Chapter 59: Shadows Over Blackwood

The engagement party had ended in grandeur, leaving whispers of power in its wake. The Huntingtons were officially tied to Blackwood—whether they understood the full weight of it or not.

But Chris?

His mind was already elsewhere.

Back at Blackwood's headquarters—a skyscraper towering over the city like a fortress—he sat in his private office, the skyline stretching beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Ethan stood across from him, his usual smirk absent. A tablet rested in his hands, its screen flashing with encrypted reports.

"We traced Zayne's escape," Ethan said, voice measured. "The ones who pulled the strings… they weren't just his family."

Chris leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled. "Who else?"

Ethan exhaled. "A faction within the Council."

That caught Chris's attention.

The Council.

A shadowy elite of old money, controlling industries, governments, and wars from behind the scenes. Even Blackwood had to tread carefully around them—though Chris had spent years ensuring that he was not controlled by them.

But now, they had interfered.

With him.

Chris's eyes darkened. "Did they fund his escape, or do they have other interests?"

Ethan slid the tablet across the desk. "Both. The Lancaster family alone couldn't have pulled this off. They needed leverage, and the Council provided it."

Chris skimmed the screen. Transaction logs. Hidden communications. Connections too deep for an ordinary billionaire like Zayne to have cultivated on his own.

"They're testing the waters," Ethan continued. "They know you're powerful, but they don't know how much."

Chris smirked slightly. "Then let's enlighten them."

Ethan chuckled, but there was something deadly in his tone. "Already ahead of you. Wren's network intercepted chatter—there's a meeting happening in three days. The same people who helped Zayne."

Chris's smirk faded. "Where?"

Ethan's eyes glinted. "Vienna. A secured estate. Private. Confidential. Dangerous."

Chris stood, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. He had let others make moves long enough.

"It won't be private for long," he murmured.

Ethan folded his arms. "What's the play?"

Chris's expression was unreadable. "We infiltrate. We listen. And when the time is right—"

He looked out the window, his reflection staring back at him.

"—we remind them that Blackwood doesn't answer to anyone."