Lena was still trying to steady herself when she finally processed Su Yanning’s identity.
Senior Director of National Union Bank.
The title echoed in her mind again and again, heavier each time.
That position alone placed Su Yanning above most of the people attending tonight’s banquet. Power, beauty, status,she had all of it. And she was standing beside Ethan, close enough that no one could mistake their relationship.
An uncomfortable feeling crept into Lena’s chest.
She had just divorced Ethan, convinced that he was dragging her down. Yet now, it looked like he had already stepped into a world far brighter than hers,and with a woman who seemed… better.
Lena clenched her jaw and followed Victor into the hall.
The banquet hall was already buzzing.
Crystal chandeliers shimmered overhead, reflecting off champagne glasses and diamond jewelry. The air was thick with polite laughter, calculated smiles, and hidden ambition.
The moment Victor Shaw stepped inside, heads turned.
Several persons ran toward him.
“Young Master Shaw!”
“So you’re here tonight as well?”
“I heard your family just secured another major project.”
One guest after another approached eagerly, their faces full of flattery.
Victor accepted the attention with practiced ease, his expression confident and proud. He placed a hand lightly on Lena’s back, presenting her openly.
“What a perfect couple.” One of the women commented politely.
“Yes, Miss Carter and Young Master Shaw really complement each other.” Another replied.
“A match made in heaven.”
Victor’s smile widened with every compliment. Lena smiled too, though it felt stiff on her lips.
Soon, the conversation shifted.
“I heard tonight’s auction will be extraordinary,” a man said excitedly. “Especially the final item.”
“Oh?” Victor raised an eyebrow.
“It’s a vintage ring,” the man lowered his voice. “It’s President Liang’s private collection.”
President Liang,president of the city’s largest business association and tonight’s host.
Even Victor’s eyes lit up.
“That ring is priceless,” another guest added. “The starting price alone is astronomical. Honestly, only someone of your status, Young Master Shaw, could afford to bid for it.”
Victor laughed lightly, clearly enjoying himself. “If it’s something President Liang is willing to part with,” he said confidently, “then I’ll naturally show him respect.”
In his tone, the ring already belonged to him.
Lena glanced at him, pride flickering briefly in her eyes.
Not far away, Su Yanning watched the scene unfold with calm amusement.
She swirled the champagne in her glass lazily. “He’s already claiming it before the auction even starts.”
Ethan stood beside her, his gaze drifting casually across the hall. “Confidence is cheap I’m afraid,” he said flatly.
Su Yanning smiled. “Arrogance is even cheaper.”
At that moment, someone nearby laughed loudly.
“Director Su I knew it,” a guest said jokingly, “I heard you got someone could buy out the entire auction house?”
More laughter followed.
Several eyes turned toward Ethan.
“Oh, that’s the ex-husband of Lena Carter, right?” One of the guest whispered.
“The one who got dumped because he was useless?” Another whispered.
“So what did he do to make Director Su protect him like this?”
The mocking voices weren’t subtle.
Victor heard them and smiled smugly. “Director Su, you really shouldn’t joke like that. Buying out the auction house? That’s a bit unrealistic.” Victor said while walking to where Ethan and Su were standing.
Su Yanning raised an eyebrow. “Is it now?”
Victor chuckled. “Well, unless you’re talking about fairy tales.”
The surrounding guests laughed again.
Lena felt a strange tightening in her chest at Victor’s teasing
She looked at Ethan but he didn’t look angry.
He didn’t look embarrassed.
He looked… uninterested.
As if none of this mattered to him at all.
That calm indifference unsettled her more than any argument ever had.
Su Yanning glanced at Ethan. “Do you want me to say something?”
“No,” he replied quietly. “There’s no need to address anything they say.”
He stepped forward slightly, his voice calm but clear.
“I’m not interested in buying the entire auction, that’s not my business.”
The laughter softened, some guests nodding in agreement.
Victor smirked. “At least you know your limits.”
Ethan’s eyes lifted slowly,toward the large screen above the stage.
The auction preview images were rotating.
Then,
The ring appeared on the screen.
It still had its dark metal and ancient engraving.
It still felt Incomplete.
Ethan’s heartbeat skipped and a sharp, dull ache pulsed briefly behind his temples.
Fragments of memory flickered in his mind, they were too fast to grasp, too painful to hold.
He saw Fire.
He heard A woman’s voice.
And Blood was on cold ground.
Ethan clenched his fingers slightly, grounding himself.
“But that ring,” he continued calmly, his gaze unwavering as he pointed to the screen, “is mine.”
The hall fell silent.
For half a second, no one spoke.
Then laughter erupted even louder than before.
“Did he just say that ring is his?” One of the guest boomed with laughter.
“Does he know whose ring that is?” Another remarked.
“Delusional.”
Victor laughed openly now, shaking his head. “You really don’t know when to stop.”
Lena took a step forward, her voice low and tense. “Ethan, enough. You’re only making things worse.”
He finally looked at her and Lena flinched.
There was no resentment in his eyes, no bitterness.
Only distance.
“I know exactly what I’m doing, stop putting your mouth in my business.” he said calmly.
