Cynthia gasped in utter relief, her tear-filled eyes snapping toward the arched patio doorway. Ethan stood there, his gaze locked entirely on Olaf."Ethan!" Cynthia sobbed, trying to pull away from the guards pinning her down. "Ethan, help me!"Olaf stopped laughing, his brows furrowing as he glared at the intruder. He completely ignored Cynthia’s cries, taking a slow step forward and adjusting the Edges of his robe."I don't know who the hell you are, kid, but you're trespassing on my private property," Olaf stated coldly, his voice dripping with authority. "Under local laws, that gives me the full legal right to use lethal force to protect my home. My guards will break you in half."Ethan didn't blink. He took three slow, steady steps onto the smooth tiles, closing the distance between them. "Let her go."Olaf scoffed, waving a dismissive hand at his men. "Take care of this garbage. Throw him off the cliff."The three bodyguards left Cynthia to Marcus to hold and immediately lunged

Olaf stared down at the smartphone screen in his hands, his eyes wide, as he reread the bold red headline scrolling across the breaking news bulletin. His hands shook violently, the contract papers he had been holding slipping from his numb fingers falling onto the wet floor. He looked up at Ethan, then back down at the screen, then over to Marcus, who was standing frozen in complete shock."How?" Olaf stammered, his voice cracking as he pointed a trembling finger at Ethan. "How is this possible?!Ethan stood his ground, his expression completely calm and unbothered by the outburst. "And you're a liar and a creep," Ethan replied as a matter of fact. "And what's worse, you've never actually met your real boss... until today.""You arrogant little bastard!" Olaf roared, his face flushing dark red with pure rage. Losing his mind completely, Olaf lunged forward, charging blindly at Ethan with his bare hands raised to strike him.Ethan didn't bother to move his feet or raise his fists. In

"Impossible! Fake contracts!" Samantha scoffed, waving her hand angrily at the screen of Ethan's mobile phone. "You know you could get arrested for this, right? Making fake corporate documents? I can't believe you thought that Cynthia and I would just fall for a pathetic little trick like this!"Ethan stood calmly on the gravel driveway, his hands resting casually in his jacket pockets. He looked at Samantha's furious face, his expression completely unbothered. "Um, what makes you think that they're fake?""Of course they're fake!" Samantha declared, gesturing dramatically with both arms. "No such deal has ever happened before in the history of the modeling industry! Every single auxiliary brand under the HVMX umbrella hiring just one single model to be their global face? Ha! It has never happened! And what makes you think a little boy like you can just magically make it happen overnight?"She rolled her eyes and let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "You're so pathetic. Lying and making up

"If anyone is to take the glory for making this happen, it is me!" Samantha shouted, her voice echoing down the driveway as she glared bitterly at Ethan. "I am the one who built Cynthia's career from nothing, and I am the one who deserves the credit!"Cynthia rolled her eyes, letting out a long, heavy sigh of utter exasperation. She rubbed her temples, completely exhausted by her mother's endless shouting and delusional claims.Ethan didn't bother arguing with Samantha. He turned toward Cynthia. "Cynthia," Ethan said softly, "I got you this deal because you deserve it. You've worked hard, and you have real talent. And this contract comes with absolutely no strings attached."Cynthia looked up at him, her eyes softening as she listened."If you decide that you don't want to be with me," Ethan continued, his tone warm and sincere, "you still keep the contract. I will never take that away from you."Cynthia's heart melted at his words. A small, genuine smile appeared on her face, as sh

"Oh my God, Cynthia, still with this broke-ass idiot?" a random voice called out.Everyone turned around and saw Chloe and Julian walking into the lounge.Ethan sighed in annoyance, looking at them. "What are you two doing here?"Jaxson smiled, stepping forward. "I hired them as my... as my assistants." He wrapped his arms around Chloe, pulling her to his side and patting her back. He dropped a little peck on her neck, and Chloe giggled.Ethan looked at them in disgust. He turned to Julian. "Julian, so you're cool with Jaxson doing that to your girlfriend?"Julian shrugged and smiled. "Come on, man. It's Jaxson Reed. I mean, if it's Jaxson Reed doing that, then it's totally cool. I don't mind. He's rich, he's famous, and he has real power. A guy like him can do whatever he wants, and I'd be a fool to complain about it."Jaxson laughed loudly, patting Julian on the shoulder. "You see, Ethan? Julian knows how to respect authority and real power. He knows real power when he sees it, unli