And then Ethan turned around. Slowly. Deliberately. His face was calm, his expression unreadable, but there was something different in his eyes now—something sharp and focused, like a blade being drawn from its sheath. He looked past the two men advancing on him, past the scarred boss and his armed enforcers, and his gaze settled on Victoria. She was still sitting slumped against the wall, pale and weak, her breathing labored but steady, her face tight with pain and exhaustion. But beneath all of that, there was something else—anger. Not at Ethan. Not at the women who had tried to protect her.But at the situation itself, at the injustice of it, at the fact that she had spent so long trying to escape the reach of the Black Dragon Group only to be dragged back into their grasp again. Hearing the boss's words—hearing him describe her life as worth less than an animal's, hearing him mock her refusal as though it were an unforgivable crime—had only made that anger burn hotter, sharper, mo

At that moment, Ethan decided it was time to stop talking and start acting. The man with the machete was still approaching, his scarred knuckles wrapped tight around the weapon's handle, his expression twisted into something ugly and eager, as though he were savoring the thought of what he was about to do. But before he could close the remaining distance, before he could even lift the blade, Ethan moved. Not dramatically. Not with any visible effort or theatricality. He simply shifted his weight forward, turned his body slightly to the side, and positioned himself in a way that seemed casual but was anything but.The man with the machete swung first. His fist came flying toward Ethan's face with surprising speed, knuckles aimed straight for his jaw in a brutal, straightforward punch meant to knock him unconscious before the real work began. It was fast faster than most people would have been able to react to and it carried the weight of someone who had done this many times before, so

The moment the boss heard what both of the ladies had just said, his face twisted with pure, unbridled rage.Even though he was already angry—devastated, furious—that some bastard had taken down two of his men, two members of the Black Dragon, so easily, so smoothly, it was even more irritating because of what it meant for him.Because he knew.He knew that if the real boss found out about this, if the overhead boss—the supreme leader of the entire Black Dragon organization—got wind of what had happened here tonight, he wasn't going to take it lightly. Not at all.It would look like weakness. Like incompetence. Like he didn't know what he was doing. Like he couldn't control his own operations, couldn't handle a simple job.And that would be unforgivable.The thought made his blood boil even hotter, made his jaw clench even tighter.He cleared his throat sharply, his voice cold and cutting as he spoke."Well," the boss said, his tone dripping with finality and menace, "that's not going

At that moment, the boss tried to gather himself, tried to find his voice, his courage, anything.But all he could do was stare at Ethan, his body trembling, his legs barely able to support his weight.Ethan stood there, calm and unbothered, his eyes cold and steady as he looked at the boss.And then he spoke, his voice flat and authoritative, carrying a weight that made the boss's blood run cold."Go tell your master," Ethan said slowly, his tone sharp and deliberate, "whatever it is he's doing, go tell him that he should stop disturbing innocent people. Stop forcing them to do what they don't want to do. Stop celebrating unnecessary birthdays, organizing unnecessary events that don't even make sense. Tell him that he should stop."Ethan paused, his eyes locking onto the boss's with cold intensity."Nobody is stopping him from celebrating his birthday. Nobody is stopping him from celebrating the death of his enemies. Nobody is stopping him from doing whatever he wants. Nobody is talk

At that moment, one of the ladies spoke up, her voice filled with relief and urgency."The young miss has been able to send out a message," she said quickly. "Help will be on their way very, very soon. They'll be here very, very soon."The young miss nodded her head in acknowledgment.And then she turned her gaze toward Ethan, her eyes soft and thoughtful.She gestured gently toward the jar in his hands, her voice quiet and sincere."It seems you actually lost somebody close to you," she said softly.Ethan didn't say anything at first. His face remained calm, unbothered, his expression carefully neutral.But inside, he was slightly surprised that she had noticed. That she had taken the time to observe, to understand.The young miss continued, her voice filled with genuine sympathy."I'm very, very sorry for your loss," she said earnestly. "I'm terribly sorry."She paused, her eyes meeting his."So I don't blame you if this sounds strange, or if it sounds somehow off, but you shouldn't