Reclaimed Crown: The Ascension of Aidan Pierce

Victor's Wrath

Victor Pierce's penthouse office resounded with the sound of breaking glass against the wall. As the contents spilled out like blood across the room, the once perfect crystal decanter lay shattered on the marble floor. Standing behind his desk, Victor's fists tightened as his rage flared into flames.

Aidan had returned.

The idea engulfed him, relentlessly tearing at his thoughts. Over the course of many years, Victor had worked to consolidate his power by influencing the board, the press, and the city's elite. Under bogus charges of embezzlement and shame, he had buried Aidan from public view, erasing him from public memory. The world had essentially forgotten about Aidan Pierce.

Last night, though, Aidan entered the ballroom with an air of complete authority. As if he still had any claim to the Pierce empire.

The memory of Aidan's arrogant grin, the expression of someone who believed he could just go back and get everything back, made Victor's fury boil. The gala was a staged affair, planned in advance to further solidify Victor's control over the city's elite. His chance had come, and Aidan had snatched it from him.

In anticipation of Aidan's return, the media had already started to swarm. The headlines that stung Victor the most were, "Is Victor Pierce's Reign Coming to an End?" and "Aidan Pierce Returns from the Dead." The other headlines were, "Heir to the Pierce Empire Reappears After Years of Silence."

The sound of Victor's clenched fist shattered the smooth glass surface of the desk. He couldn't afford to allow Aidan's return jeopardize all of his hard work and sacrifices. Aidan wasn't merely an annoyance; he posed a serious threat, and Victor was determined to eradicate him permanently.

His trusty head of security, Daniel Vargas, entered silently as the door to his office opened. The man approached Victor with an expressionless face, his physique befitting a tank.

"Did you intend to visit me?" Even though Vargas knew why he had been called, he still inquired.

He turned to face him, and Victor's eyes widened in anger. He spat out the name, "Aidan," since it made him sick to his stomach. It's him again. Every news outlet in town is now inquiring about his whereabouts and activities. They foolishly believe they can just reintroduce him to the plot, as if he had never vanished.

Vargas remained expressionless as he nodded. "Just tell me what to do."

A smirk formed on Victor's lips. "Destroy him. That's what I want."

Vargas furrowed his brow again. You might be surprised by how challenging that is. People are already paying attention to him. It can backfire if we oppose him too openly.

A raging wrath simmered just beyond the surface as Victor sent him an icy stare. "Clearly, then we won't do it. We belittle him. Every vile rumor, scandalous utterance, and outright lie that we can conjure up should be published in the news. Disseminate information on questionable practices and illegal acts. Turn Aidan into someone who seems to have been hanging out with criminals for the previous few years. If necessary, plant evidence—my concern is unmet. As soon as I finish, make sure that nobody believes a word he says.

Vargas thought about the order for a second before acting. "Are you certain about this?" Things may become chaotic.

Victor's voice grew low and menacing as his eyes grew darker. "The level of messiness is irrelevant to me. Nobody should let Aidan Pierce reassume his rightful place in the family tree. He poses a danger to all that I have worked for, and he will attack me if we do not eliminate him immediately.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Vargas nodded. I will commence without delay. I'll get in touch with our media contacts and start spreading the word.

Feeling the relief of being in charge creep back into his life, Victor grinned glumly. "Very well. Check that it's all over. Aidan is a con artist and a felon, and I want the people of this community to recognize it. Put their fears in him.

Just as Vargas was about to leave, Victor shouted, "And Vargas, if this doesn't work... A longer-term fix would be ideal for me. Can you grasp this?"

With an inscrutable expression, the chief of security paused before nodding once. "Get it. "

Victor dove headfirst into his chair, his thoughts racing with plans, as Vargas departed from the room. He would destroy Aidan's credibility and galvanize the people against him before he could garner any substantial backing. And if that failed as well, Victor had never shied away from taking even more extreme action.

Rumors about Aidan Pierce spread like wildfire over the city in the days that followed. Morning news rounds started asking where Aidan had been and what he was up to during his years of mysterious concealment. "Has Aidan Pierce Been Living a Double Life?" was the headline that appeared after whispered rumors began to circulate. and "The Hidden Truths Behind Aidan Pierce's Vanishing."

Claims that Aidan was involved with criminal organizations, smuggling rings, and illicit gambling groups started to circulate. Reports surfaced from anonymous people asserting they witnessed Aidan meeting with convicted felons during his time abroad. The press was duped into believing false documents that linked Aidan to a web of illicit operations through offshore accounts linked to dodgy deals.

Public doubt about the homecoming of the wayward heir quickly developed due to the constant smear campaign. As the rumblings intensified, Aidan's reputation was tarnished across all leading media platforms.

