2025-05-06 06:17:44
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Belen’s laughter echoed through the room, loud and cruel. “You really think you’re untouchable, Ethan? You’re digging your own grave.”Ethan shook his head slowly, eyes glittering with mockery. “The Irvings don’t just fall. They crush people like you.”Alice stayed silent, watching with a mix of defiance and calm, sensing the storm brewing.Belen stepped closer, voice rising, “You talk a big game, but we all know how this ends. You’re finished. You’re just delaying the inevitable.”Ethan’s lips curled in a faint, almost bored smile. “Is that supposed to scare me? I’ve seen tougher threats than you in my sleep.”Belen clenched his fists. “Watch your mouth, or you’ll regret it.”Ethan’s gaze didn’t flicker. “Regret? That’s your problem—thinking I have anything to lose.”Then, just as Belen was savoring the moment, the woman he had been waiting for arrived—Sophia. His girlfriend.She walked in confidently, her heels clicking softly on the floor. Though her position in the Irving family w
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Belen burst into laughter—loud, mocking, hollow. Heads turned again, some gasps echoed through the room, but Belen didn’t care. His eyes gleamed with twisted amusement as he leaned in, his voice sharp as shattered glass.“You think you’re powerful now, Alice?” he sneered. “You really believe Martin Irving let you go because you impressed him with that silver tongue—or that sweet pussy of yours?” His eyes raked over her like she was nothing. “Please. You were just a toy. A pawn. Do you honestly think he’s going to make you his wife? You’re nothing but a tool for him to avenge his son.”Alice didn’t flinch. But Ethan’s jaw tightened. He stepped closer, placing himself between her and Belen, his expression calm—too calm.“Careful,” Ethan said smoothly, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket. “You’re talking a little too loudly for someone so uninformed.”“Oh?” Belen scoffed. “And who are you again? Her latest sugar daddy?”Ethan chuckled under his breath, like Belen’s words were the punchline
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The restaurant buzzed with the low hum of conversation and the soft clink of cutlery. Waiters weaved between tables, and golden light spilled from ornate chandeliers. But that peaceful ambiance shattered like glass the moment Belen Morgan stormed through the entrance like a thundercloud on legs.His sharp eyes scanned the room—and froze.Near the window, poised like she owned the place, sat a woman in an elegant black dress. Alice Morgan. The niece his family had written off. The woman everyone had assumed was lost, if not dead.Belen’s mouth dried. She looked untouched. Unharmed. Alive.But that could only mean one thing.She had submitted to Martin Irving.“Alice!” Belen’s voice cracked like a whip through the restaurant.Conversations dropped. Forks paused in mid-air. Alice slowly lowered her wine glass, not a single muscle betraying emotion, and turned toward him with the kind of smile that could cut steel.“What a coincidence,” she murmured, voice laced with sarcasm. “Did you com
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Ethan pushed open the door to his loft with a soft click, balancing the boutique’s elegant shopping bags in one hand. The lights were low, casting a golden hue across the room, and a faint hint of lavender lingered in the air—Rosanna must’ve found the diffuser.“Alice?” he called gently.A soft rustle answered him.She peeked out from behind the couch, still tightly swaddled in the blanket like a burrito, only her eyes visible above the folds.“You’re back,” she mumbled, blinking.He chuckled softly. “Still in the blanket?”“It’s become a lifestyle choice,” she said dryly. “Also, still naked, remember?”Ethan held up the bags like a trophy. “Not anymore. Clothes. High-end, handpicked, boutique-approved.”Her eyes lit up with cautious curiosity. “Did you… actually pick these out?”He smirked. “Personally. And with great trauma. I had to slap a man to make it happen.”Alice raised an eyebrow. “Slap a man?”“Well… I made him get slapped. Long story. You’ll love it. Try these on.”He plac
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Chapter 23: Power ShiftDana’s legs wobbled, her smug smile vanishing like smoke in the wind. Eric clutched the rack beside him for support, pale as a ghost.Even the sales associate — a tall woman with glossy black hair and perfect posture just minutes ago — now trembled like a leaf, her knees buckling as she collapsed to the floor in terror. Her voice faltered as she stammered, “M-Mr. Santos… I-I didn’t know…”Roger didn’t spare her a glance. His focus was on Ethan.“Mr. Ethan,” he said again, his tone steeped in reverence, “allow me to explain. The bounty… it was issued before I took full control. I’m in the process of cleaning house. As of today, you are officially under my protection — anyone who touches you answers to me.”Ethan raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed lazily. “Took you long enough.”Roger bowed again, deeper this time. “It won’t happen again.”Dana’s mouth opened, then closed. She looked like a fish gasping for air.“Wait… what’s going on?” she finally managed to wh
