The night was quiet, but Ethan Carter’s mind was not.He walked slowly along the sidewalk, the cold wind brushing against his face as if the world itself was reminding him of how lonely he had become. His hands were buried deep inside his coat pockets, and his steps were heavy.A few hours earlier, he had received a message from Victor.Come see me.That was all the message said.Victor had always been a man of few words, but Ethan knew him well enough to understand that if Victor asked him to come, then the matter must be serious.For years, Victor had been Ethan’s closest friend. They had shared countless memories together—struggles, laughter, ambitions, and dreams.Back when life had been simple.Back when neither of them had stepped into the complicated world of wealth and status.Ethan finally arrived at Victor’s apartment building. The place was luxurious, far more elegant than the modest apartment Ethan lived in now. The building itself stood tall and proud, its glass windows r

Ethan stood in the middle of the room, his chest rising and falling heavily. His eyes moved slowly between Sophia and Victor, as though he was trying to convince himself that what he was seeing was not real. But the scene before him refused to change. Sophia stood there without shame, her robe loosely tied around her body. Victor stood beside her, his face calm, almost arrogant.For a moment Ethan said nothing. His lips trembled slightly, and the tears gathering in his eyes made his vision blur.Then he spoke.“I have regretted having both of you in my life.”His voice was low, heavy with pain.“Just within a week… I have experienced the most painful betrayal of my entire life.”A tear rolled down his cheek, but he made no effort to wipe it away. It dropped to the floor quietly.Sophia looked at him as if he was nothing more than an annoyance.“What will a wretched being like you do?” she asked coldly.Her words carried no sympathy, no regret, nothing that suggested she once loved him

Two days later, Darius, one of the most powerful business partners to Sophia, sat in his office, the city lights outside flickering like stars against the night. He had a thought that refused to leave him, gnawing at the edges of his mind. He turned to Alexis, his closest friend and partner in numerous ventures, and said, “I think we should find Ethan.”Alexis, who had been reviewing financial projections, looked up, her expression serious. “I’ve thought of that too,” she said slowly. “He should be invited for this. Without him, I’m not sure anyone can pull it off.”Darius leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing as he clasped his hands together. “The worse part is that he’s nowhere to be found. And here we have a project—something that could put us leagues ahead of Sophia—that requires his exact skill set. If we don’t find him, someone else might, and then everything falls into her hands.”Alexis frowned. “Where do you think he would be right now?” she asked. Both of them were unusua