Chapter 3
Part 4 — The Hidden Truth
The roar of the hypercar faded.
For the first time since it all began, Ethan took his hands off the steering wheel.
His eyes remained fixed on the frozen image on the screen.
The mother.
She was standing next to Daniel.
Alive.
Calm.
As if that place wasn't a prison.
The entire room fell into absolute silence.
The manager approached slowly.
Ethan...
But the boy didn't answer.
The image moved again for a few seconds.
Daniel looked directly at the camera.
Then he looked away at someone who was off-camera.
A very faint female voice could be heard.
It was Ethan's mother's voice.
We don't have much time.
The broadcast ended abruptly.
Only one line appeared on the screen.
Call interrupted.
Ethan's heart was beating faster and faster.
For eight years he had believed that his father had disappeared.
For eight years, the mother had repeated the same phrase over and over.
"Your father never came back."
But she knew.
I had always known.
The billionaire took advantage of the moment of hesitation.
— You see? This could be a setup.
Ethan slowly turned his face away.
Why do you keep trying to stop me?
The man did not answer.
It was the manager who spoke.
Because he knows where that map leads.
The billionaire shot him a furious look.
— Shut up.
— I spent years in silence.
It's over for today.
All the customers were watching.
Nobody left the stand.
The experts remained by the car.
One of them reopened the system files.
Suddenly he frowned.
Wait...
Everyone looked at him.
— There are access logs.
- Access?
- Yes.
Someone has entered this system multiple times... over the last eight years.
Ethan approached.
- Who?
The expert took a deep breath.
The user is identified by only one letter.
M.
The boy stood motionless.
The mother's name was...
Maya Carter.
The manager closed his eyes.
So it was her.
The billionaire began to retreat discreetly.
I thought no one noticed.
But Ethan saw.
Don't leave here.
The man smiled.
I don't need your permission.
He turned towards the exit.
At that moment, the car's system emitted a sharp signal.
Unauthorized user detected.
The automatic doors of the stand closed immediately.
The electronic locks clicked into place with a metallic snap.
The billionaire got stuck in the countryside.
What does this mean?
Ethan was watching the panel.
The system has entered safe mode.
The cameras in the booth turned on by themselves.
The screens on the walls changed at the same time.
An old recording surfaced.
The date was nine years earlier.
You could see Daniel Carter's workshop.
The image was shaking.
It appeared to have been captured by a surveillance camera.
Daniel was arguing with three men.
One of them was the current billionaire.
The other two were wearing dark suits.
The audio was weak.
Even so, a phrase was clearly heard.
You'll never sell the engine.
Daniel answered.
Never.
The video fast-forwarded a few seconds.
One of the men pushed Daniel.
The image failed.
When he returned...
Daniel was already on the ground.
Ethan took an involuntary step back.
The manager put his hand to his mouth.
- My God...
The video failed again.
Then only one image appeared.
Daniel was placed inside a black van.
He was still conscious.
He was still breathing.
The recording has finished.
The silence became unbearable.
Everyone looked at the billionaire.
The man immediately shook his head.
They don't know the context.
No one answered.
That proves nothing!
One of the experts spoke for the first time.
— Proof that he lied.
The manager took another step.
— He said he barely knew Daniel.
The billionaire was breathing with difficulty.
It was a trade dispute.
Ethan kept his eyes fixed on him.
Where did they take him?
- I don't know.
— Mind.
- I don't know!
Suddenly...
The car's dashboard lit up again.
New transmission received.
Everyone looked back at the screen.
The call was live.
Daniel reappeared.
Much more tired.
He looked directly at the camera.
Ethan...
The voice was weak.
But it was real.
If you're seeing this... it means they failed.
The boy approached.
- Father...
Daniel smiled for the first time.
I knew you would find the car.
The image started to glitch.
Don't come alone.
The map reappeared.
This time there was a second red dot.
It was in motion.
Approaching Daniel's location rapidly.
The system identified it.
UNKNOWN VEHICLE.
Daniel looked back.
For the first time...
He seemed scared.
They found me.
The transmission started to lose quality.
Footsteps were heard.
Doors slamming shut.
Someone was shouting in the distance.
Daniel looked back at the camera.
Ethan...
Listen carefully...
There is a traitor...
The image froze.
Everyone held their breath.
The video resumed for less than a second.
Just enough time for Daniel to say three words.
It's in there.
The call dropped.
Silence.
Absolute.
Nobody moved.
Nobody was breathing.
Because, at that moment, everyone present realized the same thing.
The traitor...
...I was at that stand.
May you like
And nobody had any idea who he really was.
Continued in Part 5…
