Goldman began to gather his things like he had been ordered by a greedy landlord to leave. Damian watched him, his face drained of color, eyes wide in shock."Mr. Goldman?" he said, his voice cracking. "What are you doing?"Goldman didn't answer. He signaled to his bodyguards, who straightened and moved toward the door."Mr. Goldman!" Damian called out once again, his voice growing louder. "You can't just leave! We had a deal! You promised to help me destroy him!"Goldman paused at the threshold. He turned his head slightly, his pale gray eyes meeting Damian's."The deal is off," he said quietly.Damian's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Goldman West, the Goldman West himself, was walking away. He couldn't understand it. This was the same man who had destroyed dozens of companies, crushed countless rivals, and never backed down from a fight. But now he was retreating? "But... but why?" Damian stammered. "Ethan's bluffing! He h

A week had passed since Ethan's confrontation with Damian and Goldman West. Now, he was back at Northcastle United, ready to start his new role as a supervisor.The club's administrative offices were busy that morning. Employees hurried through the corridors, clutching files and coffee cups. The sound of phones ringing and keyboards clacking filled the air.Ethan followed the secretary down a narrow hallway, past rows of cubicles and meeting rooms. She stopped in front of a small office at the end of the corridor."Here you are, Mr. Carter," she said, handing him a key. "This is your office. It's not much, but it's yours."Ethan took the key and unlocked the door. The office was modest featuring a desk, a chair, a filing cabinet, and a window overlooking the parking lot.It wasn't a fancy office, but it was exactly what he had wanted.After the secretary left, Ethan stepped inside and set his briefcase on the desk. Today was a brand new day. He planned to make the best of it. Just

The SUV pulled up outside Damian's penthouse building. Ethan stepped out before Brown could open the door and headed straight to the entrance. He pushed through the revolving doors and walked to the elevator, jamming his finger against the call button. In under a minute, the elevator arrived. Ethan stepped inside and pressed the button for the top floor. During the ride, he could only wonder what madness had driven Damian to attack his home even after being defeated. In under three weeks, Damian would face trial and possible life imprisonment. Was he foolish enough to commit more crimes against Ethan? For Damian's sake, Ethan hoped he was innocent; otherwise, he was ready to break all his bones. Just then, the elevator doors opened onto Damian's floor. Ethan stepped out and walked toward the penthouse door. He didn't bother to knock or ring the bell. Instead, he kicked the door open. The lock splintered with a crack, and the door swung inward, slamming against the

Casper frowned. "New landlord? What are you talking about? I own this house. I bought it three years ago." Thomas Reid shook his head. "Not anymore, Mr. Cole. The land this house sits on was sold to my client this morning. The sale included the property and all structures on it." Casper's blood ran cold. "That's impossible. I own the land. I bought everything." "You owned the land," Thomas corrected. "But there was a clause in your original purchase agreement. If you failed to pay the property taxes for two consecutive years, the land would revert to the original owner, who would then be free to sell it to anyone they chose." Casper stared at him. "What? That's... that's not true. I paid my taxes." Thomas pulled a document from the folder and held it up. "According to county records, you missed two consecutive tax payments—one two years ago and one last year. The original owner exercised their right to reclaim the land and sold it to my client." Casper's mind was racing. He had

"Zack," Casper called, looking bewildered, "What the hell happened to you, man?" Zack's voice was hoarse as he responded. "Some strange men in black suits came to my place last night. They locked themselves inside with me and beat me up mercilessly." Casper's stomach churned. "Who? Who did this?" "They didn't say, but I suspect it's from Ethan Carter," Zack said, his voice shaking. "They warned me not to go around burning people's houses. They said if I ever did anything like that again, they would kill me." Casper's blood turned to ice. Ethan Carter knew. Ethan Carter knew about the fire. He knew about Zack. He knew about everything. "Did they—" Casper started, then stopped. He swallowed hard. "Did they say anything else?" Zack shook his head slowly, wincing as the movement pained him. "They said to tell you that this is just the beginning. They said you're next." Casper's hand trembled so badly that he nearly dropped the phone on the ground. He felt ice cold sweat break out