Silence.And then— Paul’s jaw dropped. “What?”Even Devon’s brow twitched, eyes scanning Ethan with renewed scrutiny.“No, that’s not possible,” Paul laughed—an awkward, disbelieving sound. “The leader of Crimson Serpent? Him?”He looked to Knox for confirmation.Knox didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. The respect in his posture, the stillness of his body—it said everything.Paul was stunned.Devon was even more shocked.For a heartbeat, his mind refused to process what he was seeing. But then, as the truth settled in like a thunderclap, he moved.The room was dead silent as Devon strode toward Ethan—not with anger or suspicion—but with something far more jarring.Respect.“Wait… what is he doing?” someone whispered from the corner.“I thought Devon hated this guy,” another murmured.And then, before anyone could even gasp—Devon dropped to his knees.Gasps tore through the room like a chain reaction.“What the hell?!” a woman near the window blurted out, clutching her chest.“No way…

Paul’s face contorted with fury, his chest heaving as he pointed a shaking finger at Ethan. “You provoked the Bellano family!”Ethan’s gaze didn’t waver. “I crushed your little plan to swallow Nova Corp,” he said coolly, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. “If that wasn’t a provocation, what was?”The room went still again.Paul’s lips curled back in a sneer. “You… you dare admit that so openly?”Ethan chuckled, a dry, mocking sound that made Sierra’s heart skip. “Paul,” he said, tone almost bored, “you and I were never on the same side to begin with. The Bellano family and I are already enemies. Nothing’s changed.”Sierra blinked rapidly, her throat dry. He’s not just standing up to them. He’s challenging them head-on.She couldn’t believe it. Ethan—the man she once nagged about not being man enough to get a job—was talking down to Paul Bellano like he was some street rat. And not only that…He was winning.Paul slammed his fist on the table again. “You think this ends well for

Marcus blinked slowly. His mouth was slightly open, like he didn’t understand what he just heard.Sierra frowned and crossed her arms. “What’s that supposed to mean? You can’t just bankrupt an entire family with one phone call.”Ethan didn’t reply. He was already putting his phone down, as calm as ever.Marcus gave a shaky laugh. “Yeah, right. Who do you think you are? Some kind of wizard?”But then…Marcus’s phone buzzed.The sound made everyone turn.He stared at it.It was his father calling.Marcus hesitated… then slowly picked it up and held it to his ear.“Hello—?”He didn’t even finish the word.A loud, furious voice exploded through the speaker. So loud, even the people nearby could hear bits of it.“What the hell did you do, Marcus?!”Marcus’s face went white.“Dad? I—I don’t understand—”“We’re ruined! Do you hear me?! RUINED! Half our partners just pulled out! The banks are demanding loan payments! The stock is crashing!”“I—I didn’t do anything—”“You did something! You pi

…twenty-nine… thirty…” Sierra’s voice was hoarse, trembling. “You’re a damn hypocrite… You said you hated him. Said he was trash, useless… You called him a bastard, Marcus.” SLAP! She whimpered, her head jerking to the side again. “You said he was beneath you! Beneath us! You begged me to pick you said you were the better man!” SLAP! Her cheek turned redder, swelling fast. Her knees gave out, but Marcus grabbed her collar and dragged her back up, eyes bloodshot. “He’s only giving you one million! Is this what you’re worth?! Is this what we’ve become?!” But Marcus wasn’t listening. Not to her. Not to anyone. His hands trembled. His mouth moved, but his voice had no sound now just numbers. “…thirty-six… thirty-seven…” The crowd had mostly vanished, drifting away one by one, unable to take it anymore. Some were sick. Others just… afraid. No one dared challenge Ethan. Not even the Irving. Not even the guards. The few who stayed stood frozen, backs pressed to the wall, staring

Meanwhile… Ethan was already over Marcus. Halfway through the beating, he’d lost interest. The guy was all bark when he had power but the moment things flipped? He went quiet. Pathetic, really. Just noise. Ethan fixed his sleeves, stepped outside, and took in a deep breath. The cool air hit his face. It felt good. He walked to his car, got in, and leaned back against the seat. For a second, he just closed his eyes. Marcus was out of his head. Now, he was thinking about Alice. That morning, while she stood in front of the mirror brushing her hair, she’d mentioned something casually. “I’ve got a class reunion tonight,” she said, twisting her hair and pinning it up. “Just a bunch of old classmates. Most of them are doing business now… might be good for connections.” She sounded chill, but Ethan had noticed that tiny pause. Like she wanted to go—but didn’t want to go alone. So he called her. She picked up right away. “Ethan?” “You free?” “I’m getting ready,” she s