The younger man shifted in his seat, his hand already reaching for the door handle. "Should we confront him? Should we go in there and see if he's truly awakened?"The older man's jaw tightened, his eyes still locked on the restaurant entrance. "If he has awakened, then he needs to be dealt with quickly. Very quickly. Before he has any opportunity to train or upgrade himself further."He paused, his voice dropping lower. "Remember what the masters said. They've been killing them faster now because if you give them time to grow, if you give them freedom, it becomes almost impossible to stop them. That mistake can't be made again."The younger man nodded, his hand tightening on the door handle. He started to push it open."No."The older man's voice was sharp, cutting through the tension like a blade.The younger man froze, looking back at him. "What?""Don't get out of the car.""But—""What if he has awakened?" the older man said, his tone measured but firm. "What if he's already susp

The moment the man finished speaking, the people he had come with erupted into laughter.A large man seated at a nearby table his stomach pressing against the edge of the table, a thick golden chain glinting around his neck, two gold teeth flashing when he smiled leaned back in his chair and clapped his hands together."You're just too generous!" he said, his voice booming through the restaurant. "Too kind! You really want this guy to lick your shoes?"He gestured toward the first man's polished footwear, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Do you know how much those shoes cost? Those shoes could buy his entire generation. And you want him to put his mouth on them?"He laughed again, louder this time. "What if his saliva is contaminated? What if there's bacteria on his tongue that could literally ruin the leather? You're being way too generous, my friend. Way too kind."The two women seated on either side of him joined in, their laughter high and cutting.One of them, a woman with sh

At that moment the large man with the protruding stomach and the thick gold chain draped around his neck leaned forward in his seat, his face flushed with irritation and something that looked almost like excitement."Just stop being nice," he said loudly, his voice cutting through the quiet hum of the restaurant like a blade. "Stop being nice to worthless individuals. Stop wasting your time on people who don't even deserve a second of your attention."He jabbed a thick finger in Ethan's direction, his eyes narrowing. "If you weren't giving this good-for-nothing fool—this poor, stinking bastard if you weren't giving him the opportunity to sit there and act like he's important, none of this would even be happening right now."He shook his head slowly, his expression one of exaggerated disbelief. "Don't you see? It's because you're being too soft. Too generous. That's the only reason he's feeling like he has a choice. Like he matters."He slammed his hand down on the table, making the si

The moment the first woman finished speaking, another woman seated at the table—this one wearing a sleek black dress with her hair pulled back in an elegant ponytail—stood up as well, her movements smooth and practiced."You know what?" she said, her voice carrying easily through the quiet restaurant. "I'll join in too. Both of us will dance for you."She placed one hand on her hip, striking a pose that drew attention to the curve of her waist. "We'll give you a spectacular dance. A performance you won't forget in a hurry. You know what we can do, right? You've seen us before."She gestured dismissively toward Ethan without even looking at him. "So why don't we just forget about this bushman? Forget about this person who's not even capable of giving you a dance that's worth ten thousand dollars. Why waste your time on him?"She smiled, her expression confident and inviting. "Let us do it instead. Seriously. We'll make it worth your while."The man standing beside Ethan's table froze.

Marcus Chen's face was twisted with rage, his entire body trembling as he stood beside Ethan's table.His hand was still gripping his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen, ready to make the call that would flood this restaurant with his men.But then he stopped.A better idea came to him.Something more immediate. More satisfying.He turned sharply, his eyes scanning the table behind him, and spotted what he was looking for—a bottle of expensive wine, one of the ones he had ordered earlier, still sitting on the table in its elegant glass bottle.Without a word, he walked over and picked it up.The bottle was heavy, solid, the kind of weight that could do real damage if thrown with enough force.And Marcus Chen had very good accuracy when it came to throwing.He had played baseball in his youth, had spent years perfecting his aim, his speed, his precision. He could hit a target from across a room without even trying.And right now, Ethan was his target.He turned back toward Ethan