Ethan’s eyes didn’t soften, but something behind them shifted. Quiet pain. Controlled and buried.“I’m not here to beg,” he said. “I’m here to work. I am here to work for my wife.”Janet felt heat creep up her neck as he said that. To her, Ethan sounded hot, I mean that was sexy what he just said and she hated it. Seeing that Selene got this kind of devotion continued to mess her mind up. It continued to torture her internally.Was Ethan doing all this on purpose?Did he want Selene to pay for not now giving him a chance when he wanted access to her?However, she wanted to push him again, to see if she could make him crack, but she also wanted the opposite. She wanted him to stay calm, because the calm was what made her lose her balance.“Explain the permit,” she said, forcing a professional tone.Ethan nodded once. “As you know, Dock Nine has the heavy-lift cranes and the sealed bays,” he said. “We need the bays for testing. We need the cranes for the new load frames. Without Dock

Ethan’s tone stayed even. “Understanding isn’t always given. Sometimes you earn it.”Janet’s lips parted, then closed again. Her pride wanted to slap him with words, but her heart wanted something worse. She moved one more step, close enough to see the faint tension in his jaw.“I should have chosen you,” Janet whispered.Ethan didn’t flinch, but the silence he gave her was heavy. “No,” he said.Janet swallowed hard. “Don’t lie,” she said. “Back then, you wanted me. You looked at me like I was everything.”Ethan’s gaze didn’t waver. “Back then, I didn’t know you fully,” he replied.Janet’s eyes flashed. “You knew me,” she insisted. “You knew I was building a life.”“I knew you were building a mirror,” Ethan said. “So you could admire yourself in it.”Janet’s face tightened as if he had slapped her. “You talk like you hate me.”Ethan’s voice dropped slightly. “I don’t hate you,” he said. “I just don’t trust what you want.”Janet’s chest rose and fell, fast now. “What I want is simple,

The first bolt hadn’t even been fully tightened when Victor Hale’s voice cut across the deck.“Who approved this circus?”The words landed hard, slicing through the steady rhythm of tools and measured calls. Several engineers froze mid-motion. Kade Voss looked up from the sensor mount, his jaw tightening as Victor walked closer, shoes clicking against the steel deck like they owned it.Ethan straightened slowly. He didn’t rush. He didn’t glare. He simply turned to face Victor with the permit still tucked under his arm. “You’re looking at the approval,” he said. “And the permit.”Victor’s lips curved into a smile that held no humor. “A piece of paper doesn’t give you authority here,” he replied. “Dock Nine answers to compliance, not enthusiasm.”“It answers to law,” Ethan said. “And process.”Victor laughed lightly and looked around at the crates, the mounted frames, the open tool cases. “Process?” he echoed. “This looks like a rushed upgrade slapped together by people who don’t know

The silence after Victor’s words was thick enough to choke on.“You bastard—” Kade started, his voice was rough with rage.Victor took a step back at the sound of it. “Watch your tone,” he said quickly. “I was trying protecting you. All of you.”“Protecting us?” Jude snapped. “You almost cost us everything.”Sienna turned fully toward Victor, her face tight with anger. “You stood there and made us insult the man who hired us,” she said. “You pushed us to doubt him.”Victor lifted his hands. “Because I thought he was a fraud,” he said. “Look at his background. Anyone would have thought the same.”Kade laughed sharply. “Anyone who wanted him to fail,” he said. “You didn’t care about us. You cared about embarrassing him.”Victor shook his head fast. “That’s not true. I was looking out for your licenses. Your reputations, I cared about you all getting your complete pay.”“Our reputations?” Jude stepped closer. “You made us look like fools.”Around them, the deck seemed to tighten again.

Janet shook her head once, hard. “No. Selene gave him that money.”Victor let out a small sound of frustration. “Even if she did, it still ruined your plan,” he said.Janet’s eyes flashed. “You are lying.”Victor’s jaw flexed. “I am soaked in seawater,” he said. “Do you think I came here to entertain you?”Janet froze again. “Seawater?”Victor’s voice turned rough. “They threw me overboard,” he said. “Engineers. On the ship. They grabbed me, dragged me, and threw me into the water.”Janet’s mouth opened, but no words came out.Victor’s tone became colder. “They blamed me for making them disrespect Ethan,” he said. “They said I made them look like fools.”Janet swallowed. “That’s insane,” she muttered.“It was real,” Victor said. “I was under the ship. Fighting to breathe. While dock workers laughed.”Janet’s fingers curled on the desk. “And Ethan?” she asked. “What did he do?”Victor’s eyes narrowed. “He was already leaving,” he said. “He didn’t touch me. But his presence caused it. H