Chapter 98 Father and Sons

Chapter 98 Father and Sons


The mood inside the observatory shifted instantly.

—

Outside, federal agents began shouting through their comms.

Weapons drawn.

Movement escalating rapidly around the mountain perimeter.

—

But inside,

No one moved.

Because all attention was on the security monitor.

On Victor King stepping out of the black SUV.

Calm.

In control.

Even now.

—

Zoe felt a knot form in her stomach.

“He came in person…”

Lila's expression turned serious.

“That’s not normal.”

No.
It wasn't.

—

Victor King never personally entered unstable situations.

He delegated to lawyers.

Executives.

Security teams.

And others.

—

If he came here himself,

Then whatever was left unresolved between him and Charles was more profound than anyone thought.

—

Charles stared at the monitor quietly without any visible surprise.

Which meant,

He had anticipated this.

—

“You knew he would come,” Adrian said coldly.

Charles gave a faint nod.

“He was always going to.”

A pause.

“Victor doesn’t leave things unresolved.”

—

Outside,

Victor's men advanced towards the observatory entrance despite opposition from federal agents.

Tension rapidly escalated on every surveillance feed.

—

Lila quickly grabbed her comm device.

“Federal command needs immediate backup now.”

Static crackled back.

“Units en route.”

But they were too far away.

—

Adrian's focus remained fixed on Charles.

“What is happening?”

Charles met his gaze calmly.

“The truth.”

“No more games.”

A faint, humorless smile appeared on Charles's face.

“You still think this is about winning.”

Another pause.

“It stopped being about that a long time ago.”

—

Suddenly, the observatory doors burst open below.

Heavy footsteps echoed upward through the stairwell.

Steady.

Unhurried.

—

Victor King appeared seconds later.

—

And somehow,

His presence transformed the entire room immediately.

—

Not because he shouted.

Not because he threatened anyone.

—

But by exuding control like gravity.

Cold.

Absolute.

—

Victor's sharp gaze moved across the observatory carefully.

Adrian.

Zoe.

Lila.

Then finally,

Charles.

—

“There you are,” Victor said softly.

Charles offered a faint smile.

“Disappointed?”

Ignoring the question completely, Victor's gaze shifted to the countdown timer instead.

01:09:44.

—

“You've caused enough damage,” Victor stated calmly.

Charles chuckled softly.

“Damage?”

A pause.

“You mean exposure.”

Victor's expression hardened just a touch.

“You destroyed innocent lives.”

The irony hit the room so hard it almost became suffocating.

—

Charles stepped closer slowly.

“No,” he replied quietly.

“You showed me how disposable innocent lives become when power is at stake.”

—

Victor's jaw tightened subtly.

The first visible crack.

—

Adrian finally stepped slightly between them.

“This ends tonight.”

Victor turned to his son immediately.

And for the first time since arriving,

A flicker of humanity crossed his face.

Not warmth.

It was recognition.

—

“You shouldn't be here,” Victor said softly.

Adrian almost laughed.

“After everything, that’s your concern?”

“Yes.”

The response came instantly.

Firmly.

—

Silence followed.

Because Victor sounded sincere.

—

Charles noticed it too.

And bitterness marred his expression instantly.

“There it is.”

Everyone turned to him.

—

“The great Victor King.”

A pause.

“Capable of protecting only what belongs to him.”

—

Victor finally faced Charles fully now.

“You think I don’t regret what happened to your father?”

Charles's entire expression froze.

—

Then slowly,

Dangerously,

He smiled.

—

“Regret?”

A sharp laugh escaped him.

“You buried him alive, professionally.”

Victor's tone remained coldly controlled.

“Daniel made reckless choices.”

“No,” Charles snapped back instantly.

“He trusted you.”

The room went silent.

—

Because beneath all the hatred,

There it was.

The original wound.

—

Betrayal.

—

Victor stared at Charles carefully now.

And for the first time,

There was no corporate facade left between them.

Just two men standing amid decades of damage.

—

“I gave your father opportunities,” Victor said quietly.

Charles shook his head slowly.

“You gave him humiliation.”

He took another step closer.

“You ruined his company piece by piece until he became someone he no longer recognized.”

His voice cracked slightly then.

Barely.

But enough.

—

“And when he broke…” Charles continued softly, “you called him weak.”

—

Silence consumed the observatory completely.

Even the wind outside seemed subdued.

—

Victor suddenly appeared older.

More tired.

—

But he still said nothing apologetic.

Nothing soft.

—

Maybe he truly didn't know how.

—

Adrian watched both men intently.

And disturbingly,

He recognized pieces of himself inside each of them.

Victor’s control.

Charles's obsession.

—

Two different outcomes shaped by the same brutal worldview.

—

Zoe quietly moved closer to Adrian.

Grounding him again without words.

—

Victor finally spoke again.

“Do you think exposing me will rectify your father’s death?”

Charles glanced at the countdown clock.

01:02:11.

Then back at Victor.

—

“No.”

A pause.

“But it finally forces you to confront what you’ve created.”

—

Victor's gaze sharpened immediately.

“You made yourself that way.”

Charles responded with a sad smile.

“No.”

Another pause.

“You did."

—

That hit harder than any shout could.

Because deep down,

Everyone in the room knew it carried truth.

—

Victor built an environment where cruelty became efficiency.

Where emotional detachment became strength.

Where survival mattered more than humanity.

—

And Charles emerged as the inevitable consequence of that world.

—

Suddenly,

Victor reached into his coat.

Lila immediately pulled out her weapon.

“Don’t.”

Federal agents outside shouted into comms in an instant.

—

But Victor merely brought out a small, flash drive.

Black.

Unmarked.
—

Charles's expression shifted instantly.

Real shock was visible in his expression.

—

Victor held it up calmly.

“I know what’s in your final file.”

Silence filled the room.

—

“And I know what you removed from it.”

Charles went still.

Too still.

—

Adrian frowned sharply.

“What is he talking about?”

Victor's eyes remained locked on Charles.

—

“You want the world to think this story ends with me.”

A pause.

“But you left out the part where your father attempted to revive Madison Dynamics after the acquisition.”

Charles's face darkened immediately.

“Stop.”

Victor ignored him.

“He tried to rebuild Madison Dynamics secretly after the acquisition.”

Another pause.

“And do you know who financed him?”

The room held its breath.

—

Victor looked directly at Adrian.

Then finally said,

“Me."