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last update2025-05-06 05:44:18

Ethan walked out of the hotel, he didn’t know why he almost lost his control.

The cold wind cooled him down, he took out his phone and first added Sierra to his blacklist—he didn't want that woman bothering him anymore.

Then, he made another call.

"Elsa, it's me."

The person on the other end was Nova Corporation's CEO, Elsa Logan!

She was someone everyone in the city wanted to curry favor with. Rumor had it that the mysterious owner of Nova Corporation was extremely low-profile, so all company decisions were made by Elsa.

Therefore, anyone who maintained a good relationship with her had no shortage of opportunities to get rich.

However, at this moment, the high and mighty female CEO spoke to Ethan in an extremely respectful tone.

"Boss, is there anything you need me to do?"

Ethan replied casually, "There's a business banquet tomorrow, right? Remove Sierra's company from the guest list. And from now on, don't invite them to any company events again. She's no longer our business partner."

"Our new partner is Morgan Tech. Their CEO is Alice Morgan, you can inform her about this."

Elsa was momentarily stunned. She knew Sierra was the boss's wife, so now...

But as a competent subordinate, she never questioned the boss's private affairs. She respectfully replied, "Understood, boss. Will you be attending tomorrow?"

Ethan thought for a moment and answered, "Yes."

"As a VIP, as usual?" Elsa asked.

Ethan fell silent. In the past, he rarely attended Nova events, and even when he did, it was only as a VIP. But now, perhaps it was time to step into the spotlight.

"Boss?" Elsa called again after a few seconds of silence on the line.

"Just say that the owner of Nova Corporation will be present tomorrow," Ethan said calmly, but to Elsa, this was explosive news.

"Boss… are you planning to reveal your identity?" she asked in shock.

"I haven't made a final decision yet. Announce it this way for now. I'll decide tomorrow," Ethan said and hung up.

Ethan had just gotten into a taxi, planning to rest at a hotel for the night, when he received a call from Alice.

"Ethan!! Was it you who helped me? Just now, Nova's CEO Elsa personally called me and invited me to attend tomorrow's banquet! She said Morgan Tech will be the new business partner!"

Alice was so excited that she completely forgot she was supposed to be pretending to be drunk. She pressed Ethan eagerly, because the only one who could have helped her was him.

Ethan showed a faint smile. Alice was a lively and cheerful girl—her happiness was contagious.

"For Samantha's sake, I'll help you this once," Ethan said with a smile.

"Then can you go to the banquet with me tomorrow? Please!" Alice said.

Ethan had already planned to attend the banquet, so he agreed without hesitation.

Alice was overjoyed. After hanging up the phone, she rolled around on the bed in excitement—she probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

⸻

The next day, at the Nova Corporation banquet venue, Alice arrived early in a dazzling gown, anxiously waiting at the entrance for Ethan.

"Good evening, Alice!"

The sudden voice startled her. She turned around and saw Ethan.

He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, looking incredibly handsome. Alice's cheeks turned slightly red.

However, before the two could exchange more than a few words, an annoying voice suddenly interrupted.

"Ethan? You followed me all the way here? I knew you weren't over me yet!"

Ethan frowned and turned around. Sure enough, it was Sierra.

Clinging to her arm was a slick, flashy man—clearly her lover and Nova Corporation's manager, Marcus.

Seeing Sierra, Ethan said with disdain, "Where did this annoying pest come from? Totally ruined my good mood for the day."

"You!" Sierra was furious, but she didn't dare cause a scene here. Instead, she growled under her breath, "Don't tell me you're actually here for Nova's banquet!"

At that moment, Marcus chuckled. "Darling, maybe your trash ex-husband came to apply for a waiter job!"

"You're probably right. Trash like him is only fit for that kind of low-end work," Sierra mocked with a sneer.

Their words infuriated Alice. Displeased, she said coldly, "Why do I hear dogs barking at such an upscale venue?"

"What did you say?!" Sierra snapped angrily. She turned to see who it was—and was shocked to find it was her rival, Alice.

"Well, if it isn't the loser Alice. I heard your family's marrying you off to Carl. Guess you've finally managed to latch onto a rich man! What, now you're trying to seduce someone else here?" Sierra mocked.

She spoke so confidently because for the past few years, she had consistently outperformed Morgan Tech in the business world.

But Alice didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled and gracefully wrapped her arm around Ethan's.

"I'm here with my date," she said calmly. "We're attending Nova Corporation's banquet together."

