Buried in shame. Rising in power

CHAPTER FOUR — The Price of Returning Home

The alley felt too small for the war about to erupt.

Two armed factions—one masked, one suited—tightened their circles around Ethan and Mia. Every rifle barrel, every sharpened gaze pointed toward them as if he were the center of a storm neither side dared underestimate.

Mia clung to the fire escape railing, trembling. Ethan’s blood dripped from his side, staining the pavement in dark, steady drops. Yet he stood tall, shoulders squared, gaze burning with a dangerous calm that made both groups hesitate.

The suited man who had spoken earlier—sharp jaw, immaculate suit—took a single step forward.

“Young Master,” he said, voice steady, “we’re under strict orders. If you refuse to return, the situation escalates beyond our control. Your wife—”

“Say her name.” Ethan’s voice dropped into something lethal. “Go on. Try.”

The man swallowed. “Mia Dawson.”

Mia stiffened.

The sound of her name in the mouth of this stranger made something cold settle in her stomach.

“You are her husband, Young Master,” the man continued. “We know everything about her. Her workplace. Her habits. Her routines. The Dawson family’s debts. Their weaknesses. Their—”

“Enough.” Ethan’s chest heaved once, slow and murderous. “If you’ve laid a hand on any of them—”

“Not yet,” the man replied. “But your father’s patience is… thin.”

The masked operatives on the fire escape began shifting, preparing to strike. Their scarred leader barked an order.

“Secure the target! Do not let the Cole Dominion take him!”

So that’s who they were—the group hunting him. Rivals of the Dominion.

Which meant Ethan was trapped between two forces that hated each other as much as they wanted him.

Mia whispered, “Ethan… what are they talking about? What father? What Dominion?”

Ethan didn’t look at her. Couldn’t.

Instead, he grabbed her hand. Warm. Firm. Bleeding fingers lacing with hers.

“I’ll explain everything,” he said softly. “But right now, you have to trust me.”

“I do,” she whispered. “I always have.”

The sincerity in her voice nearly broke him.

A gun clicked.

The scarred leader raised his weapon toward Ethan’s skull.

“Move one inch, and I’ll—”

Ethan moved.

Not away—forward.

He dragged Mia with him, dropping from the fire escape into the alley. They fell hard, Ethan twisting mid-air so he took the brunt of impact. Pain shot through his wounded side, but he pushed up instantly.

Bullets exploded from above.

The suited men retaliated, firing at the masked operatives. The alley erupted in chaos—muzzle flashes, shouting, bodies scrambling for cover.

Mia clutched Ethan’s shirt, terrified. “Ethan, we need to run!”

“We will,” he said. “Just stay behind me.”

He pulled her toward the narrow passage behind the dumpsters, the only blind spot in the alley. A bullet clipped the metal inches from Mia’s head.

“Ethan!” she cried.

He yanked her close. “I’ve got you.”

Another SUV door opened.

A woman stepped out—tall, dressed in black tactical gear, her long hair tied in a sleek braid. She carried twin pistols and moved like she’d been carved from steel.

She lifted one of the guns and shot three masked operatives on the fire escape without blinking.

“Targets disabled,” she said coldly. Then she turned to Ethan. “Young Master, your father demands your immediate return to the Dominion.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. “Tell him he can go to hell.”

She blinked once. “He anticipated that response.”

“Then he should know I’m not going back.”

The woman’s gaze shifted to Mia, narrowing. “And the wife?”

Mia flinched.

Ethan stepped directly in front of her. “She’s not your concern.”

“But she is your father’s,” the woman replied. “And if he believes she is a threat to your legacy—”

“She isn’t,” Ethan snapped. “If he touches her, I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” A new voice echoed.

Everyone froze.

A man stepped out from the last SUV, dressed in white—white suit, white gloves, white expressionless eyes.

A messenger.

High-ranking.

Deadly.

He carried a small black tablet. On the screen, a live video call was already connected. The face on it was blurred, but the voice was unmistakable—deep, aged, commanding.

“Ethan.”

Mia’s breath caught.

That voice… it radiated authority strong enough to chill the air.

Ethan exhaled shakily. “Father.”

The figure on the screen leaned forward. Even blurred, the aura was suffocating.

“You’ve embarrassed me long enough.”

Ethan’s hands curled into fists. “I didn’t ask to be found.”

“You belong to the Dominion,” the man growled. “You carry our blood. Our power. Our legacy.”

“You also left me for dead!” Ethan shouted.

A ripple of shock moved through both factions.

The blurred man didn’t deny it.

Mia’s eyes widened. “Ethan…”

His father spoke again. “Your exile was punishment for your disobedience. But now you will return. We need you.”

“You need a pawn,” Ethan spat.

What came next nearly made Mia collapse.

The blurred man pointed at the screen.

“Bring Ethan in. Kill the girl.”

Mia’s heart stopped.

Ethan’s world went silent.

Every suited man raised his weapon toward her.

Every masked operative did the same.

The alley filled with the sound of guns cocking.

Ethan inhaled slowly—once.

And then his voice, low and venomous, cut through the chaos.

“Anyone… who touches my wife…”

His eyes glowed with a darkness Mia had never seen.

“…dies tonight.”

He pushed Mia behind a dumpster.

And charged.

Straight at both groups.

Alone.

Bleeding.

Furious.

Uncontrolled.

A force the Dominion should never have created.

Ethan launches a one-man assault against both factions to protect Mia. The Dominion has ordered her death. His identity is confirmed. His father reappears. And Ethan’s past begins to reveal its darkest truths.