2026-02-02 08:26:33Ethan didn’t leave immediately. That was the first deviation. He stood just outside the building, under the wash of white security lights, letting the city’s night air cool his skin.
The rooftop’s laughter still echoed faintly above him, distorted by glass and height. The phone vibrated.
Unknown: You were instructed to exit.
Ethan typed with one hand. ''I did. I just didn’t vanish.''
A pause. ''Careful.''
Ethan slipped the phone into his pocket and stepped into the street. He walked instead of driving. That was the second deviation.
The city rewarded walkers with truths drivers missed, arguments spilling out of bars, quiet deals in shadows, the real rhythm beneath curated noise.
Ethan moved with the crowd, head down, posture unremarkable. His reflection appeared in a shop window. Adrian Cole looked comfortable. That disturbed him.
A familiar voice cut through the air behind him. “Hey.”
Ethan didn’t turn. The voice came closer. “Adrian.”
He stopped. Caleb stood a few feet away, jacket half-zipped, eyes too alert for someone pretending calm. “I knew you’d be down here,” Caleb said. “You always hated elevators.”
Ethan turned slowly. “We’ve been over this.”
Caleb laughed nervously. “Yeah. Right. Sorry.”
He rubbed his palms together. “This is going to sound crazy.”
“Then you should say it quickly,” Ethan replied. “Before it convinces you.”
Caleb flinched. “You don’t talk like him.”
“Who?”
“Derick.”
Ethan tilted his head. “Then why are you following me?”
Caleb hesitated. “Because you stand the way he did when he was angry but didn’t want anyone to know.”
Ethan held his gaze. “You’re projecting.”
“Maybe,” Caleb admitted. “But you scared Maya.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“That’s worse,” Caleb said quietly.
Silence pooled between them. “You should go back upstairs,” Ethan said. “You don’t belong in this part of the night.”
Caleb scoffed. “You sound like him.”
Ethan stepped closer, not threatening, not gentle. Exact. “Listen carefully,” he said. “Derick Hale was a man who waited to be chosen. That man is gone.”
Caleb’s breath hitched. “So you admit”
“I’m saying,” Ethan interrupted, “that whoever you’re looking for won’t answer.”
Caleb’s shoulders slumped. “Then what are you?” he asked.
Ethan considered the question. “I’m the consequence,” he said.
Caleb swallowed hard. Footsteps echoed nearby. Ethan’s phone vibrated in his pocket, short, sharp.
''You’re exposed.''
Ethan glanced past Caleb. Two men stood across the street. Same energy as before. Different faces. Watching. Caleb followed his gaze. “Friends of yours?”
“No,” Ethan replied. “Problems.”
Caleb’s pulse spiked. “Should I run?”
“Yes,” Ethan said immediately. “And don’t look back.”
Caleb didn’t argue. He turned and disappeared into the flow of pedestrians. The men across the street didn’t move. They didn’t need to.
Ethan exhaled slowly and crossed the street toward them. That was the third deviation. Up close, they were sharper than the last pair. One older, graying at the temples.
The other younger, eyes too focused. “You’re harder to read in person,” the older one said.
“You should stop trying,” Ethan replied.
The younger man smirked. “You like being noticed.”
“No,” Ethan said. “I like knowing who’s looking.”
The older man nodded. “Fair.”
He extended a hand. Ethan didn’t take it. “We represent interested parties,” the man said. “People who don’t enjoy loose variables.”
“Then you should tighten your systems,” Ethan said calmly.
The younger man chuckled. “He’s confident.”
“He’s insulated,” the older man corrected. “That’s different.”
Ethan’s phone vibrated again. ''Do not engage further.''
Ethan ignored it. “What do you want?” he asked.
The older man studied him. “To understand who erased you.”
Ethan smiled faintly. “You’re late.”
“That seems to be your favorite word.”
“Only when it’s true.”
The younger man’s tone sharpened. “Careful.”
Ethan met his eyes. “You followed me. You initiated. If anyone should be careful, it’s you.”
The older man raised a hand, calming his partner. “You won’t answer questions,” he said. “That’s fine. But understand this, when someone disappears cleanly, it disrupts balance.”
“Balance favors the powerful,” Ethan replied. “I don’t.”
“That’s what worries them.”
Ethan nodded. “Tell them they should worry less about me and more about why I was allowed to exist in the first place.”
The older man’s eyes narrowed. “You think you’re a message.”
“I am,” Ethan said. “You’re just not the recipient.”
Silence. Then the older man smiled. “Interesting.”
He stepped back. The younger followed reluctantly. “This isn’t over,” the younger said.
Ethan nodded once. “Nothing important ever is.”
They melted into the crowd. Ethan stood alone again. The phone vibrated insistently now. ''You disobeyed protocol.''
