Fire.It was a deep, dark red that could consumed the world.Ryan Sinclair lowered his center of gravity. Beneath the heavy firefighting gear, his vest was already drenched in sweat."Please... help me..."The crying came from Room 402 at the end of the hallway.Ryan didn't hesitate. He took two steps to build momentum, pivoted his hips, and slammed his heavy fire boots—sturdy enough to withstand a backdraft—into the charred door.Boom!The door collapsed. Fresh oxygen rushed in, and tongues of fire instantly shot up half a meter high.Ryan rushed into the smoke, his eyes scanning the area through his goggles.Behind a messy, king-sized bed, he saw two figures huddled on the floor.The moment he saw them, his heart skipped a beat.It was his wife, Elise.Her usually elegant, high-end custom suit was disheveled. The zipper had come undone halfway, revealing a large expanse of her porcelain-white back.And in her arms, she was tightly holding a man.The man was wearing a bathrobe, his co

The night wind cut like a blade of ice.Ryan walked down the street, his shadow stretching long and desolate under the yellow glow of the streetlights.He instinctively reached into his pocket.Aside from a pack of cigarettes soaked in sweat, there was only an old, battered wallet.He opened it. A few crumpled bills lay inside, along with a photo of him and Elise on their wedding anniversary.In the picture, the girl was radiant. The light in her eyes was so pure it made his heart ache.Ryan's lips curled into a self-deprecating smirk.Rip.With a sudden jerk of his fingers, the photo tore in half. He let the pieces go, watching the wind sweep them into the dark abyss of a sewer.He didn't even have enough for a decent hotel.This month's salary hadn't come in yet.And his previous paychecks? They had all been deposited directly into Elise's card.He pulled out his phone, intending to call an old friend for a place to crash, but his gaze was caught by a towering red glow in the distanc

The VIP suite on the top floor of the hospital was silent.Nicholas Wells stared intensely at the top-secret file the butler had just handed him.The paper was crisp—evidently "dug up" from the core database using the highest level of clearance in record time."Name: Ryan Sinclair. Found twenty-seven years ago outside a fire station. At the time, tucked inside his swaddling clothes... was a jade pendant..."The butler's voice was trembling."Sir, there is no mistake. His blood type, the birthmark, the keepsake... everything matches.""It's really him..."Nicholas's thumb brushed over the photo in the file. His eyes reddened instantly."Thank God... It's been over a decade. I thought I'd take this regret to my grave.""The Little Young Master of the Grant family... the titans of the Capital's business world. I never expected to find him here, in this small coastal city."The butler stood by, dumbfounded. In his memory, Nicholas—the tycoon who controlled half of Hayden City's economy—had

Elise finally tapped on the chat window.The chat history between them was stuck on a message from three days ago:"Baby, there's an emergency call. I'll be back late tonight. Make sure to eat properly (^_^). I'll bring you those pastries from the old street you love so much on my way back."Looking at that goofy emoticon, a faint, involuntary smile tugged at the corner of Elise's lips. A fleeting warmth rose in her chest.But a split second later, her face went cold."Divorce."The word was a thorn, stabbing ruthlessly into that small pocket of warmth.Elise jerked her fingertips away.The glow of the screen reflected the simmering rage in her eyes.How dare he? How did that firefighter, who never even dared to raise his voice, learn to weaponize silence?"You want me to be the first one to bow? Ryan, you think too highly of yourself."She snorted and slammed the phone face-down on the desk. Grabbing her Hermès bag, she marched out of the office.The moment she pushed open the front

A week passed.Ryan stood by the window of his VIP suite, rolling his shoulder. He could feel the change in the muscle fibers. The wounds had nearly healed; his strength had returned.St. Mary's top-floor suite lived up to its reputation. With the city's best medical resources at his disposal, his recovery was moving faster than he had ever anticipated.His life over the past week had been clinical. Rigorous.Early morning rehab, followed by hours buried in financial texts and global market news. The knowledge he had suppressed for years was waking up. Candlestick charts. Financial statements. Market analytics. He hadn't forgotten a thing.He had just kept it all in a box. Locked away.Ryan flipped a page of Market Wizards. A faint smirk touched his lips.Once he walked out of here, he was starting his own firm. With his talent, carving a path through the financial world wouldn't be a challenge. It would be a slaughter.He had sacrificed everything for Elise. He had played the role of