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
128
Sofia couldn’t move.Her reflection stood perfectly still inside the mirror, but its eyes were changing constantly.One moment they looked like hers.The next, they belonged to the little girl.Then they became older.Then younger.Then unfamiliar.Eight different versions stared back at her.Sofia slowly stepped away.“What are you?”The reflection smiled.“I already told you.”“You said you were what remained.”“Of all eight.”Sofia’s hands began trembling.“You’re inside me.”“Partly.”“What does that mean?”“It means you are no longer alone.”Sofia shook her head.“I don’t want you inside me.”The reflection laughed softly.“You’ve never been alone, Sofia.”The bedroom door suddenly opened behind her.Sofia spun around.Ethan stood there.His face was pale.“Sofia.”She immediately stepped backward.“Don’t come closer.”He stopped.“I need to explain.”“You’ve explained enough.”“I know.”“You lied to me.”“Yes.”“You killed the first Sofia.”“Yes.”“You helped create the others.”
128
The moment Sofia opened the eighth door completely, everything stopped.The seven doors around her froze in place.The shadows behind them stopped moving.Even Ethan became completely still.Sofia looked at him.He was standing with one hand raised toward her, his mouth slightly open as though he had been saying something, but no sound came out.It was as if time itself had stopped.Only Sofia could move.And the little girl.She stepped beside Sofia and looked through the doorway.“Are you ready?”Sofia swallowed.“No.”The little girl smiled.“Good.”Sofia looked at her strangely.“Why is that good?”“Because people who think they’re ready usually aren’t.”Sofia took a deep breath.Then she stepped through.The world changed immediately.She found herself standing inside a small hospital room.A newborn baby was crying on a bed.Her mother stood beside the bed.But she looked younger.Much younger.Ethan was there too.Except he was different.His face looked softer.His eyes didn’t
127
The moment Sofia opened the eighth door completely, everything stopped.The seven doors around her froze in place.The shadows behind them stopped moving.Even Ethan became completely still.Sofia looked at him.He was standing with one hand raised toward her, his mouth slightly open as though he had been saying something, but no sound came out.It was as if time itself had stopped.Only Sofia could move.And the little girl.She stepped beside Sofia and looked through the doorway.“Are you ready?”Sofia swallowed.“No.”The little girl smiled.“Good.”Sofia looked at her strangely.“Why is that good?”“Because people who think they’re ready usually aren’t.”Sofia took a deep breath.Then she stepped through.The world changed immediately.She found herself standing inside a small hospital room.A newborn baby was crying on a bed.Her mother stood beside the bed.But she looked younger.Much younger.Ethan was there too.Except he was different.His face looked softer.His eyes didn’t
126
The hospital lights remained off.Sofia could hear Ethan breathing somewhere behind her.She could also hear the little girl breathing directly in front of her.Two familiar sounds.Two people she no longer knew whether to trust.“Sofia,” Ethan whispered.She didn’t answer.The little girl reached for her hand.“Come with me.”Sofia pulled her hand away.“Where?”“To the place where everything started.”“I thought we were already there.”The girl shook her head.“No. That was only a memory.”Sofia frowned.“Then where are we now?”The girl looked around the dark hospital room.“Inside another one.”Sofia’s stomach dropped.“This isn’t the hospital?”“It is.”“But it’s also not.”Sofia looked toward the door.The darkness seemed deeper than before.“What does that mean?”The girl smiled.“You are beginning to understand.”Ethan suddenly stepped closer.“Don’t listen to her.”Sofia turned toward him.“Then tell me what’s happening.”Ethan remained silent.“Ethan.”“I don’t know.”The gi
125
Sofia opened her eyes suddenly.She gasped for air and immediately sat upright.Her heart was beating so hard that it hurt.For several seconds, she could not understand where she was.There was no bedroom.No seven girls.No little girl with black eyes.No broken mirror.No endless darkness.Only a quiet room.A white ceiling.A narrow hospital bed.And someone holding her hand.“Sofia.”She turned her head.Ethan was sitting beside her.His eyes were red, and his hair was messy, as though he had been awake for hours.Sofia stared at him.“You’re here.”Ethan squeezed her hand.“I told you I wouldn’t disappear.”She looked around the room.“Where are we?”“The hospital.”Sofia frowned.“Why?”“You collapsed.”“Where?”“In the old house.”Her breathing immediately became faster.“The doorway?”Ethan nodded.Sofia pulled her hand away.“The girls.”“What girls?”“The seven girls.”Ethan went completely still.Sofia noticed.“You remember them.”He looked toward the window.“I remember.
124
Sofia stood completely still in the darkness.She could hear seven different breaths around her.Seven versions of herself.Seven people who should not have existed.And somehow, every single one of them felt familiar.The lights suddenly returned.Sofia immediately looked around the bedroom.The seven girls were still there.The youngest stood closest to her.She looked about eight years old.Another girl looked around twelve.One appeared sixteen.Another looked almost exactly Sofia’s age.The remaining three looked older.They were not arranged randomly.They were standing in a perfect circle.And Sofia was standing in the middle.She slowly looked down at herself.Her hands were shaking.“What is this place?”The oldest girl answered.“Your first home.”Sofia frowned.“I have never seen this room.”“You have.”“When?”“Before you were born.”Sofia stared at her.“That doesn’t make sense.”The oldest girl smiled sadly.“Neither do we.”Sofia looked toward the bedroom door.It was s
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