The two guards stiffened. For the first time since the confrontation began, their arrogance faltered. They exchanged uneasy glances, though neither dared show outright hesitation.They had faced many arrogant challengers before but none had displayed the calm, unnerving confidence that Ethan was showing now. His silence, his posture, and that unshaken gaze unsettled them more than insults ever could. It was the kind of arrogance born not of words, but of certainty.Already, they were contemplating whether to silence him before his audacity spread, when the Apprentice suddenly intervened.“Wait!” His voice cracked. All eyes snapped to him at once, but he did not shrink back this time.“Why not make it fair enough?” he asked, a sly smile tugging at the corners of his lips, as though he had just thought of something clever.“What do you mean by fair enough?” one of the security men growled, his voice low and hoarse, suspicion glinting in his eyes.Even Leif and the family doctor exchange

Ethan led the way, with the Grand Physician following closely.When Leif, the family’s doctor, and the apprentice saw Ethan with the Grand Physician, they were beyond surprised—utterly stunned.It was more of a shock for the apprentice, who never imagined that Ethan would gain an audience with the Grand Physician, let alone convince him to leave his secluded halls and accompany them to the Robbins family mansion.It was a feat bordering on impossible, shattering every assumption they had carried about Ethan’s true nature and quiet persistence. It wasn’t mere luck—it was something else, something they could not yet name, and it left both Leif and the apprentice unsettled in ways they couldn’t explain.But the moment the Grand Physician’s eyes fell upon the apprentice, his expression changed in an instant. The calm wisdom that usually cloaked him hardened into a grim mask, his gaze sharp as steel.“Seize him,” the Grand Physician commanded, his tone cold and unyielding.The guards did n

“Cobra King,” Damon said at last, when his breaths finally steadied. The name slipped from his lips like poison. “That’s what he calls himself.”“Cobra King?” Ethan echoed, the words tasting foreign on his tongue. He found himself repeating it, as though doing so might make it less menacing.There was no doubt the name carried the weight of a man who had tasted power and sharpened it into something lethal. For the first time, Ethan felt a flicker of dread—small, but undeniable—curl in his chest.Damon nodded grimly. “Yes, and he’s obsessed. A man who bends the rules until they break. He’s been buying oddities, relics, things that should never exist in the hands of mortals. He pays fortunes for shadows.”“And for what exactly?” Ethan asked, his voice low, deliberate. “Why would someone hunger for such things?”“I have no answer for that,” Damon admitted, shrugging as though the darkness he spoke of were just another passing trade. “My role is simple—link him with sellers, collect my cu

The drive back was heavy with silence, a silence that seemed to press into the lungs of every man in the vehicle. Yet inside, the car remained cloaked in something darker than the night itself.No one dared to speak, not Leif, not the trembling apprentice, not even the weary family doctor. The only sound was the steady growl of the engine, a reminder of the distance growing between them and the monastery. Ethan remained quiet as he gripped on the wheel, his gaze fixed on the road.Leif swallowed hard, wondering if this man beside him was truly the same man his cousin Emma had really had a one night stand with, as everything about him was becoming scarier by the day.As for the apprentice, he didn't even dare to meet Ethan’s eyes at all. His hands still clutched the scroll as though his very soul might unravel if he let it go. When they finally got back to the Grand Physician's house and delivered the scroll to him, the man was overjoyed. His hands hovered above the parchment as thou

Emma's mind became a storm after Grandfather Robbins' declaration of her marriage with Ethan. She just couldn't find a reason to be at peace especially not with her grandfather’s words echoing so loudly in her ears. It may be true that she had stood up to defend Ethan in several occasions. She had even gone as far as having him released from prison, but that still didn't make it a reason for her to accept Grandfather Robbins' decision as though she didn't have a say of her own.She had even expected Ethan to decline, to give reasons why the marriage wouldn't and shouldn't happen. But Ethan had continued to disappoint her over and over again, making her wonder what exactly was going on with him, and why he seemed to be so comfortable that someone else was deciding his future.As far as she was concerned, the marriage wasn't meant to happen. All they needed to do was to wait for a month and have it annulled, and then, both parties could go their separate ways and lead their separate li