A junior staff member with a badge around his neck leaned closer to the desk, watching Ethan like a show. “Miss Janet Yulian?” he scoffed. “With him? Be serious. Her schedule doesn’t have room for side stories.”Another staff, a slim woman holding a tablet, shook her head. “If you’re not bringing a shipping contract or a port deal, sir, you’re wasting everyone’s time,” she said. “You picked the wrong building for games.”Ethan’s grip tightened on the stems of the flowers, but his face stayed calm. “I’m not here to play games,” he replied quietly. “I only asked that you pass my name to her. She can decide if she wants to see me.”The receptionist gave a dry laugh. “Pass your name?” she repeated. “Do you have any idea how many people try to ‘see’ Miss Janet every week? Politicians, investors, board members. Not men who walk in dressed like they just left a bus park with roses in their hands.”A few people nearby chuckled. The sound bounced against the high ceiling and polished walls.“E

“I don’t have time for this,” he cut in. “I need to see—”He stopped mid-sentence.At the far end of the lobby, the elevator doors slid open with a soft chime.Janet Yulian stepped out, heels clicking on the polished floor. She wore a fitted navy suit and carried a tablet and a slim file. Her hair was pulled back neatly, but there were faint shadows under her eyes from sleepless nights and endless reports.A few staff straightened instinctively.“Miss Janet…”“Good afternoon, ma’am.”Janet gave a brief nod and kept walking, her face was composed.Ethan’s hand tightened around the bouquet of lilies and blue roses. For a moment, the insults, the lobby, the whispers—they all faded. All he saw was the woman who stood up for him in a restaurant full of strangers and paid a whopping thirty five thousand dollars even when he didn't ask for it.“Janet,” he called.Her steps slowed for half a second. She heard him. Ethan saw the slight pause in her stride. But she did not look his way. She adj

The Xavier estate looked like a kingdom preparing to crown a ghost.Every banner, every digital screen, every tall placard showed the same thing: a black, shadowy figure with no face and no name. No portrait. No title. Just a silhouette and the golden words: “Ascension of the New Xavier Sovereign.” Guests whispered as they walked past guards in dark suits and sharp earpieces.“So they really won’t show his face?”“Who hides a CEO like this?”“It’s Xavier Group. They can do whatever they like.”The mystery did not stop anyone from coming. Limousines lined the long driveway. Private security teams hovered at the edges. Ministers, foreign investors, war industrialists, tech giants, and old families in expensive outfits flowed into the grand hall like a river of perfume, silk, and polished shoes.Most were not here to celebrate the new CEO of the Xavier group.They were here to calculate him.They wanted a handshake, a connection, a smile they could turn into a contract later. Even if th

His younger executive leaned in. “What happened, chairman?”“Xavier Group canceled us,” Dorn spat. “Every contract. Every shipment. All of it. They chose Ironbridge. Ironbridge, of all people. Do you know how many billions that kills from our future?”The woman in silver swallowed. “Can they… really do that?” she whispered.“They already did,” Dorn said. “I need to speak to their CEO. Whoever this faceless king is, he must be out of his mind. He will reverse this or—”His voice broke.He grabbed at the table. The color drained from his face, sweat suddenly beading on his forehead. He tried to stand and stumbled instead.“Mr. Dorn?” the minister beside him said, getting to his feet. “Are you alright?”Dorn’s chest rose in shallow gasps. “My… my heart…” he groaned.The chair scraped back as he toppled sideways. He hit the floor hard. Glasses fell and shattered, red wine bleeding across white cloth.People shouted.“Call a doctor!”“Somebody get medical!”Ethan walked past the edge of th

The night felt unreal, like the Xavier estate was preparing to crown a man no one was allowed to see.“So they really won’t show him?” a woman whispered behind her fan.A man in a tailored coat replied, “Xavier Group doesn’t do normal.”Another voice chuckled. “This is a genius move. Mystery sells.”The mystery did not stop anyone. If anything, it pulled more people in.A long convoy rolled into the driveway with silent precision. The lead vehicle stopped, and the door opened. Lord Caspian Yulian stepped out first, calm and dignified. Janet Yulian followed right after him.She wore a fitted black dress with a simple cut, expensive without screaming for attention. Her face was calm, but her eyes were alert, taking everything in. The estate lights reflected on her hair, and the soft wind carried perfume and distant music.Caspian offered his arm. “Stay close,” he murmured.Janet accepted it. “Dad,” she said quietly, “why is everything anonymous? Even his name isn’t here.”Caspian’s eye