The silence in the alley was comforting, yet Ethan's heart raced. Gunfire still echoed in the distance. Natalie looked at him with calmness in her piercing eyes, as if assessing just what kind of man he really was."You're lucky I found you first," she began. "They cared about the ring. Had they snatched it, you would have already been dead."Ethan's eyes slipped down towards his pocket. The Phoenix Ring glittered softly in the sunlight, reminding him of a vague life he never chose."I didn't even know who they are," he voiced."Then it is time for you to know," said Natalie. "With Victor Vale's fall came the power vacuum. The ones he kept in check — the gangs, the corporations, the politicians — they all want what he built. That ring means you are his heir."Ethan reclined against his seat. "I am not anyone's heir. All I want is my life back."She smiled weakly. "In Eastbridge, you don't get your old life back. You just build a new one — on the ashes."Those words pierced him deeper

Ethan stepped back into the apartment, rain held onto his jacket. Filtering through the blinds was the city glow, making trails of it on the floor. There sat Natalie on the couch, coffee in one hand and the other close to a gun."You did not kill him," she said, as calm as there were curiosity tones in her voice.Ethan dropped his bag and sat right across her. "He's Alive. Barely.""That's good," she said. "We might need him later."Ethan reclined. "He knows I'm back. Damian, too. The city will start to talk come morning."Natalie's eyes narrowed. "Then the war starts sooner than we expected."He nodded. "I'm finished hiding."For one moment, silence occupied the room. Then Natalie smiled slightly. "Vale would have loved you like this.""Vale is dead," Ethan said, standing. "And I'm not him.""No," she said. "You might be worse."By daybreak, Eastbridge was already buzzing with impatience. The reporter on the morning news was one shrouded in fervent excitement. "Late last night, there

The storm had raged all night. Thunder rolled over Eastbridge as Ethan stood by the window, gazing out at the flickering skyline. Every light in the city pulsed like a heartbeat—fast, uneven, alive.Natalie handed him a cup of coffee. “You haven’t slept,” she said.“I can’t,” he replied softly. “Not when everything I thought I knew keeps changing.”She leaned against the table, arms crossed. “You think Claire's feeding them information.”Ethan nodded slowly. “She’s more than just Damian’s wife. She’s the one keeping the Circle clean. Every shell company, every fake account—her signature’s on it.”“Then confronting her is suicide,” Natalie said. “If you walk in there, you’ll walk out in a body bag.”He looked at her. “I’m not asking for permission. I’m asking for help.”Natalie sighed. “You’re impossible.”“Maybe,” he said, “but I need answers, and she’s the only one who has them.”Two hours later, Ethan stood across the street from Locke Tower. The building loomed over the city like a

The rain hadn’t stopped since the night of the lab fight. It drummed against the safehouse windows like endless whispers of warning.Ethan sat at the workbench, the small black drive glowing under a flickering bulb. His reflection stared back at him from the metal casing. He looked tired, scarred, but determined.Natalie typed quickly on her laptop beside him. “I’ve isolated the encryption. Vale really didn’t want anyone opening this.”“He knew what kind of people would try,” Ethan said quietly.“Yeah,” she muttered, “and now we’re two of them.”He gave her a faint smirk, but the tension in his voice remained. “Do you think Vale trusted me with this because he thought I’d protect it or because I’d use it?”Natalie stopped typing. “Maybe both. Maybe he knew you’d have to decide which one you really are.”Her words hung between them. The faint hum of the laptop filled the silence until suddenly, the screen flashed green.Natalie straightened. “It’s decrypting.”Lines of code appeared an