Ethan typed while walking. ''I gathered data.You escalated. I clarified boundaries.''
A pause. ''You’re changing.''
Ethan stopped under a streetlight. ''So are the rules,'' he typed.
The reply came slower. ''Come in.''
The location was underground. Literally. A freight elevator descended beneath a nondescript building, humming low as it dropped past floors that didn’t officially exist.
Ethan stood alone in the steel box, hands clasped behind his back. The doors opened to a room of glass and shadow.
Screens lined the walls, live feeds, maps, data streams flowing like veins. A handful of people moved quietly between stations.
Jonas stood at the center. “You deviated,” Jonas said without preamble.
“I adapted,” Ethan replied.
Jonas turned. “Adaptation is earned.”
“So is trust,” Ethan said.
Jonas studied him for a long moment. “You let Caleb go,” Jonas said.
“He’s not the enemy.”
“He’s a liability.”
“He’s human.”
Jonas’s jaw tightened. “That sentiment will get you killed.”
Ethan met his gaze. “Then kill me when it becomes inefficient.”
Silence rippled through the room. Jonas exhaled. “You’re faster than we predicted.”
Ethan said nothing. “You’re also drawing attention.”
“Good.”
Jonas frowned. “That’s not agreement.”
“It’s intention.”
Jonas walked to a screen showing Maya’s building. “She’s unsettled,” Jonas said. “So is Victor. So are others.”
“Unsettled people make mistakes,” Ethan replied.
Jonas nodded reluctantly. “You’re learning.”
“What happens next?” Ethan asked.
Jonas turned to him. “Now we test whether you can choose restraint.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “You already know the answer.”
Jonas tapped a screen. Footage appeared, Lucas, alone, on a phone call. Lucas laughed. “Yeah, he’s gone. Completely. You were right.”
The call timestamp blinked. Active. Ethan’s expression didn’t change, but something cold coiled tighter inside him. “Lucas is talking,” Jonas said. “Not to lawyers.”
“To who?” Ethan asked.
Jonas looked at him carefully. “People who buy information,” he said. “And who don’t like ghosts.”
Ethan’s phone vibrated. ''Decision point.''
Jonas folded his arms. “We can intervene. Quietly.”
“And the test?” Ethan asked.
Jonas met his eyes. “Whether you let us.”
Ethan stared at the screen. Lucas laughed again, careless, confident. Predictable. Ethan inhaled slowly. “No,” he said.
Jonas stiffened. “No?”
“No intervention,” Ethan repeated. “Not yet.”
Jonas searched his face. “Why?”
Ethan’s voice was calm. “Because I want to see who listens when he talks.”
Jonas studied him, then smiled faintly. “Dangerous answer,” he said.
Ethan nodded. “I know.”
The screen zoomed in on Lucas’s face. Unaware. The city hummed above them. And somewhere between silence and exposure, Ethan Black made his first choice that no one had programmed.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 9 — WHEN GHOSTS BLEED
The engine growled as Ethan pushed the car past its comfort. Red lights blurred into streaks. The city bent around him, familiar roads turning sharp and narrow as he cut through traffic with ruthless precision.He didn’t use sirens. Didn’t need them. Fear cleared paths faster than authority ever could. Jonas’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “Teams are five minutes out.”“Too long,” Ethan replied.“You’re not equipped for direct engagement.”Ethan turned hard onto Maya’s street. “I’m equipped for inevitability.”Silence followed. Jonas knew better than to argue now. Ethan parked three buildings down, engine still running.He stepped out, jacket unzipped, movements unhurried. Anyone watching would mistake him for another late-night passerby. That mistake would cost them.He crossed the street, eyes scanning reflections, windows, parked cars, puddles of old rain. The building loomed ahead, lights dark except for one apartment on the third floor. Maya’s.The front door was ajar. Eth
CHAPTER 8 — THE PRICE OF BEING HEARD
Lucas liked to talk when he felt safe. Ethan had learned that years ago, back when Lucas still borrowed money and promised repayment with dramatic sincerity.Now, safety looked different. It was confidence inflated by victory, by the belief that Derick Hale was dead and buried. That belief made men sloppy.The feed played silently on the wall. Lucas paced his apartment, phone pressed to his ear, drink in his other hand. His laughter was loud, careless.The kind that came from thinking the storm had passed. Jonas watched Ethan from the corner of his eye. “We can mute the audio if you want.”“No,” Ethan said.Jonas nodded to a technician. Sound filled the room. “…telling you, man, it’s clean,” Lucas said. “No body, no mess. Guy just cracked. Happens all the time.”Ethan’s jaw tightened, just a fraction. Jonas leaned closer. “You recognize the voice on the other end?”Ethan listened. The voice was distorted, filtered, but the cadence was sharp. Professional. Curious. “No,” Ethan said. “B
