2026-02-04 17:27:19Victor Shaw’s excitement didn’t fade after losing the ring.
If anything, it grew.
As Ethan stood there, calm and composed after winning the final bid, Victor ’s lips slowly curled into a satisfied smile. To everyone else, it looked like he was taking the loss well. But inside, his thoughts were sharp and cruel.
So that’s it, Victor thought. You really think you’ve won.
Victor leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. He glanced briefly at Su Yanning, then back at Ethan.
He’s only bidding because of her, Victor decided. There’s no other explanation.
Victor knew this auction better than most people in the room. After all, it wasn’t hosted by just anyone,it belonged to Marcus Sterling, one of the most ruthless figures in the city. Everyone knew Marcus Sterling’s rules.
And the most important one?
The bidder and the payer had to be the same person.
There must be no substitutes or borrowing of names.
And the most important rule: No one pays on someone else’s behalf.
Victor ’s smile widened.
There’s no way Ethan knows that.
The host cleared his throat. “We will now confirm the final bid for the antique ring,”
Victor suddenly raised his paddle again.
“Wait,” he said smoothly. “I’ll add another two hundred thousand to the twenty two million.”
The room stirred.
Someone whispered, “He’s still bidding?”
“Didn’t Ethan already win?”
Ethan turned his head slightly, eyes landing on Victor .
Victor met his gaze and smiled. “What? Still interested, or are you done?”
Ethan didn't hesitate. “Three hundred thousand more.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd again.
Victor chuckled.
Exactly what he wanted.
He raised his paddle again, casually this time. “Another hundred thousand.”
The crowd stared back and forth between them like they were watching a tennis match.
“He’s still going?”
“Does Ethan even know what he’s doing?”
Ethan replied immediately. “Five hundred thousand, that makes it twenty four million.”
Victor ’s eyes gleamed.
Each small raise was deliberate. He wasn’t trying to win anymore,he was baiting. The higher Ethan pushed the price, the worse it would be when reality crashed down on him.
Victor leaned forward, voice low but smug. “Careful, Ethan. Prices like these tend to hurt.”
Ethan looked at him calmly. “Only if you can’t afford them.”
The crowd murmured louder now.
Lena Carter finally couldn’t stay silent anymore. She stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor.
“Ethan, stop!” she whispered urgently, grabbing his arm. “Have you lost your damn mind?”
Ethan looked up at her. “What do you mean?”
“This auction,this isn’t a joke,” Lena said, her voice shaking. “Marcus Sterling doesn’t play games. If you can’t pay, you won’t just be embarrassed. You’ll be punished.”
Victor smirked and leaned back, enjoying the scene.
Lena continued, panic clear in her eyes. “And that black card you showed earlier? It’s fake, Ethan. Even if it fooled people before, it won’t work here.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Fake huh?”
“Yes you fool!” Lena hissed. “Do you know what happens to people who disrupt Mr. Sterling’s auctions?”
She lowered her voice further. “There was a man last year. He bid high, but couldn't pay. They dragged him out back. He has never shown his face in this city again.”
A chill passed through the crowd as nearby guests overheard.
Someone whispered, “She’s right though.”
“Sterling’s men don’t forgive.”
Lena's grip tightened on Ethan's sleeve. “Please. Just stop now. You can still back out.”
For a brief moment, Ethan studied her face.
Then he gently removed her hand.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” he said calmly. “I know exactly what I’m doing, worry about Victor.”
Lena stared at him, stunned. “Ethan,”
Victor laughed softly. “Let him be, Lena. Some people need to learn the hard way.”
Ethan turned slightly toward Victor . “You seem very invested in my monetary value.”
Victor shrugged. “I just hate seeing ignorance go unpunished.”
As if on cue, Victor raised his paddle again.
“Another hundred thousand,” he said lightly.
Ethan answered without missing a beat. “Three hundred thousand.”
The room buzzed with disbelief.
“He’s still raising?”
“Is he insane?”
Su Yanning had been silent this entire time, watching everything with sharp eyes. Now, she finally spoke, her lips curling into a faint, knowing smile.
“Victor ,” she said coolly, “you’re enjoying this a bit too much.”
Victor glanced at her. “Am I?”
“Yes,” Su replied. “Because you think you’ve already won.”
Victor laughed at her “Haven’t I?”
Su didn’t respond. She simply looked back at Ethan, amusement flickering in her eyes.
Victor continued to raise the bid, each time by a small amount, deliberately dragging things out.
“Another fifty thousand.”
“One hundred more.”
“Just a little higher, Ethan.”
The crowd began to realize something was off.
“He’s not trying to win.”
“He’s provoking him.”
Victor leaned toward Ethan again, voice dripping with false concern. “You should stop now. Prices like this… they ruin people.”
Ethan smiled faintly. “Funny. I was thinking the same about you.”
Then, when everyone expected Ethan to hesitate,to finally back down,
He sneered.
“Ten million more.”
The words slammed into the room like a thunderclap.
For a moment, no one breathed.
“What did he say?”
“Did he just add ten million? So that
“That’s insane!”
Lena's face was drained of color. “Ethan!” she cried. “Are you crazy?!”
Even the host froze, staring at Ethan in disbelief.
Victor ’s eyes widened,then lit up with excitement.
Perfect, he thought. Completely perfect.
Victor slowly lowered his paddle.
“I withdraw,” he announced loudly.
A wave of murmurs surged through the hall.
Victor turned toward the host, his smile sharp and triumphant. “However, I request something.”
The host straightened. “Please state your request, Mr. Shaw.”
Victor pointed at Ethan. “I’d like the auction house to verify Mr. Ethan’s funds. Publicly.”
The room went silent.
Lena felt her knees weaken. “No… no, please…”
Victor ’s voice carried clearly. “After all, with a bid that high, we should make sure he can actually pay. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Several guests nodded.
“That’s fair.”
“It’s only right.”
Victor crossed his arms, confidence radiating off him. He looked at Ethan like a predator who had finally cornered his prey.
“Well?” Victor asked mockingly. “Let’s see that impressive payment method of yours.”
The host turned to Ethan. “Well sir, please present your payment credentials.”
Lena stared at Ethan, fear flooding her chest.
Su, however, smiled at the situation and calmly drank her wine.
Ethan remained calm and unbothered.
He reached into his jacket slowly and the room held its breath.
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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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