All Chapters of THE DRAGON SON IN LAW RETURNS : Chapter 41
- Chapter 50
93 chapters
Chapter 41
The stench of rot clung to Ethan Cole's uniform as he hoisted another black bag into the compactor truck, the hydraulic crusher grinding with a sound like bones breaking. Three weeks since the Gala. Two since he'd watched his mother walk out of his penthouse. One since he'd learned his entire life was a lie written in his father's handwriting. And yet here he was, back in the role that had started it all—because sometimes the only way to see the board clearly was to stand where nobody looked.The Harrison Hills neighborhood was a different kind of prison than the one his mother had built in glass and steel. Here, the mansions were just as big, the lawns just as manicured, but the people carried a different scent: old tobacco money mixed with desperation. These were the families who'd watched the Wellington scandal on the news and thanked God they'd only been spectators. They hadn't realized the show was just getting started."Hey! Garbage man!" The voice cut through the morning air li
Chapter 42
The stench of rot clung to Ethan Cole's uniform as he hoisted another black bag into the compactor truck, the hydraulic crusher grinding with a sound like bones breaking. Three weeks since the Gala. Two since he'd watched his mother walk out of his penthouse. One since he'd learned his entire life was a lie written in his father's handwriting. And yet here he was, back in the role that had started it all—because sometimes the only way to see the board clearly was to stand where nobody looked.The Harrison Hills neighborhood was a different kind of prison than the one his mother had built in glass and steel. Here, the mansions were just as big, the lawns just as manicured, but the people carried a different scent: old tobacco money mixed with desperation. These were the families who'd watched the Wellington scandal on the news and thanked God they'd only been spectators. They hadn't realized the show was just getting started."Hey! Garbage man!" The voice cut through the morning air li
Chapter 43
The stench of rot clung to Ethan Cole's uniform as he hoisted another black bag into the compactor truck, the hydraulic crusher grinding with a sound like bones breaking. Three weeks since the Gala. Two since he'd watched his mother walk out of his penthouse. One since he'd learned his entire life was a lie written in his father's handwriting. And yet here he was, back in the role that had started it all—because sometimes the only way to see the board clearly was to stand where nobody looked.The Harrison Hills neighborhood was a different kind of prison than the one his mother had built in glass and steel. Here, the mansions were just as big, the lawns just as manicured, but the people carried a different scent: old tobacco money mixed with desperation. These were the families who'd watched the Wellington scandal on the news and thanked God they'd only been spectators. They hadn't realized the show was just getting started."Hey! Garbage man!" The voice cut through the morning air li
Chapter 44
The wood on the pier was really slippery from the mist that comes in the morning. The beer that people spilled the night before. It was the kind of surface that could really hurt you if you were not careful. Emmas shoes slipped on the wood two times before Ethan grabbed her arm to steady her. He held her arm firmly. Did not say anything, which is what people do when they are hiding something big. Emma was thinner than Ethan thought she would be from looking at pictures of her. There were circles, under her eyes that looked like bruises but they were not as dark as they could be so maybe they were going away. The pier and the morning mist and the whole scene made Ethan think about the secret that Emma and he were keeping the secret that could cause a lot of trouble for a lot of people like a problem that could sink empires, the empires that people build.The man told me to keep walking. He did not look back at the yacht that was just sitting there in the water. He said do not look at
Chapter 43
The shelter’s linoleum held the kind of silence that comes right before a glass breaks in a bar fight—tense, humming, waiting for the first move. Elena in the wheelchair was a ghost story come to life, her hair wild, her eyes fixed on Margaret like a woman who’d spent twenty years memorizing the face of the person who stole her child.Margaret’s hand hovered over the remote on the floor, but she didn’t reach for it. For the first time in Ethan’s memory, she looked unsure—like she’d walked into a bodega with a hundred-dollar bill and been told exact change only.“Elena,” Margaret said, the name tasting like ash. “You’re supposed to be in Zurich.”“And you’re supposed to be a mother,” Elena shot back, wheeling forward. The social worker stepped aside without being asked. The cops, hands still on their belts, looked at each other—livestream in their face, hostage situation on paper, but the hostage was singing and the kidnapper was in a wheelchair. Math wasn’t mathing.Emma stood frozen
