Damian's face went from red to white."You—" His jaw clenched, the vein at his temple standing out. "You arrogant piece of—""How dare you," Vivian cut in, her voice climbing, shrill with anger. "Do you hear the garbage coming out of your mouth? You have no right—"Ethan wasn't listening anymore."The paperwork's filed," he said simply. "It's done. And I don't have any more time to waste standing here with the two of you."He straightened his jacket.And then, without another word, without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away—leaving them standing on the city hall steps, red-faced and speechless in the sun."What the hell is wrong with you, Ethan Carter?" Vivian's voice cracked as she hurled the words at the empty street."That bastard," Vivian spat. She spun toward Damian. "Did you hear him? Did you hear the way he spoke to us? Like I was nothing. Like three years meant nothing.""It meant nothing to him," Damian said quietly. "You see that now, don't you?""I see it." Her

"I—I had no idea." Nathan's voice filled with vindicated outrage. "The nerve of him. To go around picking fights with anyone he pleases, just because he warms Aurora Sinclair's bed. Unbelievable. That kind of arrogance—"Then he stopped. And when he spoke again, there was a slow, spreading eagerness in it."…Actually. Mr. Hale. I think I have exactly the man for this. Someone I've been keeping in my back pocket for a while now—and it looks like the time has finally come to use him."Damian's interest sharpened. "Go on. I'm listening.""You know the economic development zone project in the northern district? The one Stellaris wants to pour resources into?""The one Ethan Carter is supposedly co-managing. And it's his first project.""Exactly. The territory chief for that zone is a man named Marcus. And I happen to know one of Marcus's most trusted enforcers. A man named Rocco."Damian filed the name away. "And?""And Rocco and I have an understanding. If I ask him to poison Marcus agai

"Marcus." He stopped in front of them. "I need to borrow a few of your guys."Marcus straightened. "For what?"Rocco's jaw worked. He glanced at Bianca—and something flickered behind his eyes. A calculation.Nathan's voice echoed in his head: Keep it clean. No names. And if Bianca or Marcus asks, you make it personal."A friend of mine got burned," Rocco said. "Badly. There's this guy—a con artist. He targets wealthy families, gets close to the women, charms his way in, then bleeds them dry. He humiliated my friend. Destroyed his reputation."Marcus's expression hardened. "And you want to handle it.""I want to break his legs." Rocco's voice was flat. "But that's not the worst part."He paused. Looked at Bianca."Word is he's been sniffing around your circle too. Trying to get close to someone connected to your sister—to you—to use that connection as leverage for a business deal."The temperature around the table dropped.Bianca's glass stopped halfway to her lips. Her eyes went cold.

Ethan looked up from his glass. His expression didn't change."I am," he said. "Something I can help you with?"Rocco's lips curled into a sneer. He cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders."Yeah, actually." His voice carried across the silent bar. "I'm here on Marcus Donovan's orders. And Marcus wants me to beat the living hell out of you."The bar went dead quiet.Someone at the far end whispered: "Marcus Donovan?""The Marcus Donovan? The one who runs the development zone?""That guy is finished."Chloe stood frozen two steps from Ethan's table, the bottle clutched against her chest. Her eyes were wide—but not with fear."How dare you!" The words left her mouth before she could stop them, sharp and ringing. "How dare you threaten him!"Every pair of eyes shifted to her.Ethan's jaw tightened."Chloe." His voice cut through the air like a blade. "Walk away. Now."She turned to him, lips parting in protest. "But—""This has nothing to do with you." He didn't look at her. His eyes were

Rocco's fingers twitched.A low groan crawled out of his throat. He pushed himself off the floor. His vision swam. The bar tilted sideways, then righted itself.He staggered backward, three full steps, until his spine hit a table.His eyes found Ethan.Terror. Raw, animal terror—the kind that lived in the gut, not the brain. But underneath it, something hotter. Rage. The humiliation of being dropped in front of his own men by a single blow."Get him!" Rocco's voice cracked. He jabbed a bloody finger at Ethan. "All of you—together! I don't care how good he is, he can't take all of you at once!"His men hesitated. They'd just watched their boss crumble like wet cardboard."NOW!"The command broke through. They moved.All four rushed Ethan at once—from the front, the sides, closing the gap fast.Rocco didn't watch. His hand was already fumbling for his phone, smearing blood across the screen. He hit the contact and pressed it to his ear, backing toward the far wall.Two rings. "What?"