Eleanor did.
"Michael Harrison?"
Samuel nodded.
Ethan's eyes widened.
"Your son?"
Samuel looked toward the window.
"Yes."
Nobody spoke.
Ethan had heard of Michael Harrison.
Everyone in the company had.
Michael had been Samuel's only son.
He had been expected to inherit the company.
But he had disappeared from the business years ago.
Officially, he had moved overseas.
At least, that was what everyone had been told.
Ethan looked at Samuel.
"Where is he now?"
Samuel's face had become pale.
"I don't know."
"When did you last see him?"
"Fourteen years ago."
Ethan slowly understood.
The financial transfers had started fourteen years earlier.
The same year Michael disappeared.
Samuel stood abruptly.
"I want every record from that year."
Eleanor nodded.
"We'll get them."
But before anyone could move, Ethan's phone rang.
It was Martin Blake.
Ethan answered.
"Martin?"
There was heavy breathing on the other end.
"Ethan..."
"What happened?"
"I found something else."
"Where are you?"
"I can't talk here."
"Martin, where are you?"
A pause.
Then Martin whispered,
"At the old Westbridge dealership."
Ethan's heart raced.
"Why are you there?"
"I found the original records."
"What records?"
"The ones from fourteen years ago."
Ethan heard a noise in the background.
"What was that?"
Martin's voice dropped.
"They know I'm here."
Ethan stood.
"Leave now."
"I can't."
"Why?"
The line went silent for several seconds.
Then Martin said,
"Because I just found Michael Harrison."
The call ended.
Ethan stared at the phone.
Samuel saw his expression.
"What happened?"
Ethan looked at him.
"Martin found your son."
Samuel froze.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he grabbed his coat.
"Take me there."
Ethan stood.
"Samuel, we don't know what's waiting."
"I don't care."
Victoria stepped forward.
"You're not going alone."
Eleanor closed her laptop.
"I'm coming too."
Samuel looked at them.
Then at Ethan.
"Fourteen years."
His voice trembled slightly.
"Fourteen years wondering where my son went."
He walked toward the door.
"Tonight, we find out why."
Outside, the rain began falling again.
And somewhere at the abandoned Westbridge dealership, a man who had vanished fourteen years earlier was waiting in the dark.
The truth they were about to uncover would change everything Ethan thought he knew about Harrison & Cole.
And it would reveal that the man they had spent days investigating might not be the person they needed to fear most.
Chapter 10
The drive to Westbridge took nearly an hour.
Rain hammered against the windshield as Ethan drove through the darkness. Samuel sat beside him, staring silently at the road ahead.
Victoria and Eleanor followed in another vehicle.
Nobody spoke much.
Ethan kept thinking about Martin's final words.
I just found Michael Harrison.
Samuel had spent fourteen years believing his son was gone.
Now, suddenly, there was a possibility that Michael had been alive all this time.
But why had he disappeared?
And why had his name appeared in financial records connected to the company?
Westbridge Motors had once been one of Harrison & Cole's largest acquisitions.
Today, it was abandoned.
The dealership had closed years ago.
The building stood behind a rusted fence, surrounded by weeds and broken pavement.
Ethan parked near the entrance.
Samuel got out before the engine had completely stopped.
"Michael!"
His voice disappeared into the rain.
No answer.
Ethan grabbed a flashlight.
"Let's stay together."
They entered through a side door.
Inside, the smell of dust and damp concrete filled the air.
Old sales desks remained in place.
Several faded posters still hung on the walls.
A sign near the entrance read:
WESTBRIDGE MOTORS — A HARRISON & COLE COMPANY.
Ethan looked around.
"Martin?"
Nothing.
Samuel walked deeper into the building.
"Michael!"
A sound came from upstairs.
A door closing.
Everyone stopped.
Ethan raised his flashlight.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
Then footsteps.
Fast footsteps.
Samuel moved toward the stairs.
"Wait," Ethan said.
But Samuel was already climbing.
At the top, a hallway stretched into darkness.
A light flickered at the far end.
Ethan followed.
They reached a storage room.
The door was slightly open.
Samuel pushed it.
Inside stood a man.
He was around forty years old.
His hair was longer than Ethan expected, streaked with gray.
He wore an old black coat.
He looked tired.
But his eyes were unmistakable.
Samuel stopped breathing.
"Michael."
The man looked at him.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Michael whispered,
"Hello, Dad."
Samuel took one step forward.
"Where have you been?"
Michael looked down.
"Everywhere."
"I searched for you."
"I know."
"I thought you were dead."
Michael swallowed.
"I wanted you to think I was gone."
Samuel stared at him.
"Why?"
Michael looked toward Ethan.
"Who is he?"
"Ethan Cole."
Michael studied him.
"The salesman?"
Ethan froze.
"You know me?"
Michael gave a faint smile.
"I know everything that has happened at Harrison & Cole."
Samuel stepped closer.
"Why did you disappear?"
Michael's face hardened.
"Because I found out what was happening."
"What?"
"The money."
Ethan felt a chill.
Michael continued.
"Fourteen years ago, I discovered that someone was using company accounts to move money through shell companies."
Samuel looked stunned.
"You knew?"
"I knew something was wrong."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"I tried."
Michael's voice cracked.
"You wouldn't listen."
Samuel shook his head.
"That's not true."
"It is."
Michael pulled a folder from a metal cabinet.
"You were preparing for the Westbridge acquisition. Robert was handling the negotiations."
Samuel nodded.
"Yes."
"I discovered payments being made to a company connected to him."
Eleanor stepped forward.
"You found the shell company?"
Michael looked at her.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you report it?"
"Because I was told to stop."
"By whom?"
Michael looked at Samuel.
"Someone inside the family."
Samuel's expression changed.
"Who?"
Michael hesitated.
Then he said,
"Uncle David."
Samuel went still.
Ethan looked confused.
"Who is David?"