UNDER THE ASHES

Revelation

“Do you know why we’ve come for you, Young Master?” The tall man’s voice broke the silence inside the car. His tone was calm, but there was something more underneath—something Ethan couldn’t quite place.

Ethan glanced at him, still wet from the rain, his clothes sticking to his skin. “I don’t even know who you are,” Ethan muttered, shaking his head.

The man didn’t flinch. “We are the Li Consortium. Your family’s legacy, one of the most powerful corporate empires in the world.”

Ethan blinked, the weight of those words hitting him. He couldn’t speak, his mind spinning as the car drove on. "Li Consortium?" The name echoed in his head. He had heard it before, whispered in business circles, but he had never paid attention. 

"Yes," the shorter man in the front seat turned to face Ethan. "And you... are the rightful heir."

Ethan leaned back against the leather seat, his heart pounding. “Heir? To what?”

“To the entire empire. Every company, every deal, every decision—it was meant for you, Young Master,” the man continued. “But you... you disappeared.”

Ethan’s breath caught in his throat. The life he had been living, struggling to get by, letting Sophia’s family humiliate him—he had no idea. All this time, he had been walking away from something much bigger than he could’ve imagined.

“I didn’t ask for this,” Ethan said, his voice shaky. “I didn’t want any of it.”

The tall man nodded. “But it’s yours. Whether you want it or not.”

Ethan stared out the window, watching the city lights blur together. His hands were trembling. “Why now? Why after all these years?”

The shorter man exchanged a glance with his partner. “Because of what happened with Sophia.”

At the sound of her name, Ethan’s face twisted in anger. “What about her?”

“Your humiliation—what she did to you—that was the moment we realized it was time to bring you back,” the man explained. “She took everything from you, Young Master. But she doesn’t know who you truly are.”

“How did you know this ?” He asked

The tall man smiled “Well let's say we have our ears everywhere, Someone already told us what happened tonight.”

Ethan clenched his fists, the memory of Sophia’s cold words and Lucas’s smug face flashing before him. They had treated him like dirt, like he was beneath them. But now, sitting in the back of this luxury car, he realized they had no idea what they had been toying with.

“She thought I was nothing,” Ethan muttered, mostly to himself.

The tall man nodded. “She was wrong.”

Ethan was quiet for a long moment, trying to process everything. The rain continued to pour outside, tapping against the windows as the car drove deeper into the city.

Finally, he spoke again. “And what if I don’t want this... this empire?”

The shorter man smiled softly. “It’s not a matter of want, sir. It’s a matter of responsibility. Your family built this for you. It’s time for you to reclaim it.”

Ethan let out a long breath. Responsibility. It was a word he hadn’t thought about in years. He had walked away from his family, his name, everything, just to escape the pressure. But now, it was coming back to him, like a tide that couldn’t be stopped.

“So, I’m supposed to just... take over?” Ethan asked, his voice hollow. “Just like that?”

The tall man’s expression softened slightly. “It won’t be easy. But you’re not alone. We’re here to help you.”

Ethan laughed bitterly. “Help me? You didn’t even show up until I was lying in the street.”

The shorter man didn’t react to Ethan’s tone. “Sometimes, Young Master, you need to fall to understand how high you can rise.”

Ethan shook his head. “I don’t want to rise. I just want my life back.”

“But what life is that?” the tall man asked gently. “The one where you were stepped on? Treated like a servant in your own home?”

The words hit Ethan hard, and for a moment, he couldn’t respond. They were right. He had let himself be treated like nothing, all because he thought that was all he deserved. But now... now he had a choice. He could stay in that small, miserable life, or he could become something more.

“Your family never abandoned you,” the tall man continued. “They were always watching, waiting for the right moment.”

Ethan looked up, his eyes narrowing. “And what makes this the right moment?”

The shorter man’s smile faded. “Because now... now you have a reason.”

Ethan’s brow furrowed. “What reason?”

The tall man leaned forward slightly. “To take back what’s yours.”

Ethan was silent, the weight of the words pressing down on him. The rain outside was a constant rhythm, but inside the car, everything was still.

He thought about Sophia, about the way she had looked at him that night, as if he was nothing more than an insect she could crush under her heel. He thought about Lucas, laughing as he threw Ethan out, like he owned the world.

Ethan’s jaw tightened. He had spent so long running from his family, from his past, thinking he could escape it. But now, he realized he couldn’t. His birthright, his legacy—it was all waiting for him. And maybe, just maybe, it was time to stop running.

“You’re right,” Ethan said finally, his voice quiet but firm. “They don’t know who I am.”

The tall man smiled. “No. They don’t.”

Ethan looked out the window again, watching the rain blur the city lights. He had been humiliated, broken down, but now he felt something stirring inside him. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Strength.

“So, what do I do now?” Ethan asked, turning back to the men in the car.

The shorter man leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. “You reclaim your birthright, Young Master. You show them who you really are.”

Ethan stared ahead, the reality of it all settling in. He wasn’t the broken man they thought he was. He wasn’t the servant they had treated him as. He was Ethan Li, heir to one of the most powerful corporate empires in the world.

And now, he had a reason to fight.

“Tell me everything,” Ethan said, his voice steady. “I want to know what’s mine.”

The tall man nodded, his face serious. “You have a legacy, sir. And it’s time to take it back.”

Ethan sat back in his seat, his mind racing with possibilities. The pain Sophia and Lucas had caused him, the humiliation—it had all been the spark he needed. He wasn’t the man they had made him feel like. He was more. Much more.

The rain continued to pour as the car moved through the city, and Ethan felt something shift inside him. He wasn’t broken. He was powerful. And soon, everyone would know it.

He clenched his fists, a new fire burning in his chest. “So, where do we start?”

The tall man’s eyes gleamed. “First, you meet the board. Then, we take everything back.”

Ethan stared ahead, a storm brewing in his mind, fiercer than the one outside. He had been thrown down, but now he was ready to rise. And when he did, no one—especially not Sophia—would be able to stop him.

As the car sped through the streets, Ethan asked the one question that lingered in his mind. 

"And what happens to those who try to stand in my way?"