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  • 759

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  • 758

    Beneath it was a date from nearly two decades earlier.Adrian opened the report.The first few pages contained technical observations, medical results, and details about the experiments performed on Ethan.Then he stopped.“There’s a section here about the transfer.”“What transfer?” Ethan asked.Adrian read silently for a moment.His expression changed.“Alexander, you need to see this.”Alexander approached the terminal.As he read the document, the color drained from his face.Ethan immediately noticed.“What is it?”Alexander didn’t respond.Ethan stepped beside him and read the final paragraph.Following the unauthorized transfer of Subject Thirteen, Dr. Alexander Storm was removed from active project operations. All subsequent records concerning the subject were classified.Ethan frowned.“Unauthorized transfer?”Gabriel nodded.“Your father didn’t simply hand you over to the Order.”Ethan looked at him.“Explain.”“The agreement Alexander made was supposed to give the Order tem

  • 757

    Ethan stared at the screen, unable to move.His mother’s words kept repeating in his mind.You were never supposed to be a child.You were supposed to be the first vessel.He slowly shook his head.“No.”Gabriel watched him without speaking.Ethan turned toward his father.“Tell me he’s lying.”Alexander’s face was pale.“Ethan—”“Tell me he’s lying!”His voice echoed through the facility.Alexander took a step toward him, but Ethan immediately moved back.“Don’t.”Alexander stopped.For several seconds, neither of them spoke.Then Ethan pointed at the document floating above Gabriel’s device.“What does primary subject mean?”Gabriel answered before Alexander could.“It means your parents believed they could prepare a human body to withstand the energy contained in the Keys. The Order had attempted it before, but every subject died or suffered irreversible damage.”He paused.“Your parents believed they had found a solution.”Ethan looked at the screen again.“And that solution was m

  • 756

    Before Alexander could explain, the lights came back on. Every monitor in the facility activated simultaneously. One screen. Then another. Then dozens. A single image appeared across all of them. A woman. Ethan’s mother. But this time, she wasn’t younger. She looked older. Tired. And she was sitting in what appeared to be a cell. Ethan stepped closer. “Mom…” The image wasn’t a recording. Her eyes moved. She was alive. She looked directly into the camera. “Ethan.” Ethan’s heart nearly stopped. “Mom?” Alexander stared at the screen. “No…” His mother’s expression changed when she saw him. For a moment, something like relief crossed her face. Then fear. “Ethan, listen to me carefully.” Ethan moved toward the screen. “Where are you?” “Don’t come looking for me.” “Mom—” “Don’t.” Her voice became urgent. “The moment you activated the Key, they knew.” Daniel looked at Adrian. “Who?” The woman glanced toward something outside the frame. “They’re already her

  • 755

    “Then who?” Static interrupted the message. For several seconds, nothing could be heard. Then her voice returned. “Ethan…” Her voice trembled. “If you’re with Alexander, leave immediately.” Alexander stepped toward the speaker. “No.” His voice broke. “No, no…” Ethan stared at him. “Why?” Alexander looked at his son. “Because she knows what’s coming.” The lights suddenly went out. A violent metallic sound echoed from somewhere beneath them. Then another. And another. Something was moving through the facility. Fast. Adrian immediately activated his energy field. “Everyone get behind me.” Ethan didn’t move. He was staring at the speaker. His mother’s voice came through one final time. “Ethan, whatever happens next…” A pause. “Do not let them wake the Thirteenth Key.” The recording ended. For several seconds, nobody moved. Then the entire facility shook. A deep pulse of energy erupted beneath their feet. Ethan staggered. His vision blurred. Something ins

  • 754

    Alexander lowered his eyes.“I know.”Ethan stood silently for a moment.Then Adrian spoke.“There’s something else.”Everyone turned toward him.Adrian was still staring at the terminal.“The archive isn’t finished.”Ethan frowned.“What do you mean?”Adrian moved closer to the screen and began scrolling through the corrupted files.“There are multiple encrypted sections. Most of them are locked behind Order clearance levels.”Daniel leaned over his shoulder.“Can you open them?”“I can try.”Ethan looked back at Alexander.“You knew about these files?”Alexander’s expression changed.“No.”Adrian glanced at him.“He’s telling the truth.”Ethan looked at Adrian.“How do you know?”“Because this encryption predates the current Order system. Whoever created it wanted these files hidden even from senior members.”Alexander stared at the screen.Then his face went pale.“There’s only one person who used that encryption.”Ethan’s heart skipped.“My mother?”Alexander nodded slowly.“Yes.”

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I'm seriously digging this Alice an Ethan team.. 100%

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