Outside the grand gates, a massive torrential downpour suddenly began to crash down from the dark sky. The freezing rain fell in heavy sheets, soaking the muddy road instantly as Ethan Vance prepared to take his very first step into the storm.He walked blindly through the dark, cold night, his body shaking with a deep, hidden pain. Without even realizing it, his feet led him down the old roads until he stood right outside the wooden gate of the Bennett Orphanage.Laughter and playful shouts drifted beautifully from inside the warm building, cutting through the heavy roar of the falling water. Ethan stopped his body and listened to the happy sounds, feeling a sharp, agonizing pang of loss deep inside his chest.If his kind adoptive father had never taken him away ten years ago, would everything have been different for him? Would he have been just like those other orphans, growing up happy, safe, and completely carefree within these simple walls?He looked down at his wet boots with a

The five thugs lunged forward all at the same time, their heavy metal clubs swinging wildly through the air. They roared like wild animals, eager to tear Ethan Vance apart and please their fallen leader.Ethan did not move an inch until the very last second, his eyes remaining freezing and completely calm. With a sudden burst of lightning speed, he stepped aside, twisted the first thug's wrist until the bone cracked, and used a single powerful kick to launch him backward into the others.The remaining thugs charged together in a panic, but Ethan ducked smoothly, driving his fist into one jaw and delivering a brutal elbow strike to the next chest. Within less than five seconds, all five armed thugs were writhing in the dirt, groaning in agonizing pain.Ethan stood perfectly still in the center of the destruction, his breathing calm as his gaze locked onto the terrified loan shark leader. Garrick Thorne’s face turned completely white, dragging his broken body backward along the floorboa

Julian Sterling stepped out of his luxury car right outside the wooden gate of the Bennett Orphanage, and stopped his steps immediately when his eyes landed on a crowd of heavily bruised men gathered by the entrance.It was Garrick Thorne and his five wounded thugs, who were still limping and trying to wipe the blood from their faces. Julian looked at the large group, suddenly recalling what his third sister Amelia had said about the gang coming to collect a debt from Ethan Vance.Julian strode forward confidently, his leather shoes clicking loudly on the wet ground as he glared at the gangsters. "What are you people doing here in front of this property?" Julian demanded to know in a loud, arrogant voice.Before he had been found by the Sterling family, Julian had lived as a common street resident and feared this specific gang like the absolute kings of the city. He used to tremble whenever their name was mentioned in the dark alleys.But things were completely different now, and the

Understanding the silent command instantly, Garrick Thorne grabbed Julian by his expensive collar and dragged the weeping young master out into the torrential rain. The remaining corporate guards scrambled to follow them, running away in complete disgrace.The moment the front door closed, the room fell into a heavy, respectful silence. Garrick Thorne turned around, his brute face turning completely pale as he dropped to his knees before Ethan."Master Vance, please spare our lives!" Garrick Thorne shouted, his voice cracking with intense terror as he prostrated himself, slamming his forehead hard against the muddy floorboards. "I swear I did not know this home belonged to you!"The gang leader kowtowed a full hundred times without stopping, the loud thud of his head hitting the wood echoing through the dining hall until his forehead was covered in dark bruises. "Please forgive my ignorance, sir! I was just following orders!"Ethan looked at the kneeling man, his voice quiet but carry

Amelia turned toward Charlotte, her eyes flashing with hatred. "Father should have never brought that trash home from the orphanage ten years ago! We should have just left him to starve, or killed him back then!""Mind your status, Amelia!" Charlotte scolded her sharply, her voice cutting through the room like a cold blade. "You are a high-ranking public official. Do not lose your composure over a piece of common street filth. Ethan Vance is nothing but a worthless worm, and he is not worth getting upset over."Charlotte walked over, looking down at the weeping Julian with a hard, unyielding expression before addressing her sisters. "Amelia, use your physical conditioning to help suppress Julian's immediate symptoms right now. Beatrice, pull out your phone and contact Master Zephyr for assistance immediately."Amelia gritted her teeth and agreed, immediately lifting Julian’s heavy body back onto the sofa. To force the spreading internal force into a temporary halt, she had to apply a