"I’m not finished with you yet, Ethan," Jenny muttered to herself as she stared at the glowing screen of her phone.The quiet atmosphere of her bedroom felt unusually heavy that night, the silence broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioner. It was nearly two in the morning, yet sleep refused to come anywhere near her, because the image on her phone screen refused to leave her mind.A photograph had been circulating online since the banquet ended earlier that evening, one of the many images taken by reporters and guests who had attended the event.In the photograph, Ethan and Scarlett were walking out of the banquet hall together, their expressions calm and unbothered by the chaos that had unfolded behind them. Scarlett looked composed as always, her posture elegant and confident, while Ethan walked beside her with an ease that made something unfamiliar twist inside Jenny’s chest.She had seen Ethan look nervous around her countless times in the past, always eager to please

"There is a board meeting at nine, Mr. Shadow Tyrant."Scarlett’s voice came through the phone at exactly seven in the morning, calm and composed as if she were discussing a minor scheduling adjustment rather than a confrontation that could determine control over billions in assets.Ethan sat up slowly, letting the quiet weight of her words settle before responding."Good morning Ms. Caspian," he said dryly, glancing at the clock beside his bed. "Should I assume this meeting is important enough to ruin my sleep early in the morning?" "Three directors began moving assets after yesterday’s announcement," Scarlett replied without acknowledging the comment. "They believe the sudden change in authority will force hesitation on my part, and they intend to secure their interests before the situation stabilizes." Ethan leaned back slightly, listening as her tone remained steady."I will not hesitate," she continued with a smooth and professional tone. "You only need to be present at the mee

"Mr. Ethan is not available."The old man standing at the doorway delivered the sentence without any kind of emotion, his posture perfectly straight as he blocked the entrance of the residence with quiet authority. His eyes rested on Jenny with the polite indifference of someone who had already finished the conversation before it had even begun.Jenny remained standing on the steps, dressed as elegantly as always, her expression composed despite the door that had just been closed in front of her moments earlier."Ask him to stop pretending and come downstairs," she replied calmly.The butler looked at her for a brief moment, as if considering whether the statement required a response at all, then inclined his head slightly before closing the door without another word.The heavy wooden door shut firmly.Jenny stared at it in silence.For several seconds she remained where she was, her gaze fixed on the polished surface as if expecting it to open again immediately. When nothing happen

"You saved my life once… and then you used it to ruin me for another man." Ethan’s voice remained calm, but there was something final in the way the words settled between them, something that left no room for argument or misunderstanding.Jenny froze for a fraction of a second, then her expression twisted."What did you just say?" she demanded, her voice rising sharply as if she had not heard him correctly.Ethan looked at her without any kind of emotion."I said I don’t owe you anything anymore," he replied coldly. "Whatever debt you think I had… it ended the day you decided to trade my life for someone else’s benefit.... You no longer own my life, and I no longer owe anything to you." Jenny’s composure shattered."ETHAN!" She shouted, stepping forward, her hand slamming against the door as if she could force it open wider. "Don’t you dare twist things like that! Everything I did was for you! You’re alive because of me! You can't be ungrateful!" Ethan did not respond, he simply st

"Different?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity surfacing in his expression as he looked at her, clearly intrigued by how unaffected she seemed by the way people spoke about her.Scarlett met his gaze and smiled faintly, not offended, not defensive, simply… certain."I know what you’re thinking, Ethan," she said calmly. "And you should remember one thing… no matter what people say about you, it doesn’t change what you actually are." Ethan remained silent, his eyes fixed on her as she continued."Let them hate you, let them isolate you, let them criticize you, insult you, humiliate you… even abandon you if they want," she continued, her voice steady, almost indifferent. "People do that when they can’t reach your level, when they know they can’t stand against you, so they try to pull you down instead." There was no anger in her tone, only quiet certainty."And the day you rise high enough," she added, "those same people will stand in front of you pretending they were always