Ryan stood frozen.His phone was still in his hand.The call had ended, but his father’s furious words kept echoing in his mind.“If you don’t fix this… don’t bother coming home!”His face had turned pale.The confident smile he had worn all evening was gone.The guests looked at him with pity.A few minutes ago, they had been flattering him.Now…No one dared to speak.Victor Langford adjusted his tie and looked at Ryan calmly.“Mr. Crawford.”“Our companies have worked together for years.”“I’ve always believed business is built on trust and character.”He glanced around the room.“But after witnessing your behavior tonight…”“I’m no longer interested in doing business with your family.”Ryan clenched his fists.“Chairman Langford…”“You can’t cancel a partnership over something this small.”Victor smiled faintly.“This isn’t about tonight.”“It’s about values.”“I don’t invest in people who think money gives them the right to humiliate others.”Ryan’s lips trembled.For the first t

Ethan quietly put his phone back into his pocket.The warning message stayed on his mind, but he didn’t let it show on his face.Victor noticed his silence.“You don’t seem worried.”Ethan smiled.“Worry doesn’t solve problems.”“It only wastes time.”Victor nodded with approval.“I like that attitude.”Just then, Ethan’s phone rang again.This time, the caller was Sophia.He answered immediately.“Hello?”Sophia’s excited voice came from the other end.“Ethan!”“It worked!”“The surgery was successful!”A smile spread across Ethan’s face.“Really?”“Yes!”“Professor Hayes did it.”“My grandmother is alive.”“I…”Her voice broke with emotion.“I don’t know how to thank you.”Ethan leaned back in his chair.“You don’t have to.”“The important thing is that she’s safe.”Sophia laughed through her tears.“The doctor said she’ll stay in the ICU tonight.”“But the surgery went perfectly.”“My dad has been crying for the last ten minutes.”Ethan chuckled.“I don’t blame him.”Sophia took a

Ethan quietly stared out of the window.Across the street…The black sedan remained parked beneath the streetlight.Its headlights were off.The windows were heavily tinted.From this distance…It looked like an ordinary parked car.But Ethan knew better.The system had never been wrong.Professor Hayes stood beside him.“I noticed that car when I left the hospital.”“It stayed outside for almost two hours.”“When your Rolls-Royce drove away…”“So did they.”Ethan narrowed his eyes.“They’ve been following me since the hospital.”Professor Hayes nodded.“I believe so.”“They’re professionals.”“They never left the vehicle.”“They simply watched.”Ethan looked at the old professor.“Thank you for telling me.”Professor Hayes smiled.“I’ve spent years observing people.”“Old habits die hard.”He gently patted Ethan’s shoulder.“Take care of yourself.”“There aren’t many young men like you.”With that, he walked away.Ethan remained standing by the window.A few seconds later…Victor Lan

The Grand Meridian Opera House was completely silent.The massive auditorium was empty.Only a single spotlight illuminated the center of the stage.Ryan Crawford stood below it.Facing him was the elderly man wearing the silver-crowned mask.The old man sat calmly in an antique wooden chair.His fingers lightly tapped the armrest.“So…”“What kind of man is Ethan Cole?”Ryan answered without hesitation.“He’s dangerous.”The old man tilted his head slightly.“Dangerous?”Ryan nodded.“He pretends to be ordinary.”“But overnight…”“He suddenly became rich.”“He somehow gained Chairman Victor Langford’s full support.”“He even took ownership of the Starlight Grand Hotel.”The old man remained silent.Ryan continued,“I don’t know how he did it.”“But I know one thing.”“If he isn’t stopped now…”“He’ll become a problem.”The old man slowly stood up.His movements were calm.Almost graceful.He walked toward Ryan.Then stopped only a few feet away.“You’ve spent the last hour describing

The hallway erupted into chaos.“Move!”“Get a stretcher!”“Call Cardiology!”Nurses rushed in every direction.Doctors surrounded Professor Adrian Hayes, but no one took the lead.The old professor clutched his chest.His breathing became weaker with every passing second.Sweat covered his forehead.His lips slowly turned pale.One of the younger doctors panicked.“His pulse is dropping!”Another quickly said,“Take him to the operating room!”“No!”Ethan’s voice echoed through the hallway.Everyone turned toward him.“We don’t have time.”The doctors frowned.“And who are you?” one of them demanded.Ethan ignored the question.He knelt beside Professor Hayes and checked his pulse.Weak.Irregular.His pupils.His breathing.Everything matched what the system had just uploaded into his mind.This wasn’t an ordinary heart attack.It was a sudden blockage in one of the major coronary arteries.Moving him now could kill him.The system flashed.Diagnosis Confirmed.Acute Coronary Artery