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Chapter 22: The Santos Family’s ReachDana spotted Ethan near the racks of casual wear, and at first, she looked down on him with a scoff.What’s he doing here? she thought, wrinkling her nose at his blood-stained jacket and worn boots. Did he mistake this for a thrift store?But then her phone buzzed.A message popped up from one of her contacts—someone who liked to brag about being close to power: “The Santos family just issued a bounty on a guy named Ethan. One million dollars for his location.”Dana’s eyes widened, and a wicked smile slowly curled across her face.No way.Is this fate?She turned her gaze back to Ethan, who was inspecting a hoodie with quiet focus, oblivious to her stare. He looked too calm—too unaware. Perfect. He clearly had no clue that the biggest crime family in the city had a price on his head, as he was nothing more than a pretty boy with no access to insider information.Dana’s mind raced. If she played this right, she and Eric could split a million-dollar
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Chapter 21: Rosanna’s Wake-UpRosanna shot up with a strangled scream, drenched in sweat, her chest heaving. Her eyes darted wildly around the unfamiliar room, panic swelling in her throat. The cream-colored walls, the expensive chandelier above, the silken sheets against her bare skin—Bare?She looked down, horrified to find herself completely naked under the covers. A sob broke from her lips.“No, no, no, please—no…” she whimpered, clutching the blanket to her chest as she trembled. The last thing she remembered was Sergio’s twisted grin, his hand grabbing her throat, the sound of Ethan’s voice shouting in the distance…She curled into herself, sobbing.Did he…? Did Sergio…?The door creaked open.Rosanna’s instincts kicked in. Her eyes snapped to the nightstand, where a sleek lamp sat. In one swift motion, she grabbed it, holding it above her head like a weapon.“Stay back!” she cried out, her voice shaky.The figure in the doorway paused. “Rosanna—it’s me.”Her breath caught. Eth
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Chapter 20: Roger’s Revelation The moment Ethan stepped outside with Rosanna cradled in his arms, a shadow moved near the stairwell. “Stop—wait!” a voice rasped. Ethan pivoted on instinct, shielding Rosanna behind him with one arm and drawing his weapon with the other. A young man stumbled into view, his face pale, body bruised and bloodied, barely standing on his own two feet. Ethan narrowed his eyes. “Who the hell are you?” The young man raised both trembling hands. “I’m not your enemy. Please… did you… did you kill them? All of them?” “Yeah,” Ethan said flatly, his tone icy. “Including Sergio. And of course that I welcome everyone that wants to avenge that scumbag.” The words struck like thunder. The young man’s knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling violently. Then—unexpectedly—he burst into tears, covering his face with his bruised hands. “I have to see it. I have to see for myself!” Ethan frowned as the man bolted past him and into the house. Seconds l
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Chapter 19: The Final Confrontation The soundproofed walls of Sergio’s lavish room offered no warning as Ethan stormed in. Rosanna’s figure, bound and vulnerable on the bed, was the first thing he saw. His heart clenched, but he didn’t let the anger that surged through him cloud his focus. Sergio was too busy setting up a camera in the corner, unaware of the impending storm. Afterward, he planned to let his men have their way with her. Only by humiliating Rosanna completely would he feel that he had avenged Norlan. As the door slammed open, Sergio’s head snapped toward the intruder. His eyes widened in disbelief, quickly followed by a seething fury. “How dare you—! How did you—?” Sergio’s voice cracked as he looked at the bodies of his men sprawled across the villa. He hadn’t heard the gunfight outside due to the thick, soundproof walls, and now this… this filthy man had somehow bypassed all his defenses. His mind scrambled to comprehend the impossibility of it. Ethan took a step
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