“Yes! YOUR fault!” Robert stepped around Victoria and jabbed his finger toward Ethan’s chest like he was trying to poke a hole through him. “You angered Julian Cross at that dinner months ago! You provoked him, you insulted him, and he came after our family because of YOU!”His voice was shaking so hard the words vibrated. “If you hadn’t started that fight, none of this would have happened! They targeted us because of you! Because you’re a magnet for disaster! Everything you touch turns to garbage!”The mental gymnastics this man performs on a daily basis could qualify him for the Olympics, the Spirit said. Gold medal in delusion. Silver in cowardice. Bronze in blaming the kid who tried to save him.Victoria looked at her husband like he had grown a second head that was also stupid. Her mouth opened and closed twice before she could even form words.“Robert Clarke, you look at me right now.” Her voice dropped from screaming to something low and dangerous and far more terrifying. “That

Ethan couldn't sleep. The ceiling of his bedroom had become the most boring thing in the universe and he had already counted every crack in it twice.The house was suffocating. Robert was sulking in his study with the door locked, drinking whiskey and staring at bank statements like a man reading his own obituary. Serena was in her room with her laptop open and her walls up. The only person who had looked at him with warmth all day was Victoria, and even she had gone to bed with a migraine and a bottle of aspirin.You're brooding, the Spirit observed. I hate it when you brood. It makes the inside of your head feel like a funeral parlor."I'm not brooding. I'm thinking."Same thing with you. Go outside. Walk it off. Kill something. I don't care which, just stop sitting in the dark feeling sorry for yourself.Ethan climbed out his bedroom window because the front door creaked and Victoria had ears like a bat. He dropped two stories, landed without a sound, and disappeared into the Crest

Big Tony arrived in eight minutes flat. His black SUV skidded to a stop at the curb and three Silver Fang soldiers piled out behind him like dogs being let off a leash.Tony himself was wearing sweatpants and a tank top, which meant he had been pulled out of bed. His face carried the expression of a man who had been woken up for something stupid and intended to make someone pay for the inconvenience.“Which ones?” Tony looked at Ethan. His voice was low and businesslike.Ethan pointed at the blond ringleader and his two friends with his chin. “They’re using your name. Shaking down food truck vendors. Claiming Silver Fang protection racket.”Tony’s face went through three emotions in two seconds. Confusion. Anger. Then something cold and final that made the blond thug’s bladder feel suddenly unreliable.“Using MY name?” Tony walked toward the three thugs with the slow, heavy steps of a man who was not in a hurry because his prey had nowhere to go. “You little cockroaches are running ar

“It’s... a lot.” Ethan was not a man who was easily impressed, but his eyes were wider than usual.“It’s two point three billion dollars at current market value.” Lawrence said the number the way other people say the weather. “The most prestigious estate in all of Crestwood. Three hundred and sixty acres. Fifty two rooms. A private vineyard. And the best sunset view in the entire state.”The Bentley stopped at the front entrance. Lawrence reached into the back seat and pulled out a leather folder. He placed it on Ethan’s lap with both hands.Inside was a property transfer deed, already signed and notarized. Every line filled in. Every stamp in place. The new owner’s name was already printed in bold black letters: Ethan Morrison.“It’s yours.” Lawrence’s voice was simple and warm and carried no conditions.Ethan stared at the deed. Then he stared at Lawrence. Then he stared at the deed again.“Lawrence. This is a two billion dollar property.” His voice was steady but there was somethin

Richard swallowed his rage. It went down hard, like a man swallowing a rock, but he swallowed it because Richard Morrison was many things but he was not stupid enough to cause a scene at the Clarke family’s front gate. He grabbed Derek by the elbow and pulled him toward the car.But he threw one last look over his shoulder, and this time there was no smile on his face at all.“This isn’t over, boy.” His voice was low and cold and carried the weight of a very specific threat. “Sullivan is back, and he’s been looking forward to seeing you.”The Mercedes pulled away. Ethan watched it go with the calm expression of a man who had heard worse threats from more dangerous people before breakfast.Sullivan, the Spirit noted. Mr. Su’s senior apprentice. Peak Grandmaster. Nasty temper. Nastier fists. Want me to worry?“No.”Good. Because I wasn’t going to.Victoria put her hand on Ethan’s arm and squeezed. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to.Robert, who had stood behind them during the