Chapter 7 - Grant Walked Away From His Empire to Save Sadie, and His Men Had to Decide Which Man They Really Wanted to FollowThe attack lasted fifteen minutes.
When it ended, the house was half destroyed.
But everyone was alive.
Grant looked at the burning road.
“We're done hiding.”
Paul nodded.
“What do you want to do?”
Grant looked at Sadie.
“Destroy the Crown.”
Paul raised an eyebrow.
“The Crown?”
“The ledger.”
Paul understood.
“If we destroy it, every powerful person connected to us will come after you.”
“I know.”
“That means the organization collapses.”
“I know.”
“You'll lose everything.”
Grant looked toward the smoke.
“That's the point.”
He gathered his remaining loyal men.
There were only thirteen.
Half his old crew had deserted.
The others were waiting.
Grant stood before them.
“For years, I told you loyalty meant obedience.”
Nobody moved.
“I was wrong.”
He threw his gun onto the table.
“From this moment, the Hale empire is finished.”
Silence.
“If you want to leave, leave.”
Nobody moved.
“If you want to stay, understand this.”
Grant looked around.
“We are not protecting territory.”
“We are not protecting money.”
“We are protecting people.”
Landon Pike stepped forward.
“You're serious.”
“Yes.”
Landon nodded.
“Then I'm in.”
One by one, the others joined him.
Grant turned to Paul.
“How do we destroy the ledger?”
Paul said:
“It's already encrypted.”
Grant looked at Sadie and Lydia.
“The sisters.”
They placed the two pendants together.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a tiny key.
The key opened the encrypted drive.
Names appeared.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
Judges.
Police.
Politicians.
Corporations.
Every person who had accepted protection from the Crown.
And beneath them:
AUTHORIZED SUCCESSOR — GRANT HALE.
Grant stared.
His father had named him the next ruler.
Not Gabriel.
Not anyone else.
Him.
He could have controlled the entire city.
He could have become untouchable.
Instead, he pressed DELETE.
The screen asked:
PERMANENTLY DESTROY?
Grant looked at Sadie.
She nodded.
He pressed YES.
The files began disappearing.
Then the system stopped.
A warning appeared.
REMOTE COPY DETECTED.
Grant's face hardened.
Gabriel had a backup.
They had one hour.
They moved through the city.
The final server was located beneath the old Hale shipping terminal.
Grant entered with Sadie, Paul, Lydia, and his remaining men.
The terminal was dark.
Gabriel waited.
“Son.”
Grant stopped.
“You always wanted me to call you Uncle.”
Gabriel smiled.
“And now?”
“Now I know what you are.”
“What am I?”
“A man who confused fear with strength.”
Gabriel laughed.
“You sound just like your mother.”
Grant's jaw tightened.
“What happened to her?”
“She chose weakness.”
“No.”
Grant stepped forward.
“She chose love.”
Gabriel's expression changed.
“She chose you.”
Silence.
Grant's voice softened.
“And that's why you lost.”
Gabriel fired.
Paul returned fire.
Chaos exploded.
Sadie ran toward the server room.
Grant followed.
Gabriel cornered him.
“You'll never escape the family.”
Grant looked at him.
“I already did.”
He knocked the weapon from Gabriel's hand.
Then walked away.
He didn't kill him.
He left him for the police.
Because that was the final thing Grant had to learn.
May you like
Ending violence wasn't the same as becoming better at it.
It meant choosing not to continue it.
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