Around this time in his previous life, New York City had been rocked by a major firearms smuggling case that made national headlines.He had heard about it at a dinner Ryan had organized. A police officer, loosened up by a few drinks, had bragged about personally taking down three smugglers and nearly catching a bullet in the process.At the time, Ethan had assumed it was just the kind of story people tell after their third drink. The very next morning, every news outlet in the city confirmed it.The group had smuggled over a hundred military-grade rifles and more than thirty thousand rounds of ammunition into the country, setting a record for the largest weapons seizure in the city's history.The stash had been hidden in a building in an older residential neighborhood, barely three hundred meters from his grandparents' old apartment.That property had no clean title, so it couldn't be bought, sold, or mortgaged. Otherwise, in his previous life, he would have used it to squeeze anothe

On his way out, Ethan stuffed his hat, mask, clothes, shoes, and gloves into his Storage Space and changed into a fresh set he'd brought along, ensuring nothing traceable was left behind.By the time he drove back, the horizon had turned a pale, washed-out grey.It was exactly seven when he got back to the apartment. Mia was still completely out, sprawled across the bed, hair scattered across the pillow, face buried in the duvet, one shoulder exposed above the covers.He called her name twice. No response. She was genuinely exhausted.He didn't push it. He changed and headed straight to the Shelter.Just like last time, Sophia was already on site, overalls, blueprints in hand, talking through something with the crew. The morning light fell across her profile as she focused, catching the fine detail of her lashes.There's a saying that people are most attractive when they're absorbed in their work. It applied here."Ms. Chen, you're too dedicated." Ethan walked over. "If I were running

After training, Ethan's "shopping" continued.After weeks of the buy-one-take-ten approach, his Storage Space had accumulated over ten thousand complete outfits, enough clothing to last a decade. He'd also quietly collected tens of thousands of pairs of underwear, socks, and shoes, and had even organized the socks by color for each day of the week.The Storage Space showed no signs of filling up. He kept going anyway.This day he returned to the same large mall. The crowds were thick enough that nobody noticed the man who had visited a few days earlier had quietly relieved the shelves of considerably more than he'd paid for.That was the beauty of the Storage Space. Silent. Untraceable. Completely invisible.He stopped first at a phone retailer and bought ten of the latest flagship models, top-tier storage configurations, paying in full. Then he moved to the electronics section and purchased ten high-end laptops outright, along with several high-capacity solid-state drives, spending a

Ethan let out a long, satisfied breath in the quiet apartment.He looked at Mia, asleep and completely spent beside him, and a calculating smile crossed his face."Do you think Ashley will actually go through with the surgery?" he murmured."She definitely will," Mia mumbled without opening her eyes, curling closer. "That woman has her eyes on your money. For $300 million, she'd do anything.""Good."A flash of calculation crossed Ethan's eyes.He pulled up a contact, the assistant from Tri-State Financial who had first called him and dialed."Mr. Cole? Are you calling to settle up?"The man's voice was immediately eager and sycophantic, clearly assuming Ethan was calling to pay."I'll have everything settled by end of month," Ethan said, his tone relaxed and unrevealing. "Made a little money, I'm not the type to duck a debt.""Of course, of course. So what can I do for you tonight, Mr. Cole?""Does your company offer... alternative loan arrangements? For people who don't have traditi

Mia frowned, as if the question genuinely puzzled her."Officer, why do you say 'sudden'?"Her voice carried a note of patient sincerity."Missing someone isn't sudden. It lives in you quietly. Ethan talks about his grandparents all the time, his grandfather sneaking him candy, his grandmother making him things when he was little..." She paused and looked at Park with wide, open eyes. "Don't you have grandparents you think about?"Ethan couldn't hold it.He burst out laughing, genuine, unrestrained laughter that he made no attempt to suppress."Mr. Cole." Park's voice went sharp. "Please."The fire behind her eyes was barely contained.She could tell Mia was being deliberately difficult. But there wasn't a single thing in what she'd said that could be challenged directly, which left Park with nowhere to direct her frustration except at Ethan.Ethan composed himself, sat back, and crossed one leg over the other with perfect ease.He knew exactly where he stood.Seventeen days until the