Chapter 5
The Price of Betrayal
I stepped away from Vanessa.
My first instinct was to demand every answer immediately.
But I remembered Rebecca's warning.
Preserve the evidence.
Don't make accusations you cannot support.
And don't allow anger to destroy your judgment.
I took a slow breath.
"Did you know about the attempted access to the prototype's control system?"
Vanessa began crying.
"Ryan told me nobody would get hurt."
My stomach tightened.
"That wasn't my question."
She wiped her face.
"He said he only wanted to stop the demonstration if you refused the licensing deal."
I stared at her.
The Raven X1 wasn't an ordinary car.
It was an experimental machine containing complex software and mechanical systems.
Interfering with those systems could create serious risks.
Even if Ryan intended only to disrupt the project, the consequences could have been catastrophic.
I stepped backward.
"Did you participate?"
Vanessa shook her head quickly.
"I only gave him access to the office."
"Only?"
She flinched.
I couldn't believe the word.
Only.
She had handed my brother a way into the engineering system.
She had helped him copy files.
She had concealed the transfer from me.
And now she wanted to describe her actions as a small mistake.
I picked up my phone.
"You're going to need an attorney."
Her eyes widened.
"Ethan, please don't do this."
I looked at her.
"You already did."
I left the bedroom and called Rebecca from my car.
I explained everything Vanessa had said.
Rebecca advised me to write down the conversation while it was fresh and preserve any messages or records relevant to it.
She also recommended that we promptly inform the authorities handling the suspected unauthorized access.
I followed her instructions.
Then I drove to the workshop.
Marcus was waiting.
He had spent the morning reviewing the engineering security system with an independent specialist.
The findings were troubling.
Someone had attempted to use compromised credentials to access a development interface associated with the prototype.
The safeguards had blocked the requested session.
The logs did not prove that the vehicle had been physically altered.
But they showed that unauthorized access had been attempted.
I felt a wave of relief.
Then anger followed.
Ryan had risked damaging a project built by dozens of people.
All because he wanted money.
Marcus placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Your father would want you to protect the team first."
I nodded.
"That's exactly what we're going to do."
We suspended all testing.
We rotated credentials.
We arranged an independent technical review.
And we preserved the original logs for investigators.
The Raven X1 remained locked inside the workshop.
For the first time since the project began, I didn't want to hear its engine.
I was afraid someone had turned my father's dream into a weapon against me.
That afternoon, Rebecca filed the necessary challenges concerning the purported intellectual property transfer.
She also notified the relevant parties that ownership and authorization were disputed.
Blackstone Automotive Holdings responded through an attorney.
The company claimed it had received the rights through a valid commercial agreement.
It demanded access to the prototype and the supporting engineering files.
Rebecca rejected the demand pending verification of the purported assignment and the trust's authority.
The dispute was officially beginning.
That evening, Ryan arrived at the workshop.
He walked through the main entrance as though nothing had happened.
I was standing beside the Raven X1 when he appeared.
"Ethan."
I turned.
He looked at the car.
Then he smiled.
"Still beautiful."
I said nothing.
He approached.
"Look, I know you're upset."
I stared at him.
"Upset?"
He sighed.
"You're acting like I betrayed the family."
I felt my jaw tighten.
"You copied confidential engineering files. You submitted a transfer using a signature I never authorized. And someone tried to access the prototype remotely."
Ryan crossed his arms.
"You're making assumptions."
I stepped closer.
"Then explain what happened."
He looked toward the vehicle.
"You don't understand the opportunity."
I laughed bitterly.
"That seems to be everyone's favorite excuse."
He ignored the comment.
"Blackstone has investors willing to put hundreds of millions into this platform."
"And you thought you could sell it behind my back?"
"I thought I could save it."
I stared at him.
"Save it from what?"
"From you!"
His voice echoed through the workshop.
Several employees looked up.
Ryan lowered his voice.
"You'd rather spend five years perfecting every screw than let this company become something bigger."
I shook my head.
"We were preparing a launch."
"A small launch. A controlled production program. Maybe a few dozen cars."
"That's what the engineering team could responsibly support."
He laughed.
"Responsibly. There's your favorite word."
I looked at my brother.
He had inherited our father's smile.
His dark eyes.
Even the way he tilted his head when he was angry.
But the resemblance only made the moment more painful.
"Dad didn't build the Raven for a quick payout," I said.
Ryan's expression twisted.
"Stop hiding behind Dad!"
The workshop became silent.
He pointed at the car.
"He's dead, Ethan. He doesn't get to control our lives forever."
The words struck harder than I expected.
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then I whispered, "You think that's what this is?"
Ryan looked away.
I continued.
"This car wasn't his way of controlling us. It was his way of leaving something meaningful."
My brother shook his head.
"He left you everything meaningful."
I stared at him.
There it was again.
The old resentment.
The belief that our father's love could be measured in titles and possessions.
I took a breath.
"Ryan, Dad trusted you with commercial development because you were good at it."
He laughed.
"He trusted you with the dream."
I looked at him.
"He trusted both of us with different responsibilities."
My brother's eyes filled with anger.
"That's easy for you to say."
He stepped backward.
"You're going to regret fighting this."
I felt cold.
"Is that a threat?"
He smiled faintly.
"Consider it advice."
Then he turned and walked toward the exit.
I watched him leave.
For the first time in my life, I didn't run after my little brother to make things right.
I let him go.
An hour later, Rebecca called.
She had discovered something new about Blackstone Automotive Holdings.
The company was linked to an investment group that had previously attempted to acquire several struggling automotive technology firms.
But one detail stood out.
A large payment had been authorized shortly before the disputed Raven assignment was submitted.
The recipient was a consulting company associated with Ryan.
I asked how much.
Rebecca paused.
"Two million dollars."
I sat down.
My brother had apparently received a substantial payment connected to a transaction he had no authority to complete.
I stared at the Raven X1.
Its matte-black body reflected the overhead lights.
My father had spent the last years of his life fighting to finish that machine.
And Ryan had placed a price on betraying him.
Then Rebecca added another detail.
"Ethan, the payment wasn't the only money involved."
I closed my eyes.
"What else?"
"There appears to be a contingent payment tied to Blackstone obtaining full control of the Raven program."
My chest tightened.
"How much?"
She answered quietly.
"Twenty-five million dollars."
I stared at the floor.
For twenty-five million dollars, my brother had risked everything.
Our father's company.
The livelihoods of our employees.
Our family's name.
And possibly my safety.
But the most painful realization came a moment later.
May you like
Ryan hadn't merely been trying to take his share.
He had been willing to destroy mine.