Victor grimacingly enjoyed seeing the news headlines. Something was happening as he had planned. There had been initial joy at Aidan's return, but now there was a growing sense of apprehension. Doubts began to circulate among the general population as to whether Aidan was the savior they had anticipated or merely another crooked politician posing as Pierce.

Although the news outlets were fast to report the rumors, not everyone shared their enthusiasm. The credibility of the evidence and the timeliness of the accusations were being called into doubt by a handful of journalists, particularly the more autonomous ones. In all these groups, Emily Carter's name kept popping up.

Typically, her byline appeared on smaller pieces that exposed wrongdoing in local businesses and government, something Victor had noticed before. Newly, though, she was investigating the Pierce enterprise, paying close attention to Victor's business practices in particular. Carter seemed to be sniffing around the story with newfound interest now that Aidan was back.

That wouldn't work for Victor. Before this line of research became more harmful, he needed to stop it.

Encouraging his head of security to return to his office, Victor shouted out, "Vargas," one day. "I are relying on you to resolve an issue."

As Victor continued to explain, Vargas waited patiently by the door.

Victor spoke the name "Emily Carter" with an angry tone in his voice. She's approaching too closely. She risks exposing sensitive information if she continues her investigation. She must be silenced.

Yes, Vargas agreed. "I'll take care of her."

Victor relaxed in his chair, his thoughts already planning the next move. He might regain control of the city after destroying Aidan's reputation and silencing any possible friends. Victor would prevent the ripple that Aidan's reappearance had created from becoming a wave.

As this was happening, Aidan hid in the shadows and watched the defamation campaign unfold. Even he was taken aback by the magnitude of the baseless allegations and rumors, which had him expecting Victor to retaliate. The rumors permeated the community, depicting him as a thief, a criminal, and a traitor to his loved ones and hometown.

However, Aidan was not taken aback. He was well-versed in Victor's methodology. Since he was a little boy, his uncle had a blood thirst for blood and would kill to get what he wanted. To top it all off, Victor had never encountered anything like Aidan.

From the comfort of his safehouse, Aidan perused the most recent news stories. The fabrications were plausible because they were well-crafted and contained a small amount of reality. Before he could take any action, his credibility would be weakened by the use of anonymous sources and fabricated papers.

An interruption to Aidan's train of thought occurred as his tabletop phone began to ring. An email from Claire had arrived.

You are being attempted to be buried. We should resist.

As Aidan's thoughts raced, he fixed his gaze on the television. Clare was correct. Taking things easy and letting Victor crush him wasn't an option. Fighting fire with fire was the only way for him to regain control of the Pierce empire.

"Sure, I can meet you tomorrow," he fast-typed. We will sow seeds of distrust in the city about Victor.

For years, Aidan had scoured the Pierce empire for clues, uncovering its dark secrets. Offshore accounts, bribed authorities, and blackmail plots were just a few of the details of Victor's business activities that he was privy to. Aidan possessed the proof that Victor had constructed his empire based on falsehoods.

The moment had come to reveal Victor Pierce's true character to the city.

Aidan and Claire met the following day in a cozy café, secluded from the gaze of the city's upper class. Sitting in a place far from the main audience, they deliberated quietly.

"We need to be careful," Claire said, her gaze darting around the room to check for prying eyes. "Victor will pursue us aggressively if he finds out what we're planning to do."

For Aidan, it was a simple nod. "Ah, I see. However, we are bound to do this. I've already been poisoned by him. Exposing their lies is your sole option for resistance.

Grizzled, Claire slipped a folder across the table. This concludes our investigation into Victor's illicit activities. Offshore accounts, money laundering, bribery to city authorities. It's all in one place.

With a quick review of the contents, Aidan opened the folder. That was enough to derail Victor's whole scheme. However, the method of its release required careful planning.

"We'll slip it out gradually," Aidan answered, his thoughts already mulling over the strategy. "We would like not to inundate the news outlets. If we release it in small bits, the tale will develop. The public will begin to doubt Victor's entire construction by the time we finish.

I nodded, Claire. How about Emily Carter, though? She has already begun to investigate Victor's empire. We might gain an ally in her making if we give her some of this.

As he thought about it, Aidan waited. Corruption within the Pierce empire had been the subject of Emily's investigation for months. Her tales had begun to garner attention, and she was fearless in her pursuit of influential people. It was her, more than anyone else, who could assist him in changing public opinion.

"Make contact with her," Aidan eventually instructed. "Just watch out. Not everything can be shared with her at this time. We'll give her enough information to begin investigating further, but we'll save the truly shocking details until later.

Claire grinned. "Noted."

The excitement was building in Aidan's heart as they walked out of the café. A change in the power dynamic was beginning, and he finally felt like he was making progress. Victor had used every trick in the book, but Aidan wasn't going down without a fight.

There would be a beginning of the end for Victor's empire when the city realized the truth.