Chapter 46
The shelter’s linoleum held the kind of silence that comes right before a glass breaks in a bar fight—tense, humming, waiting for the first move. Elena in the wheelchair was a ghost story come to life, her hair wild, her eyes fixed on Margaret like a woman who’d spent twenty years memorizing the face of the person who stole her child.Margaret’s hand hovered over the remote on the floor, but she didn’t reach for it. For the first time in Ethan’s memory, she looked unsure—like she’d walked into a bodega with a hundred-dollar bill and been told exact change only.“Elena,” Margaret said, the name tasting like ash. “You’re supposed to be in Zurich.”“And you’re supposed to be a mother,” Elena shot back, wheeling forward. The social worker stepped aside without being asked. The cops, hands still on their belts, looked at each other—livestream in their face, hostage situation on paper, but the hostage was singing and the kidnapper was in a wheelchair. Math wasn’t mathing.Emma stood frozen
Chapter 47
And if she sees them?""She won't." He looked out at the city passing by. "She's learning to see what matters. That's a harder skill than it looks."The SUV stopped at a light. Outside, a newsstand displayed the morning papers. The headline screamed: **WELLINGTON SCION TO WALK FREE? EX-WIFE FEARS FOR SAFETY.**There was a photo of Sophia, looking tired but determined, leaving the courthouse. In the background, barely visible, was Ethan's garbage truck.The irony wasn't lost on him.His phone rang. Unknown number. He answered."Did you enjoy the show?" His father's voice again, but different. Strained. "Watching them grovel?""It was adequate.""There's more where that came from. The Board is meeting tonight. The real Board. The one that built Atlas Empire before you were even a concept. They want to meet their investment.""I don't take meetings.""You'll take this one." A pause. "Emma will be there."The line went dead.Ethan looked at Lin Yue. She'd heard. Her face was pale."B7 fil
Chapter 48
"Already on it. But Commander..." She showed him another screen. "Sophia's at the courthouse. She's trying to file a restraining order against Marcus. Claims he's been threatening her.""She's waiving her anonymity. Going public.""Yes."That changed things. A woman who'd once chosen status over safety was now choosing confrontation over comfort. The test subject was rewriting the experiment."Send a protection detail," Ethan ordered. "Discreet. Not Dragon Guards. Civilians. People who blend.""And if she sees them?""She won't." He looked out at the city passing by. "She's learning to see what matters. That's a harder skill than it looks."The SUV stopped at a light. Outside, a newsstand displayed the morning papers. The headline screamed: **WELLINGTON SCION TO WALK FREE? EX-WIFE FEARS FOR SAFETY.**There was a photo of Sophia, looking tired but determined, leaving the courthouse. In the background, barely visible, was Ethan's garbage truck.The irony wasn't lost on him.His phone ra
Chapter 49
"Already on it. But Commander..." She showed him another screen. "Sophia's at the courthouse. She's trying to file a restraining order against Marcus. Claims he's been threatening her.""She's waiving her anonymity. Going public.""Yes."That changed things. A woman who'd once chosen status over safety was now choosing confrontation over comfort. The test subject was rewriting the experiment."Send a protection detail," Ethan ordered. "Discreet. Not Dragon Guards. Civilians. People who blend.""And if she sees them?""She won't." He looked out at the city passing by. "She's learning to see what matters. That's a harder skill than it looks."The SUV stopped at a light. Outside, a newsstand displayed the morning papers. The headline screamed: **WELLINGTON SCION TO WALK FREE? EX-WIFE FEARS FOR SAFETY.**There was a photo of Sophia, looking tired but determined, leaving the courthouse. In the background, barely visible, was Ethan's garbage truck.The irony wasn't lost on him.His phone ra
Chapter 50
"Already on it. But Commander..." She showed him another screen. "Sophia's at the courthouse. She's trying to file a restraining order against Marcus. Claims he's been threatening her.""She's waiving her anonymity. Going public.""Yes."That changed things. A woman who'd once chosen status over safety was now choosing confrontation over comfort. The test subject was rewriting the experiment."Send a protection detail," Ethan ordered. "Discreet. Not Dragon Guards. Civilians. People who blend.""And if she sees them?""She won't." He looked out at the city passing by. "She's learning to see what matters. That's a harder skill than it looks."The SUV stopped at a light. Outside, a newsstand displayed the morning papers. The headline screamed: **WELLINGTON SCION TO WALK FREE? EX-WIFE FEARS FOR SAFETY.**There was a photo of Sophia, looking tired but determined, leaving the courthouse. In the background, barely visible, was Ethan's garbage truck.The irony wasn't lost on him.His phone ra