Chapter 4: Whispers in the Dark
Finch sat down heavily in an armchair across from Julian, placing his head in his hands. "Three years ago, before your accident, a group called the Apex Syndicate approached me. They wanted control of Vance Maritime's deep-sea trade routes. You refused to sell out to them, so they decided to remove you."
"They wanted to kill me?" Julian asked.
"No," Finch replied, looking up. "Your brother, Arthur, came to them first. Arthur didn't want you dead—he couldn't live with that guilt. He made a deal with Apex. He would give them access to the trade routes if they helped him take over the company. The condition was that you had to be incapacitated, unable to lead, but alive."
The revelation hit Julian harder than any physical blow. His own brother—the man he had protected and raised after their parents died—had orchestrated his downfall.
"I refused at first," Finch continued, his voice breaking. "Then my daughter vanished from her college campus. They sent me a picture of her in a locked room. They told me if I didn't keep you in that chair, she would die. Every month, I gave you that injection, hating myself every single second."
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Julian stared at his doctor, the rage mixing with a profound sense of sorrow. "Where is your daughter now?"
"She's safe—they released her last year once Arthur's control over the company became permanent," Finch said. "But they kept the leverage over me. If I spoke, they promised to ruin her life."
