“Fair,” Ethan repeated calmly, as if explaining something obvious. "Didn’t your father also try to kill me? If circumstances had been different, if—” He cut himself off, seeing an opportunity."If he had succeeded, I would have been dead right now. And when he failed to kill me, he decided to take me away from my parents by faking my death." He pounded his chest, his expression hardening.Lucas’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed to slits. “What the hell are you saying?” His voice shook with barely restrained fury. “Can you hear yourself right now? Can you listen to the horrible words coming out of your mouth?”He took another step forward, his whole body rigid with disbelief. “You’re comparing—are you seriously comparing what happened to you with what my father endured? With what Magnus, you father did?”“Even though the circumstances were different,” Ethan pressed on, his voice steady and unyielding, “didn’t we both suffer similar fates? Didn’t your father and I both have our l

Ethan slipped back into the country the same way he’d entered Alvaris—quietly, invisibly, with no paper trail and no witnesses. His return wasn’t announced. His team hadn’t been notified. As far as the world knew, he was still in Singapore, handling business.He had something far more important to handle that required absolute secrecy.That was why he found himself here, at this particular warehouse on the outskirts of the industrial district.The building was a squat, concrete structure with rusted metal siding and faded paint. Weeds pushed through cracks in the pavement around the area, while a chain-link fence, partially collapsed in places, bordered the property. There were no cars in the lot, no lights visible through the grimy windows, no signs of activity whatsoever.To any passerby, it looked abandoned. Forgotten. Just another relic of business failures.Which was exactly the point.Ethan approached on foot, moving cautiously.He’d parked three blocks away, taking a circuit

The six operatives snapped to attention, forming a precise line in front of Ethan. Their backs were straight, shoulders squared, eyes fixed forward.Ethan stopped a few feet away, his hands clasped behind his back. For a moment, he simply observed them—these men who had risked everything to serve him, who operated in shadows so complete that even their own colleagues didn’t know their true allegiance.“I want to thank you,” he began, his voice carrying across the empty space. "Not just for tonight’s operation, but for everything you’ve done.”He paused, his gaze moving from face to face. "The trust you’ve placed in me—the faith you’ve shown by continuing to work under my command—it means more than you know. Without operatives like you stationed throughout this country, without the network we’ve built across the world, I honestly don’t know if I could’ve survived everything that’s been thrown at me.”His expression softened slightly. "Your unwavering belief in this cause, in what we

Ethan rose from the chair, the smirk still lingering on his lips as he closed the gap between himself and Lara.Just two steps separated them now.He stopped, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made the air between them feel thick.His voice dropped. “And why exactly do you think I didn’t tell you about my plan to visit Astria and attend the president’s birthday party?”She blinked, the question catching her completely off guard before she took an instinctive step back. "What?” Her voice came out as a whisper, disbelief written across every feature.“What do you mean by that?” She pointed at herself, her finger trembling slightly. “Are you—are you saying you still suspect me?”Her voice cracked on the last word. “I thought you admitted that. I thought you apologized for suspecting me before. You said you trusted me fully now. You said—”Ethan didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Didn’t speak.He just stood there, watching her with that same infuriating smirk, his head tilted sl

Ethan was at his office when he got a call from the reception that Sophia requested to see him.A smirk played on his lips as he wasted no time telling the receptionist to let her in, knowing exactly why she was here."It's time," he chuckled darkly.Few moments later, a knock sounded at the door.“Come in,” he said, leaning back in his chair.The door opened, and Sophia stepped inside, beaming in smiles.She wore a sleek black gown that hugged her curves perfectly, the neckline dipping just enough to show her cleavage.The gown ended just above her knees, showing off her toned legs. Her heels clicked against the floor with each step, and her dark hair cascaded over one shoulder in soft waves.“Hi, Ethan,” she said, her voice soft and silky as she walked toward him. Her lips curved into a slow smile, and she tilted her head slightly, letting her gaze linger on him. Each step was deliberate, her hips swaying gently as she crossed the room.“Sophia,” he replied, his tone neutral but