Janet’s pride burned hotter than the chandeliers above her.She sat stiff in the VIP section, watching the stage as applause kept crashing like waves. The man announced as the new CEO stood under the spotlight, smiling like a polished statue. Around Janet, people clapped with hungry faces, like they were already counting future profits. She didn’t clap at all. She only turned her eyes back to Ethan in his servants uniform, and her voice came out low and shaking.“So you lied to my face,” she said.Ethan’s expression stayed controlled, but his eyes tightened. “Janet, listen,” he murmured. “lets not do this here. I can explain.”Caspian’s gaze flicked between them, sharp and heavy. “Both of you,” he warned softly, “lower your voices.”Janet leaned closer, anger taking over her caution. “Dad, you brought me here like I was going to meet my future,” she whispered. “Now I’m sitting here like a fool while a stranger on the stage takes the crown. And your ‘solution’ is standing beside me h

The moment Ethan stepped into the private living room, the air changed.Andres stood near the velvet couch, shoulders squared like a man wearing borrowed power. Yvonne was close to him in her silver gown, her smile sharp with confidence. Ethan walked in like a servant who had done this a thousand times. His black vest was smooth, his gloves clean, his face calm. He stopped two steps from Andres and dipped his head.“Good evening, boss,” Ethan said, voice respectful. “I was informed you came upstairs and you might need service. How may I be of help, sir?”Andres stiffened for half a second, the kind of flinch a man makes when he sees the real authority. His eyes flashed to Ethan’s face, then away. He forced a smile and nodded like a CEO.“Ah… yes,” Andres said, clearing his throat. “Bring us something suitable.”Yvonne’s gaze slid to Ethan’s uniform, then to his posture. She didn’t look impressed, only a bit surprised that her useless husband had access to the opulent Xavier living r

The sun was barely up when Yvonne Blake walked out of the Xavier Estate like a woman leaving her own palace.Security lined the steps in quiet formation, respectful and distant. No one rushed her. No one questioned her. A senior steward opened the car door himself and bowed slightly.“Safe journey, Madam Blake,” he said.Yvonne lifted her chin. “Tell your CEO I’ll call,” she replied, her tone was smooth and confident.The door closed, sealing her inside the black limousine. As the gates slid open and the car rolled forward, Yvonne leaned back and smiled. The estate faded behind her, but the feeling of power stayed.She touched her lips, replaying the night in her head. “You really did it,” she murmured to herself. “You don’t miss when it matters.”The driver said nothing. He never did.The city moved past the tinted windows, but Yvonne barely noticed. Her phone buzzed with messages from fashion executives and socialites who had seen her at the celebration. She ignored most of them. Ri

The first sound Ethan heard after the guns rose was not a shout. It was the silence of people deciding whether they wanted to live through this moment or pretend it never happened.“Everyone mind your work,” the lead inspector said, voice loud enough to travel. He spread his hands like he was calming children. “This is normal procedure.”A forklift nearby rolled to a stop, then the engine cut. A few workers drifted closer, slow and careful, like they were drawn by gravity. Their eyes stayed down, but their bodies angled toward the Titan Crest containers.Kade stood stiff in front of the bright blue doors, clutching a thick envelope and a folder like both could save him. His face was damp with sweat despite the cold. The two armed men by the admin building didn’t move, but their rifles stayed trained at chest height, steady and practiced.“Please,” Kade whispered to Ethan without turning his head. “Just… don’t make this worse.”Ethan didn’t answer right away. He watched the inspector’s

The first blow came without warning.One of the enforcers lunged for Ethan’s arm, fingers clamping down hard, trying to twist it behind his back. The move was rough and careless, the kind used on men who didn’t fight back. Ethan turned with the grip, not against it, and the sudden shift broke the rhythm.A sharp crack echoed as the enforcer’s wrist bent the wrong way.The man screamed and dropped to his knees, clutching his arm as pain tore through him. His rifle hit the ground and slid across the concrete. Before anyone could react, the second enforcer swung his weapon like a club, aiming for Ethan’s head.Ethan stepped inside the arc of the swing. His elbow drove forward, striking the man’s shoulder joint with brutal precision. There was a dull pop, followed by a howl of pain. The enforcer staggered back, his arm hanging uselessly, fingers twitching as if they no longer belonged to him.Everything froze.Workers stopped moving. The port clerk’s clipboard slipped from his hands and