They Humiliated the Poor Cleaner… Until the CEO Walked In
Chapter 9
The escape turned into a chase through the mountain roads.
Ethan drove as fast as the narrow roads allowed.
Michael sat in the back.
Clara held the evidence box against her chest.
Behind them, two black SUVs followed.
“We need the police,” Clara said.
Michael shook his head.
“Some of them work for Victor.”
Ethan looked at the mirror.
“We’ll go to the federal office in Greyhaven.”
“Can we trust them?”
“We’ll find out.”
One SUV accelerated.
It struck their rear bumper.
Clara screamed.
Ethan fought for control.
The car spun.
They slammed against a roadside barrier.
Airbags exploded.
Silence.
Clara opened her eyes.
Ethan was bleeding from his forehead.
“Dad?”
Michael groaned.
“I’m okay.”
Another vehicle approached.
Ethan grabbed the evidence box.
“Get out.”
They escaped into the forest.
For nearly an hour they moved on foot.
Finally, headlights appeared.
A federal investigator stepped out.
Ethan raised his hands.
“We have evidence.”
The man looked at Michael.
Then at Clara.
“You’re safe now.”
They entered the vehicle.
Only after the doors locked did Ethan realize something was wrong.
The investigator never asked for identification.
He simply drove.
Clara whispered,
“Ethan.”
He looked at her.
“Something’s wrong.”
The driver smiled.
“You figured it out.”
He accelerated.
Ethan reached for the door.
Locked.
The investigator pulled a gun.
Michael grabbed his arm.
A struggle erupted.
The vehicle swerved.
Clara hit the side panel.
Ethan wrestled the gun away.
The SUV crashed into a ditch.
They escaped again.
Later that night, they reached a tiny roadside church.
An elderly pastor let them stay.
Michael finally revealed the last piece of the puzzle.
“Victor didn’t start Orion.”
Clara frowned.
“Who did?”
Michael looked at Ethan.
“Your grandfather.”
Ethan froze.
“My grandfather?”
“Richard inherited the system.”
“He didn’t create it.”
“No.”
Michael shook his head.
“He spent years trying to dismantle it.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
His family had been tangled in the corruption for generations.
Clara touched his arm.
“You aren’t your family.”
He looked at her.
That simple sentence meant more than she realized.
For the first time, Ethan understood why he had been drawn to Clara from the beginning.
She was fighting to save the truth.
He was fighting to escape the sins of his name.
Maybe they needed each other.
Outside the church, headlights appeared.
Ethan stood.
“Someone followed us.”
Michael looked toward the window.
Victor had found them again.
But this time, Ethan was ready.
He took the evidence box.
And Clara took his hand.
They weren’t running anymore.
They were going to expose him.