CHAPTER 7 — ECHOES PEOPLE CAN’T EXPLAIN
Ethan didn’t leave immediately. That was the first deviation. He stood just outside the building, under the wash of white security lights, letting the city’s night air cool his skin.The rooftop’s laughter still echoed faintly above him, distorted by glass and height. The phone vibrated.Unknown: You were instructed to exit.Ethan typed with one hand. ''I did. I just didn’t vanish.''A pause. ''Careful.''Ethan slipped the phone into his pocket and stepped into the street. He walked instead of driving. That was the second deviation.The city rewarded walkers with truths drivers missed, arguments spilling out of bars, quiet deals in shadows, the real rhythm beneath curated noise.Ethan moved with the crowd, head down, posture unremarkable. His reflection appeared in a shop window. Adrian Cole looked comfortable. That disturbed him.A familiar voice cut through the air behind him. “Hey.”Ethan didn’t turn. The voice came closer. “Adrian.”He stopped. Caleb stood a few feet away, jacket
CHAPTER 6 — A FACE THAT DOESN’T EXIST
The file arrived at 4:03 a.m. Ethan was still under the overpass, engine off, city noise muffled by concrete and distance. The encrypted phone vibrated once, no warning, no urgency.He opened it. Identity Packet — ACTIVEA face appeared first. Not his. Mid-thirties. Clean haircut. Forgettable in a way that felt intentional. The kind of face people remembered only after it left the room, and even then, vaguely.Name: Adrian ColeOccupation: Independent logistics consultantHistory: Plausible. Boring. Verified.Digital Footprint: Eight years. Clean.Social Access Level: ModerateFlags: NoneEthan scrolled. Bank accounts. Rental history. Travel stamps. A handful of photos at networking events. Smiling beside people who didn’t matter. “Adrian Cole,” Ethan murmured.The phone buzzed. Unknown: Say it.Ethan didn’t hesitate. “I’m Adrian Cole.”Good.Tonight, you’ll attend a gathering, Invitation already sent.Ethan frowned. To who?The reply came with a location pin. His old world. Maya’s wo
CHAPTER 5 — WHEN SHADOWS MOVE
The SUV stayed two car lengths behind him. Not close enough to be aggressive. Not far enough to be coincidence.Ethan merged smoothly into traffic, posture relaxed, hands steady on the wheel. Speed didn’t change. Breathing didn’t change. Panic was loud, and he had already buried loud things.The encrypted phone vibrated once. Unknown: Confirm tail.Ethan checked the rearview mirror casually, like any bored commuter. Headlights. Same grille. Same patience. Confirmed, he typed.Good. Don’t lose them.Ethan’s lips twitched. So this was the lesson. He turned left at the next light. The SUV followed. Right turn. Followed.Three blocks later, Ethan slowed just enough to let a taxi slide between them. The SUV adjusted instantly. Professional.The city stretched out around him, late-night Lagos energy still alive. Street vendors closing up. Music bleeding from open windows. Neon signs flickering like tired eyes.Ethan didn’t rush. He let the SUV believe it had control. The phone buzzed again.
CHAPTER 4 — WATCHING WITHOUT BEING SEEN
The house hadn’t changed. That was the first thing Ethan noticed. Same porch light flickering like it always had.Same wind chimes Maya insisted were “calming.” Same white curtains that never quite closed all the way. Comfort preserved. Like nothing had happened.Ethan sat in the parked car across the street, engine off, hands resting loosely on the steering wheel. The encrypted phone lay face-up beside him, dark and silent. Observe. Do not engage.He watched Maya move through the living room, phone pressed to her ear, pacing in slow circles. “No, Victor, I don’t care how it looks,” she said, voice faint through the glass. “I want to know where he is.”She stopped pacing. Listened. Scoffed. “Don’t tell me to be patient. He doesn’t just disappear.”Ethan tilted his head slightly. She still believed she mattered enough to be chased. Caleb appeared from the hallway, rubbing his face.He took the phone from her hand.“Victor,” Caleb said, lowering his voice, “look… if he’s gone, isn’t that
You may also like
Secretly The Billionaire Boss
Debbie chocolate 2.4M viewsDrakon of the Seven Armies
Maddy Taurus527.0K viewsRising from the Ashes
Only For You2.4M viewsThe Gilded Man With A Thousand Lives
Kaiser Ken95.0K viewsThe Invisible Architect
Bane194 viewsNo Longer A Nobody
WdVictoria279 viewsRISE OF THE WORTHLESS SON-IN-LAW
Omar John313 viewsKarl Gordon Is Back
Lillington244 views