Ethan’s voice was calm. “Alistair Harrington. This is Ethan Xavier.”The silence that followed was immediate.Even the guards stopped moving.Alistair’s tone changed at once. “Master Ethan Xavier?”There was no trace of the calm executive who had answered moments earlier."Master Ethan," Alistair continued, his voice noticeably lower, "has something happened?""It has," Ethan replied. "And it concerns your company."A few employees exchanged puzzled looks. None of them had ever heard their chairman speak with such caution to anyone.“Yes,” Ethan said. “I am standing inside your Corporate Accounting Division. One of your employees, Elias Morven, has angered me by helping siphon one hundred and eighty-three million dollars I released which was meant for relief funds.”Elias’s face drained of color, but he forced a laugh. “This is absurd. That is not Master Ethan. Anyone can fake a voice.”Alistair’s voice came through colder now. “Who said that?”Ethan looked at Elias. “The employee in

He lowered his voice so only Ethan could hear. “Master Ethan, I made the mistake of underestimating you before,” he admitted. “I paid dearly for it, and I have no intention of repeating that mistake. Whatever truth is hiding in my company, I will help you expose it.”The memory was visible on his face. He had already paid tens of millions after angering Ethan Xavier at the economic summit. Back then, he had thought money and influence could soften consequences. Now Ethan’s anger looked colder, deeper, and more dangerous.Alistair turned toward Elias. “Tell the truth.”For a long moment, Elias said nothing. His eyes darted from Ethan to Alistair and then toward the windows where Tribunal soldiers stood outside like silent reminders that every escape route had disappeared.Alistair's patience snapped. "I'm asking you for the last time," he said, his voice shaking with restrained anger. "Did you use this company to hide stolen relief money?"Elias swallowed. "Chairman... you don't unders

Elias looked at Ethan as if the name Velmora itself had become a weapon in the room.Ethan caught the change immediately. Until now, Elias had been terrified of prison. The moment Velmora was mentioned, his fear became something else entirely. It was the look of a man who believed death was less frightening than speaking another word.For several seconds, nobody moved. Ethan remained perfectly still, but his attention narrowed. He had spent too many years reading men under pressure to miss what was happening. Elias's eyes were no longer searching for a way to defend himself. They were searching for a way out. During the civil war, Ethan had learned that desperate people almost always looked for an escape before they surrendered, and the direction of Elias's gaze told him the accountant had already made a decision.Alistair Harrington was still holding the signed witness papers, but even he seemed to understand that the mood had changed. Gideon’s name had frightened Elias. The name

“Answer me,” Ethan said.Elias swallowed painfully. “Yes. It was taken and sent through the Velmora channel. I only saw the routing code. I never saw the final account holder.”Ethan leaned closer. “Do not lie to me.”“I am not lying,” Elias whispered. “I saw the channel name, not the face behind it. But everyone who works deep enough knows one thing. Velmora is above Gideon. If Gideon falls, she survives. If I fall, she survives. That is why we fear her.”A medic team rushed in with a sealed kit and oxygen mask. Elias was made to lie down on his back and one medic knelt beside Elias and checked his mouth while another wiped the chemical from his shirt.The lead medic looked at Ethan. “He took very little, but we need to move him now to the hospital.”Ethan nodded once. “Make sure you keep him alive. He has more information to tell us.”As the medics lifted Elias, he grabbed Ethan’s sleeve with weak fingers. “Master Ethan,” he rasped, “if she knows you are asking, just pray she doesn'

Selene took a slow breath and moved toward the chair across from him. She did not sit until he gave the slightest nod. Even then, she settled gently, folding her hands in her lap like the same woman who had sat with him in the relaxation lounge some nights earlier. The same woman who had drugged his drink.That memory refused to fade. He could still remember the strange heaviness that had overtaken him and the calm way she had told him to rest. Back then, he had trusted her without question. Now every gentle gesture carried a second meaning, and every smile forced him to wonder whether it hid another secret.She looked at him carefully. “How was your day?”Ethan almost laughed, but nothing in him felt amused. “You came all the way to my office at this point in time to ask about my day?”“Yes, you are my husband,” Selene said. “And I have the right to see your face anytime I want.”“You saw it last night.”“Last night, you were half asleep,” she replied. “Today, you look like a man wh