Axel’s four-wheel-drive truck rumbled steadily up the narrow mountain road, its tires crunching against gravel and pine needles. The higher he went, the thicker the forest became.
Tall pines loomed over the path. The late afternoon light filtered through the branches, streaking the road in gold and shadow.
He drove without music, without distraction. Only the steady hum of the engine and the low rhythm of his own thoughts filled the silence.
The mountain behind his house had always been his place of solitude; no signal, no noise, no interruptions.
Yet today, he wasn’t climbing it for peace.
When he reached the peak, a small wooden cabin appeared between the trees.
Hidden well from prying eyes, it stood quiet and unassuming, smoke curling from its chimney.
Axel parked his truck beside it and turned off the engine. The silence that followed was thick.
Before he could even step out, the cabin door creaked open. A tall man emerged, his shadow stretching long in the afternoon sun.
"Sorry to call you here so suddenly," the man said, his tone calm but tight.
Axel’s brow lifted slightly.
"Ethan."
He closed the truck door behind him and walked toward him with measured steps.
"If I didn’t know you well, I would’ve thought you came for my son’s birthday. So, what brings you here? Something you want me to see?"
Ethan Wright gave a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"Yeah, I wish I were here for the party. But you do know me well, and you’re right as always. There’s something I need you to see. Come."
His tone carried a dreadful urgency, one that made Axel’s instincts sharpen immediately.
Without asking further, Axel followed him inside.
Despite Ethan’s dreadful tone, the cabin air was filled with the warm, earthy aroma of pine and aged wood, relaxing the atmosphere.
The soft crackle of the stove added a gentle, comforting sound, heightening the relaxing ambiance.
Axel sat on the sofa while Ethan remained standing near the window, his hand slipping into his coat pocket.
"What is it?" Axel calmly asked, while gazing at Ethan’s pocket.
Ethan didn’t answer right away. He pulled out a brown envelope and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. "You should look for yourself."
Axel frowned but reached for it.
The moment he opened the envelope, a small stack of photographs slid into his hands. He glanced through them slowly, until one image stopped him cold.
His jaw tensed, and the vein on his temple twitched.
"Ethan," he said slowly, his tone hardening. "Where did you get these?"
Ethan’s calm voice carried weight. "Nevalis City."
Axel sifted through the photos.
In one, a man stood beside a jet on a private airstrip—Maxime Knight, his cousin. Standing opposite him was Blake Martinez, the head of the notorious Martinez family. The two men were shaking hands, smiling like old friends.
For a brief moment, the world around Axel seemed to still. The faint crackle of the fire was the only sound in the room.
His grip tightened around the photographs. "Are you telling me these were taken recently?"
Ethan nodded once.
"Precisely two days ago."
The muscle in Axel’s jaw flexed. He stood abruptly and walked toward the burning stove.
With a quiet movement, he knelt, opened the steel door, and tossed the photographs into the flames. The paper curled instantly, edges glowing orange before blackening into ash.
He straightened, dusting his hands, then turned back to Ethan. His eyes were unreadable, but the tension around him was apparent.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Only the sound of the fire filled the silence.
Then, Axel’s voice broke through, low and flat. "Did you investigate? Since when has that stupid Max been involved with the Martinez family?"
Ethan let out a slow, heavy breath.
"I did. And found out that Max has been regularly meeting Blake Martinez since last month. I didn’t dig deeper into it... I wasn’t sure how involved he was or what kind of deal they were making. I need Collins to dig further. That’s why I came to meet you in person."
Axel’s eyes narrowed slightly, his expression unreadable. He walked toward the kitchen, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and leaned against the counter.
The mention of Martinez was enough to sour his mood.
The Martinez family ruled the capital’s underworld with a cruel, vile, but polished hand.
Their empire stretched across casinos, adult clubs, and black-market trades, all hidden under the façade of legitimate entertainment businesses.
The capital city, Elaris, was their underworld, shady business territory, and their pride.
But there was a line between their world and his.
Most people knew Axel Knight as the head of Apex Group, a clean, respected multinational corporation involved in technology, logistics, and many other companies.
To the public, he was a man of power and control, a businessman and, some say, a playboy.
Only recently did they know he was married and a loving husband.
And that’s it.
The public knows nothing else.
Because the truth is, his reign is much bigger, with only a handful who know about it.
There is a powerful organization named ’Wright Group’, a powerful underground conglomerate that ruled the shadows across other cities; legal and illegal casinos, secret shipping lines, private security forces with global reach, and weapons and pharmaceutical distribution.
Ethan Wright was Wright Group’s public face—the man everyone believed was in charge.
But the real mastermind, the discreet and silent owner who had built the empire from the ground up, was Axel himself.
And the Wright Group was far more potent and far-reaching than the Martinez family.
The Wright Group never stepped onto Elaris because Axel had drawn a line.
This city was his home, his family’s sanctuary.
His rule was absolute elsewhere, but here, he remained the invisible man, or at least a clean, professional, law-abiding businessman.
That’s why Ethan’s information hit differently.
"Maxime has always been reckless," Axel muttered, his gaze fixed on the fire. "But getting involved with the Martinez family? That’s suicide."
Ethan crossed his arms, his tone cautious. "It’s more than suicide. Blake only uses Max to connect him with the Knights. You know how Martinez works..."
Axel slightly nods.
"They’ll exploit him, dig into your family, and eventually realize who’s pulling the strings behind The Wright Group. That’s why I came here. This isn’t just Max being stupid... It’s dangerous for you, for all of us." Ethan said.
Axel tilted his head slightly, a dangerous calm settling over his face.
"Do you think Blake is aware of this?"
"Not yet, but he is smart; he’ll figure it out soon," Ethan said. "Axel, even though I’m confident your identity as the man behind Wright Group is safe, we should still anticipate the worst. Cut these two men away if possible. Discreetly, of course."
Silence hung heavy between them.
Axel’s thoughts moved fast, calculating.