The grand gates of the Miller family ancestral mansion were painted in bright gold. For fifty years, this giant house had stood as a symbol of their high status. It had twenty large rooms, a beautiful green garden, and a marble fountain shaped like a jumping fish. It was the place where Beatrice always hosted her rich friends to show off her wealth.But today, the air around the mansion felt completely dead.Chloe’s luxury car screeched to a halt right at the front door. She scrambled out of the passenger seat, her eyes wild with panic. Beatrice followed right behind her, her expensive high heels sinking into the soft soil of the lawn. Julian Vance dragged his feet behind them, his bandaged face leaking cold sweat under the bright afternoon sun. They had run straight from the office after his father’s terrifying phone call."Maybe it was a joke," Beatrice gasped, her hands clutching her throat as she stared at her beautiful house. "Yes! A sick joke by our business rivals! Nobody can t

The rain was falling harder now, washing the fresh blood from Julian’s broken face into the dirty street gutters. He lay there like a crushed bug on the cold pavement outside the grand bank. But miles away, on the other side of the city, Beatrice Miller was sitting inside a cheap, greasy public toilet stall, her eyes wild with a manic, terrifying light.She had managed to run away from the legal officers at the mansion while they were busy loading her luxury sofas into the giant white moving trucks. The electric taser shock had left her muscles stiff and trembling, but the absolute hatred burning in her chest kept her moving. She had lost her house. She had lost her gold jewelry. She had lost her high status in the city. Her entire world had turned into ash in a single morning.And in her twisted, wicked mind, it was all Ethan's fault."That dirty little beggar," Beatrice hissed through her broken teeth, her fingernails scratching hard against the cheap plastic wall of the toilet s

The words from the doctor’s mouth felt like a frozen blade stabbing into Ethan’s chest. Slowly poisoned over two years. The room felt incredibly small, and the air turned heavy. Lily had not fallen into a coma because of a simple car mistake.Someone had purposefully put toxic chemicals into her food, her water, or her medicine for twenty-four months while she was still a happy high school student."Who did this?" Ethan asked. His voice was not loud. It was a very low, quiet whisper, but it carried the terrifying weight of an oncoming avalanche.Dr. Evans pulled a small glass tube from a silver box on his desk. Inside the tube was a dark, purple fluid that looked like liquid shadow. "This is a rare chemical called Black Drop. It is an illegal substance made in the dirty underground labs of the city slums. Normal people can never buy this stuff. You have to know the darkest criminals in the street to get a single drop of it."Ethan took the manila folder from the desk. He did not say

The dark blood from the gang leader's mouth slowly dripped onto the wet asphalt. Ethan let go of the man’s throat, letting him slide down against the cold brick wall like a sack of loose stones. He did not look back at the three groaning thugs who were rolling in the muddy water with shattered bones. He had all the information he needed.Forty eight hours. That was the tiny amount of time his little sister Lily had left to live before the dark poison destroyed her organs completely.Ethan walked out of the narrow alleyway and stepped back into the warm, dry backseat of his luxury car. Thomas immediately handed him a clean white silk cloth. Ethan calmly wiped the small line of red blood from his scraped cheek. His face did not show any pain, only an absolute, freezing calm."To the Golden Dragon Casino," Ethan ordered softly, his voice cutting through the quiet interior of the vehicle. "Marcus Vance is hosting his private poker game tonight. He has the antidote in his pocket."Thomas

The cold metal barrel of the heavy black pistol was pointed directly at Ethan’s heart. Marcus Vance had a wild, sweaty look in his eyes, his finger trembling violently against the curved steel trigger. The rich heirs who were watching from the edge of the VIP lounge immediately screamed in terror, throwing themselves flat onto the plush red carpet. They did not want to be anywhere near the line of fire when the gun went off."I will blow a hole straight through your expensive suit, Ethan!" Marcus screamed, his voice cracking with pure madness. "You think you can take my money? You think you can take my houses and my cars? This is my casino! I make the rules here! Drop the bag of cash on the floor right now, or your sister won't be the only Vance dying this week!"Ethan looked down at the dark hole of the gun barrel. His face did not change expression at all. He did not raise his hands in the air, and his breath did not speed up by a single beat. He just stared into Marcus’s bloodshot