The room was deathly silent—so quiet that even the soft hum of the air conditioner roared like a storm as Ethan played the audio on his phone. It wasn’t just any audio. It was a recording of his conversation between him and Mrs. Adams after a child in the orphanage had committed suicide. "One less burden to deal with," she had said with chilling indifference when he confronted her. "Frankly, her pathetic death is a relief for all of us working here." The girl had left a note before taking her own life—exposing years of abuse, neglect, and cruelty. Back when he was still struggling, he’d somehow caught wind of the news which buzzed through the neighbourhood he did work before she buried it. So he decided to go to her office and confront her about it. "Don't you feel bad at all about what happened?" His voice shook with disbelief upon realizing she hadn’t changed at all. Years after what she did to him, she was still the same cold, heartless person she’d always been—and she sti

“For what?” Mrs. Adams barked, confusion laced in her voice. The second officer—younger—stepped forward. "For child abuse, endangerment, embezzlement, and money laundering," he stated coldly. "You... you can’t be serious!" she sputtered. The officer remained unmoved. "You have the right to remain silent." Lara’s breath caught. The guards froze, unsure whether to intervene. Vanessa's, Blanche's, and Isabella's jaws dropped—but Jane smiled. Around them, the other attendees erupted, some shouting in disbelief, others scrambling for their phones to record—those who hadn't so before now. And through it all, Ethan just stood there, arms crossed, watching Mrs. Adams' empire of lies crumble in real time. His earlier glance at the watch suddenly made sense. He hadn’t been counting down his defeat. He’d been waiting for her downfall. When he found out about the auction yesterday, he knew it was his best shot to make a move. So he sent one of Magnus' enforcer to dig up more d

Ethan gripped the steering wheel tighter as he chased the black sedan that had always been following him, speeding through traffic in one of the cars Magnus came with, dodging between lanes with a recklessness that made his heart race. He slammed the accelerator, weaving between startled drivers, eyes locked on his target. His heart pounded as he swerved into the next lane, barely avoiding a delivery truck that honked furiously. The side mirror scraped against the truck’s metal frame, but he didn’t care—his focus remained locked on the car ahead. He was getting too close. They knew he was following them as they took a sharp turn at the intersection just as the light turned red, nearly clipping a passing truck, but he didn't back down—veering after them. He had them—he almost had them—until a mother and child suddenly stepped onto the road. The woman screamed and pulled her child close, shielding him as if that alone could stop the impact. "Shit!" Ethan slammed the brakes, tires

Vanessa slammed the door shut, her breathing fast and shaky. The embarrassment of spending the night in a holding cell—and becoming a public joke thanks to those viral videos from the auction—stung worse than her anger. It had clung to her like a chokehold all night. She pressed her back against the door, sliding to the floor as tears stung her eyes. "Me? Held up in a holding cell for almost twelve hours… all because of Ethan?!" The thought alone sent another wave of anger crashing through her, making the tears spill faster. She clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. It didn’t matter that it was late when they detained her—she could have been released last night, but no, they kept her there until the morning. Like a criminal. Like she had done something wrong. And when she finally got home that morning? Her family had tried to calm her, speaking in measured tones, trying to act like this wasn’t a big deal. “All I need to do right now is get back at Ethan for the di

"Get up,” Magnus commanded. "You’re staining my floor with your desperation.” Mr. Hayes scrambled to his feet, hope flickering across his face. “The seventeenth. Nine AM. At the company. The contracts will be drawn up exactly as previously discussed—not a single comma changed.” Magnus revealed. “This is your last chance, Hayes. As the CEO of Hayes Pharmaceutical, your incompetent son will still be the one to present the proposal. So, if he disrupts the proceedings again—” Relief flooded Mr. Hayes’ face as he beamed in excitement, cutting Magnus off. “Thank you. Thank you, sir. You won’t regret this. I’ll personally oversee—” “Just go,” Magnus said, waving his hand dismissively. “Your gratitude is as worthless to me as your promises.” In his car after showing himself out, Mr. Hayes’ relief morphed into rage as he dialled Damian’s number. The phone rang once, twice, before connecting. “Father—” Damian’s voice came through urgently the moment he answered the call. “You fucking