Her words froze in her throat at his words.
Latest Chapter
57
The screen went completely black, not fading or dimming but shutting off so abruptly that it felt intentional, like someone had decided the conversation was over before anyone else was ready for it.For a few seconds, the room remained completely silent, and even the hum of the machines seemed quieter, like the entire control center had paused to watch what Ethan would do next.Sofia was the first to move, shifting her weight as she let out a slow breath. “Okay,” she said carefully, her voice tight with tension. “I feel like we should all take a moment to acknowledge that we just talked to someone who clearly knows you, clearly has been waiting for you, and clearly enjoys being mysterious in the most annoying way possible.”Ethan did not respond immediately.He was still staring at the blank screen, his eyes focused like he could still see something there that the others could not.Sofia frowned and stepped closer. “Ethan,” she said, a little firmer this time. “You are doing that thin
56
The silence did not feel empty.It felt watched.Sofia shifted slightly where she stood, her eyes locked on the massive screen in front of them as the silhouette remained still, unmoving, like it had all the time in the world. “Okay… I am just going to say it,” she whispered, her voice tight. “This is officially the worst situation we have walked into so far.”Ethan did not respond.He stood still, his posture straight, his gaze steady, like the tension in the room did not belong to him at all.Shen Fei stepped slightly forward, positioning herself just behind him, her voice calm but lower than before. “Do not speak unless necessary,” she said quietly. “We do not know who this is yet.”Sofia blinked. “I feel like we very much know that this is bad,” she muttered.The screen flickered.The silhouette shifted slightly, just enough to show movement.Then—A voice.Not mechanical this time.Human.Smooth.Controlled.“So,” the voice said slowly, “you finally decided to come back.”Sofia s
55
The moment Ethan stepped past the threshold, the atmosphere shifted so sharply that it almost felt physical, like walking into a space that rejected the outside world entirely.Sofia felt it immediately, her steps slowing as her eyes scanned the narrow metallic corridor ahead of them. “Okay, I need to say this out loud because maybe hearing it will make it less creepy,” she said, her voice echoing faintly. “This place feels wrong, like actually wrong, not just abandoned or old, but like it was never meant for normal people to walk into.”Ethan did not slow down.“That is because it wasn’t,” he replied calmly.Sofia blinked, then quickened her pace to keep up with him. “You saying that so casually is not helping,” she said. “Like at all.”Shen Fei walked beside him, her movements controlled and quiet, her eyes scanning every detail with sharp precision. “Stay focused,” she said. “We are not here to react to atmosphere.”Sofia let out a quiet breath. “Easy for you to say,” she muttered.
54
Morning did not feel like morning.It felt like a countdown.The sunlight that slipped through the curtains was too soft, too normal, like the world outside had no idea what they had decided the night before, like nothing had changed when, in reality, everything had.Sofia was the first one awake.She sat on the edge of the couch, already dressed, her hands wrapped tightly around a cup of coffee that had gone cold a long time ago. Her eyes were fixed on nothing in particular, but her thoughts were moving too fast to settle.“This is a terrible idea,” she muttered under her breath. “Like, objectively terrible.”“You said that already.”Sofia jumped slightly, turning her head toward the hallway as Ethan stepped into the room, his movements calm and unhurried like he had actually slept peacefully.She stared at him. “You slept?” she asked, disbelief clear in her voice.Ethan walked toward the kitchen, reaching for a glass of water. “Yes,” he said simply.Sofia blinked. “How?” she demande
53
The room stayed quiet long after the glow from the rings disappeared, but it was not the kind of quiet that felt peaceful or empty. It was the kind of silence that pressed down on everything, heavy and unavoidable, like something had just shifted and there was no way to pretend it had not.Sofia stood near the couch with her arms folded tightly across her chest, her fingers gripping her sleeves like she needed something to hold onto. Her eyes moved between Ethan and Shen Fei, searching for hesitation, for doubt, for anything that suggested this plan might not actually happen.But there was none.Ethan stood by the desk, still and composed, his fingers resting lightly against the surface where the glowing pattern had just been. His gaze was distant, focused on something only he could see, like he was already walking through that place in his mind.Sofia exhaled slowly, trying to steady herself. “Okay,” she said, her voice quieter but still tense, “I just need to hear you say it clearly
52
The room stayed quiet long after the glow from the rings faded, but the silence did not feel empty.It felt final.Sofia stood near the couch, arms folded tightly across her chest, her eyes moving between Ethan and Shen Fei like she was waiting for one of them to say this was all a bad idea, like this was just another one of those moments that sounded intense but would pass if they just gave it time.But no one said that.Because no one believed it.Ethan stood by the desk, his fingers resting lightly against the surface where the glowing pattern had just been, his gaze distant but focused, like he was already somewhere else in his mind, already walking through that place the rings had shown him.Sofia let out a slow breath. “Okay,” she said finally, her voice quieter now but still tense, “I just need to hear you say it clearly, because right now it feels like we are standing at the edge of something really stupid.”Ethan glanced at her. “Say what?”“That you are actually planning to
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