Marco shouted, his voice echoing off the marble walls, “Excuses again! You let him slip away! You let Ethan mock us!”Hugo’s cane struck the floor once, hard. The sharp crack cut through the room like a gunshot, and silence fell instantly.He fixed Parker with an icy stare. “We gave you three days,” he said slowly, each word dripping with disappointment. “Three days to clean up your mess. It’s been two weeks. Two weeks, Parker—and things have only gotten worse. We’re losing money by the day. Huge sums. And you just keep failing this family.”Parker swallowed hard, his knees almost giving way. Sweat rolled down his neck. “Please, Elder… give me another chance. I’ll fix this. I swear it.”Marco slammed his hand on the table. “You said that before! Do you think our patience is infinite? Who even is this Ethan, huh? Who’s the man that’s made a fool out of us again and again?”Parker hesitated. “He’s nothing—a worthless piece of trash.”“A worthless piece of trash?” Hugo’s voice cut like a

Hugo leaned forward slightly, his voice careful. “And… what is that, Mr. Watson?”Gary turned, pacing slowly around the table. “From now on,” he said, tapping his cane with every word, “the Bellano family will pay an additional five hundred million dollars every year.”The room went dead silent.Marco’s jaw dropped. “F-Five hundred million?” he stammered. “Sir, that’s— that’s impossible! We’re barely keeping the business alive as it is—”Gary’s eyes snapped toward him, cold and sharp. “Impossible?” His tone was quiet, but it cut deep. “That word doesn’t exist in my world, Marco.”Marco went still, his face pale.Gary took another step forward, his presence pressing down like a storm. “You think I care about your problems? You failed me. You failed yourselves. You let a single man—one man—tear your empire apart. Now you’ll pay the price.”The patriarch clenched his fists. “Five hundred million more…” His voice shook. “That’s too much, sir. We—”Gary’s cane struck the marble floor with

Ethan’s calm never wavered, even as Ron’s mocking voice filled the tiny antique shop. Elsa stood beside him, her hand tense. Ron turned to the shopkeeper, arrogance dripping from every word. “You heard me. I’ll pay five thousand for it. Wrap it up.” The shopkeeper’s eyes widened in disbelief. “S-Sir, five thousand—” Ethan’s voice cut clean through the noise. “Fifty thousand.” Ron froze mid-sentence. “What did you just say?” Ethan’s tone was cool, unbothered. “Fifty thousand.” The shopkeeper blinked, torn between greed and common sense. He looked from Ron’s expensive suit to Ethan’s calm, steady eyes. There was something in Ethan’s gaze — certainty, the kind that only comes from knowing exactly what you’re dealing with. “Fifty thousand,” the old man repeated softly, almost in a trance. Then he nodded. “Deal.” Ron spun toward him, furious. “Are you insane?! I just offered five thousand dollars!” The shopkeeper shrugged helplessly, already wrapping the necklace. “Sir,

Edward’s polite smile faded the moment Ethan turned away — and then his composure snapped. His face tightened, and his voice rose, sharp with disbelief.“Are you out of your mind?” he burst out, stepping toward Ethan. “You’re refusing a million dollars? A million! Young man, do you have any idea what that means?”The shopkeeper flinched at his tone. Ron turned, smirking, enjoying the scene.Edward’s frustration boiled over. “You should take the deal! Do you understand how rare this chance is? One million dollars in your hand, right now — enough to change your life!”Ethan turned his head slightly, calm as ever. “And yet,” he said evenly, “it still wouldn’t be enough.”Edward’s mouth opened, but no words came. For a moment, the great antiquities expert was speechless — staring at Ethan like he was looking at something he couldn’t quite explain.“Unbelievable…” Edward muttered finally, shaking his head. “I’ve met fools, but never one who turned down fortune itself.”Ethan didn’t reply.

The knife flashed, sharp and deadly, but Ethan’s reflexes were faster. He stepped aside, his body moving with a precision that seemed almost unnatural. His hand shot out, catching the man’s wrist in a vice-like grip. A sharp twist, a loud crack — and the knife skittered across the wet alley pavement.“Ah! You—you broke it! You psycho!” the leader screamed, clutching his arm, the pain making his face pale.“You think you can just come here and grab it?” Ethan said calmly. “You picked the wrong person to mess with.”The second man, tall and broad, swung a metal pipe with a roar. “You’re dead!” he barked.Ethan ducked under the first swing. The pipe whooshed just above his head. He drove his elbow into the man’s ribs. The thug grunted, staggering back, swinging again with raw aggression. Ethan blocked it with his forearm, then pivoted, driving his knee into the man’s gut.The impact made him double over, gasping for air.“You…you’re fast,” the thug wheezed, clutching his stomach. “No…n