Ethan’s voice came out low, almost bored. “You’re working hard,” he said.Danny snarled. “Hard enough to break you.”He shifted his weight and grabbed Ethan’s right arm. In one smooth move, Danny rolled his body and trapped it, twisting it into a tight lock. Ethan’s shoulder bent at an ugly angle.The hall changed.The cheering slowed. Even the men who hated Ethan’s money could see the danger in that hold. Pain didn’t care about class.An officer stepped forward, face tight. “Stop,” he warned Danny. “You’ll destroy his arm!”Danny didn’t look up. “Let him feel it,” he said. “He thinks he owns us. Let him learn what it means to lose control.”Ethan’s jaw tightened. A small grimace crossed his face before he swallowed it down. His chest rose and fell as he tested the pressure.Danny cranked harder.Ethan’s breath broke for a second, and soldiers reacted like they were watching a verdict. A few men laughed, but it sounded nervous now.“Tap!” someone shouted. “Tap out and end it!”Anoth

Danny’s voice cracked, pleading without meaning to. “Ethan… stop… I—”The room heard it. That crack in his voice.The same man who had stood tall and called Ethan chaff was now struggling to breathe between words.A few soldiers looked away. Others leaned in closer, like they needed to see how far this fall would go.Pride was leaving Danny’s body faster than blood.Ethan hauled him upright, holding him close enough to smell the sweat and blood. “You had the guts to stand in my building,” Ethan said, “and you tried to my men against me.”Danny blinked, he was dizzy now. “They’re not your men,” he muttered, weakly stubborn.Ethan’s eyes sharpened. “They’re not yours either,” he said. “You just wanted to own their anger.”Danny swallowed, and the sound was wet. “I spoke for them.”Ethan’s fist drove into Danny’s gut.The punch wasn’t wild. It was placed. Measured.Danny’s body folded around it like paper crushed in a fist.A harsh sound left his mouth, half air, half pain.The soldiers

Ethan looked down at Danny’s body for a moment. His face didn’t show satisfaction. It didn’t show regret either. It showed judgment.“He preferred death over shame,” Ethan said. “He chose his fate.”A soldier swallowed. “Master Ethan… he was one of us.”Ethan nodded once. “That’s why this hurts,” he said. “But don’t dress this up as bravery. He did not die for you.”A different soldier asked, “Then why do you think he chose to kill himself if you happened to know better?”Ethan raised his eyes to the crowd. “Because he could not live with the shame after losing,” he said. “Because he believed the rules of respect didn’t apply to him, until they did.” Ethan continued.General Sato stepped closer, his voice lower this time. “Master Ethan…” he began.Ethan didn’t look at him yet. He kept his eyes on the soldiers. “If you want to fight your leaders,” he said, “fight your leaders with discipline. Not with poison. Not with shame games.”A captain at the back muttered, “He’s still controlli

Janet’s heart started beating too loud for the quiet office.It wasn’t the kind of fear that made her shake. It was the kind that made her go still, like her body was trying to avoid being seen by the truth. She kept her face calm, but the inside of her chest felt tight. Jeffrey Banks sat across from her, relaxed in his chair, unaware that one name could pull her apart.Banks leaned back slightly. “Their leader’s name is Ethan,” he repeated.Janet’s fingers tightened on the edge of the chair. “Ethan…” she echoed, careful. “Ethan…”Banks nodded, then paused like he suddenly realized he should be more specific. “Yes. Ethan…”Janet’s throat went dry. Her mind flashed to the Ethan she knew. That Ethan did not belong in war rooms or command lines. That Ethan did not control soldiers. He didn't have the means to.Banks frowned, trying to remember. “It’s Ethan… Ethan…”Janet leaned forward without meaning to. “Ethan what?” she asked, the words sharper than she intended. “Mr Banks, Ethan wh

Selene’s question followed Ethan out of the car like a shadow that refused to stay in the seat.He closed the door, then paused beside the hood, staring toward Dock Nine’s access road where cranes and fuel tanks rose above the yard. Workers in reflective vests moved between stacked containers, and the smell of salt, oil, and warm metal drifted across the compound.Selene came around to his side, calm in her posture, but her eyes were fixed on him. “You didn’t answer me,” she said. “You just walked away like the question didn’t exist.”Ethan kept his voice neutral. “We’re at Titan Crest,” he said. “There are people around. This is not the place for sensitive talk.”Selene tilted her head slightly. “So now it’s about the place,” she replied. “Not about the fact you’re keeping something from your wife.”Ethan’s jaw tightened. He forced a slow breath, then looked at her like he was trying to choose the safest words. “I’m not keeping something from you,” he said. “I’m keeping something co