The invisible Groom
For three years, Ethan Cole has endured life as the laughingstock of the Dawson family—scrubbing their floors, bearing their insults, and fading into the background of their lives as a mere nobody.
What the Dawsons have no idea about is that Ethan is actually the exiled heir to the Cole Conglomerate, a trillion-dollar empire that commands fear across the globe. Once the youngest commander in a clandestine international unit, he vanished after a family feud that cost him everything. His punishment was clear: live as an ordinary man, reveal nothing, and interfere with nothing.
Yet the world has not forgotten him.
When six sleek black cars pull up in front of the Dawson home and elite operatives bow before him, Ethan receives the message he has long awaited:
“Young Master, your exile ends today.”
With his identity restored, Ethan begins the quiet process of reclaiming his power—but he’s not leaving just yet. The Dawsons, who have belittled him time and again, will discover the truth—slowly, painfully, and in a very public manner.
As rivals, crime syndicates, and corporate foes emerge from the shadows, Ethan’s return sends shockwaves through the city. With each step he takes, he unearths a deeper conspiracy, a more insidious enemy, and a past he can no longer escape.
The world believed the Hidden Dragon had perished.
They were mistaken.
Now, Ethan will rise again—
not as an insignificant son-in-law, but as the formidable heir that the world fears.
Power. Respect. Revenge.
The throne he once forsook is waiting for him.
And this time, no one will be able to stop him.
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Chapter: Chapter 114The vibration didn’t fade.It deepened.Not louder—heavier.Like the ground itself had accepted a command it didn’t want to obey.Hale’s fingers froze above the console.“Sir… Founder access layers are opening. Manual clearance.”Riker’s jaw tightened.“That’s impossible. Those levels require—”“—a human,” Ethan finished calmly.The tunnels beneath the safehouse began to glow.Not with light.With presence.Lila felt it immediately—a pressure behind her eyes, a tightening in her chest. Not pain. Not fear.Recognition.“They’re not sending machines,” she said softly.Ethan didn’t look away from the descending holo-map.“No.”The map shifted—layers peeling back until only one designation remained.FOUNDER NODE: ACTIVEAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL: EXECUTIVE TIERA single access signature pulsed beneath it.Not Slate.Not Marian.Not the Council.An older mark.Deeper.Riker stared.“That clearance… it predates the Ghost Program.”Hale’s voice dropped.“It predates the Conglomerate.”Silence pre
Last Updated: 2026-01-06
Chapter: Chapter 113Ethan didn’t rush.That was the first thing the retrieval units miscalculated.They were built to respond to speed, to spikes in aggression, to predictable escalation curves. Every Ghost-trained operative reacted the same way when cornered.Ethan didn’t.He stepped forward once—slow, deliberate—and the floor beneath his boot cracked.Not from force.From control.The lead unit adjusted its stance, servos whining softly as it recalibrated threat levels.THREAT REASSESSMENT — SUBJECT ZERO: ELEVATEDEthan’s eyes flicked over the machine, cataloging weak points the way he once cataloged human enemies.Joint lag in the right shoulder.Micro-delay between visual lock and response.Ghost lattice node exposed at the collar.Outdated.“Level Zero,” Hale breathed behind him.“No,” Ethan said quietly.“Lower.”He moved.The first strike wasn’t aimed at the unit.It was aimed at the floor.Ethan slammed his heel down, sending a shockwave through the Ghost runes embedded beneath the room. The symb
Last Updated: 2026-01-06
Chapter: Chapter 112The timer didn’t tick.It pulsed.A slow, deliberate glow on the central holo—each beat echoing through the room like a second heart.05:59No one spoke.Ethan stood motionless, one hand still wrapped around Lila’s. His breathing was steady, measured—every part of him already calculating trajectories, probabilities, sacrifice points.Riker broke the silence first, voice low.“Retrieval units won’t be conventional. Founder Directive means autonomous frames. No negotiation. No retreat.”Ethan nodded once.“I know.”Hale glanced at the structural schematics scrolling beside the countdown.“They’ll come from below. Leviathan-era tunnels. If they surface inside the perimeter—”“They won’t,” Ethan said calmly. “They want her conscious.”Lila felt the weight of that statement settle into her bones.05:31The floor hummed faintly now—a deep vibration, more felt than heard.Riker cursed under his breath.“They’re waking something big.”Ethan finally released Lila’s hand—but only long enough to
Last Updated: 2026-01-06
Chapter: Chapter 111The lights didn’t fail.They recalibrated.A subtle change—cooler tones, sharper contrast—like the room itself had decided to pay closer attention.Hale felt it immediately.“They’ve switched from observation to interaction.”Ethan didn’t move.“Of course they have.”A new interface unfolded across the main holo—no alarms, no threats. Just a clean, sterile display.FOUNDER DIRECTIVE: NEGOTIATION PHASERiker scoffed. “They really think this is a discussion.”Ethan’s gaze stayed locked on the screen.“It is. Just not the kind they’re used to.”Lila stood beside him, shoulders squared. The air pressed in again—not fear, but that same invasive awareness, like invisible hands testing boundaries.The text scrolled.VESPER: You misunderstand the offer.Ethan replied without hesitation.“No. You misunderstand refusal.”A pause.Longer than before.Then:VESPER: The anchor’s presence is destabilizing the Ghost lattice. Emotional interference is increasing deviation risk.Lila felt the words li
Last Updated: 2026-01-06
Chapter: Chapter 109The observation flag didn’t disappear.It deepened.FOUNDER OBSERVATION: ACTIVEBEHAVIORAL DEVIATION: INCREASINGHale stared at the readout.“That’s not a warning,” he said. “That’s confusion.”Ethan remained motionless, eyes on the data stream as if staring back at whoever was watching.“They’re recalculating,” he said. “They didn’t expect resistance without violence.”Lila stood beside him—no shaking hands, no frantic breathing. Just stillness. Deliberate. Measured.The countdown continued.05:28:4405:28:43Riker shifted uneasily. “Sir… Founder units don’t like uncertainty. If the model breaks too far, they escalate.”“Yes,” Ethan replied. “That’s the point.”He reached out and muted the auxiliary feeds—everything except the Founder channel.“From this moment on,” he said calmly, “we control what they see.”Hale frowned. “You’re proposing a controlled exposure?”“I’m proposing a pattern break,” Ethan corrected. “They trained me to respond to threat vectors. To pressure. To loss.”H
Last Updated: 2026-01-06
Chapter: Chapter 109The countdown burned quietly in the corner of the holo-screen.05:41:5805:41:57No alarms.No dramatics.Just time bleeding away.Ethan stood absolutely still, eyes fixed on the line Hale had highlighted. The data didn’t flicker. It didn’t change. It didn’t care what it meant.Lila Dawson — External VariableStatus: ACTIVEOverride Dependency: ABSOLUTERiker broke the silence first.“That’s not a fail-safe,” he said slowly. “That’s a hostage mechanism.”Hale nodded grimly. “A living one.”Ethan didn’t respond.His mind had already moved past the shock—past the rage—into calculation. The Ghost training did that. Emotion surfaced, acknowledged, then locked away until the mission was finished.But this—This cut deeper than any conditioning ever had.“They didn’t just tie my autonomy to her survival,” Ethan said at last. “They tied my compliance to her fear.”Lila’s voice was barely audible.“So they’re watching me.”“Yes.”“How?”“Doesn’t matter,” Ethan replied. “If there’s a sensor, w
Last Updated: 2026-01-06
