night in my head.
The headlights.
The impact.
The sound of twisting metal.
The pain.
But I had never seen what happened before the crash.
Until now.
The video angle changed.
A second vehicle appeared behind mine.
Following closely.
My breathing slowed.
Because I recognized that car.
A black SUV registered to Blackwood International.
My own company.
Adrian stepped forward.
“Turn it off.””
I looked at him.
“No.””
The footage continued.
The SUV followed my car for several minutes.
Then my car suddenly moved toward the side of the road.
Not naturally.
Almost like something was wrong.
I leaned closer.
“What happened to the brakes?””
Nobody answered.
The video continued.
A few seconds later, the SUV stopped.
A man stepped out.
The image was blurry.
But clear enough.
Daniel.
Martha gasped.
I looked at Daniel.
“You tampered with my car.””
Daniel’s face went pale.
“No.””
But his voice lacked conviction.
Adrian stepped between us.
“Ethan, listen—”
“No.””
My voice was calm.
Too calm.
“You watched me almost die.””
Adrian looked down.
And that was when I knew.
The truth was worse than I imagined.
He didn’t deny it.
He just didn’t want to say it.
I walked toward him.
“Why?””
His eyes lifted.
And for a moment, I saw the younger brother I remembered.
The boy who used to follow me around the house.
The boy who begged me to teach him how to ride a bicycle.
Then that memory disappeared.
“Because you were never going to give me anything.””
His words were quiet.
I stared at him.
“Anything?””
“You had everything.””
He pointed around the room.
“The company. The respect. Dad’s trust.””
His voice cracked.
“I spent my entire life standing behind you.””
I shook my head.
“You could have built your own life.””
He laughed.
“You think it’s that simple?””
“Yes.””
“No, Ethan.””
He stepped closer.
“You were born first. That was enough.””
The room went silent.
I realized then that this wasn’t about money.
Not completely.
It was about a wound Adrian had carried for years.
A wound he turned into hatred.
Daniel suddenly moved toward the door.
I noticed.
“Leaving?””
He stopped.
“You need to understand something, Mr. Blackwood.””
I looked at him.
“There are people above us.””
That caught my attention.
“Above you?””
Daniel hesitated.
Then said:
“Adrian wasn’t the person who started this.””
Adrian turned sharply.
“Daniel.””
But it was too late.
I heard every word.
“Who started it?””
Daniel looked terrified.
“I can’t tell you.””
“Why?””
“Because if they know I talked…”
He stopped.
A notification suddenly appeared on his phone.
His face changed.
“What is it?”” Adrian asked.
Daniel didn’t answer.
He slowly turned the screen toward us.
A message.
Only six words.
*You were warned. Now disappear.*
Daniel dropped the phone.
Martha stepped back.
Someone was still controlling this.
Someone powerful enough to scare Adrian.
Someone powerful enough to make Daniel panic.
I looked at my brother.
“Who is above you?””
Adrian remained silent.
For the first time, he looked like a man trapped.
Then the mansion lights suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Martha gasped.
A few seconds later, the emergency lights turned on.
But something was different.
The letter from my father was gone.
And on the desk where it had been sitting was a new envelope.
This one wasn’t old.
It was fresh.
With my name written across it.
May you like
And beneath my name was a message.
*You should have stayed in the wheelchair.*
