BEFORE THE WORLD FROZE, I BUILT MY OWN KINGDOM

Chapter 14: Blood on His Hands

Victor and Owen were startled by the sneer, and only then did they notice Ethan lounging in the office chair.

Remembering the icy tone Ethan had used on the phone a few days ago, a chill ran down Victor's spine. Without thinking, he took two steps back and hid behind his wife's wide frame.

Linda was furious. She cursed him under her breath. "Useless."

Then she stepped forward and said to Ethan, "Ethan, you've already been fired, and you still have the nerve to show up at our shop? Are you here to make trouble? Get out right now, or I'll call the police!"

"Go ahead and call. It'll be nice to have the police uphold justice for me," Ethan said with a faint smile.

"Ethan, you worked here for almost two years, and I treated you very well all that time. Do you really want to tear off the mask between us?" Linda said in a low voice, her tone much gentler now.

Ethan rose from the chair, smoothed his clothes, and said calmly, "I only want my four months of wages. Pay me, and I'll leave right away. Oh, and by the way, I'm this shop's legal representative, and I know plenty about the shady things you two have done over the years."

Linda frowned. She clearly hadn't expected Ethan to make an issue of that title.

The couple had registered the shop under his name because they thought he was honest, and he had no one to rely on. If anything went wrong later, Ethan could take the blame. But who would have thought that the meek, obedient Ethan would suddenly turn into a different person and slip free of their control?

She glanced at Victor cowering behind her, and anger rose in her chest. He strutted around proudly in public, but the moment trouble came, he shrank like a turtle into its shell. He was hopeless.

Ethan was the legal representative of their company. Over the years they had done a lot of business under the company's name, and he had inevitably learned some of its secrets. If he really wanted to, he could cause them serious trouble.

But she didn't want to pay him what he was owed. So she tried a different approach.

"Ethan, let's be reasonable. We thought highly of you, so we made you the company's legal representative. Now that you've quit, you should come with us and have that changed.

"As for your wages, you know the market is bad right now, and our shop is really short on cash. I know you're out of work and might be struggling. Here's what I'll do. I'll lend you three hundred dollars to tide you over!"

As she spoke, she pulled three hundred dollars out of her bag and slapped it on the desk with a generous air.

Ethan was so angry he laughed. This old woman thought he was a fool, that she could get rid of him with three hundred dollars. And she called it a loan. What a joke.

They would probably send him away today, then turn around and clean up the mess in the company's books, so that he could no longer threaten them.

He picked up the three crisp bills from the desk and chuckled. "Linda, you're so generous! Even when money's this tight, you still think of me."

Linda missed the sarcasm entirely and waved a hand. "Ethan, you've worked hard these past two years, even if you never did anything particularly outstanding. I..."

Before she could finish, Ethan flung the three bills in her face.

"You little bastard, you're asking for it!" Linda roared.

She turned to Victor and bellowed, "What are you standing there for? Get him!"

Victor was stunned by the sudden turn of events. He had just thought Ethan was about to be cowed by his wife, and now everything had flipped upside down.

He looked up at Linda's furious face and hesitated. He knew his own strength, and he knew Ethan's. Ethan used to do the heaviest work in their shop without even breaking a sweat. If they really fought, Victor would be the one to suffer.

But he didn't dare disobey the orders of the tigress at home. Faced with no choice, he gritted his teeth and walked out from behind her with heavy steps.

He took a deep breath and tried to summon the courage to speak.

But Ethan spoke first, his voice ice. "Victor, have you forgotten what I told you a few days ago?"

Hearing that cold, emotionless tone, Victor shivered. Panic rose in his mind. *This kid has definitely got more than one life on his hands! I can't afford to mess with him. I really can't!*

He forced a smile. "Little... Mr. Cole, let's talk this out. Don't be hasty. It's only right to pay what's owed. This is our fault. Don't worry, I'll transfer the money right now."

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone with trembling hands.

Slap!

Linda struck Victor across the face, leaving five clear finger marks.

"What a spineless piece of garbage!"

Then she looked at Owen, who was standing nearby, and ordered, "Owen, come here and take care of this troublemaker. You won't lose a cent of pay today!"

But Owen was there only to work, and he had no intention of getting involved. He pretended not to hear her and quickly went back to his task.

"Useless! You're all useless!" Linda shook with rage.

It seemed she couldn't rely on anyone. She would have to handle this herself.

She glanced around, then dropped to the floor and began to wail. "Help! Somebody help! Murder!..."

Ethan was taken aback. He had been ready to teach the couple a lesson, but he hadn't expected Linda to pull a stunt like this and act like a common brawler.

Still, he didn't stop her. He only watched with a mocking look.

Most people in this market knew exactly what kind of woman Linda was. He wouldn't be the one embarrassed in the end.

Soon, several shopkeepers from nearby came over when they heard the noise. When they saw Linda sitting on the floor throwing a fit, they were all puzzled.

"Hehe, this couple is holding back my wages and trying to deny it," Ethan explained to everyone.

"That's a lie! You're the one who came into our shop to make trouble and hurt people for no reason! I'm even going to make you pay my medical bills!" Linda shot back.

"If I remember right, your shop has security cameras, doesn't it? We can check the footage and see whether I hurt you or not," Ethan said calmly.

"I... our cameras are broken!" Linda blurted in a panic. She had actually forgotten about the cameras.

Everyone understood at once. A middle-aged woman who had never gotten along with Linda spoke up.

"Linda, Ethan worked in your shop for so long, and we all saw it. A kind and honest young man like that, causing trouble in your shop for no reason? I think you should just pay him what you owe and end this circus."

Linda grew anxious at once. "Gladys Moore, stop pretending to be a good person! I know exactly what you're up to!"

"You fat, ugly hag, I think you're..."

…………

The two women immediately began trading insults, and Ethan ignored them both.

He walked straight to a computer and pulled up the security footage with practiced ease.

Gladys's sharp eyes caught what he was doing, and she called out to stir up the crowd. "Ethan's checking the security footage! Everyone, come and look!"

She was the first to rush over, and everyone else swarmed in behind her. They all guessed what had happened, but people loved a good show.

Linda panicked and tried to stop them, but Gladys leaped in front of her and blocked her way. Victor had been terrified of Ethan all along, and naturally he didn't dare move.

The video showed everything that had just happened, from start to finish. When they saw how pathetic Victor and Linda looked on screen, everyone burst out laughing without restraint.

"Ha! Old Victor, you're usually such a tough guy. Why so cowardly today?" a man joked.

Hearing the mockery, Victor's temper flared.

He was wary of Ethan, but he had spent so many years in this market, and he still had his pride. He snapped back, "All right, what's so funny? Even if the rest of you aren't doing business today, I still have to!"

He took out his phone and, ignoring Linda's reaction, sent the money to Ethan.

Then he said to him, "Ethan, I've transferred it to your card. On top of your wages, there's an extra three thousand dollars as an apology. Let's leave it at that. Now please leave right away and stop disrupting our business!"

"Hehe, you should've done that sooner," Ethan chuckled, and walked out of the shop without looking back.

Seeing that, the others stopped making a fuss and drifted away one by one, a little disappointed.

"Useless! Victor, are you even a man?" Linda cursed.

"Hmph! What do you know, woman? That Ethan's hands are definitely not clean. He's in such a hurry for the money, he's probably planning to run. You stay and mind the shop. I'm going to the police station right now," Victor said coldly.

Linda was startled and asked suspiciously, "What do you mean, not clean?"

"He's killed someone!" Victor said, narrowing his eyes and spelling out each word.