RISING FROM THE ASHES : FROM PRISONER TO SHADOW TYRANT

THE PRICE OF BEING UNLOVED

"You think," Ethan raised his hand slowly, watching the sunlight sparkle across the dull metal. "A convict could take such an expensive ring into prison?"

Jenny stared at him for a second, confusion flickering, then immediately suspicion replaced it.

"You’re lying." Her eyes hardened with accusations, as she convinced herself he was lying. "Charlie told me he arranged everything for you to spend in prison, he bribed everyone to treat you well, the guards knew not to touch you, we made sure you were respected and..." 

"Respected?" Ethan interrupted, his voice turned into a cold whisper. "Is that what you call those things I've gone through in that prison?" 

Jenny stepped back slightly.

He lowered his hand, recounting three years in prison.

"On my first day, the warden broke my finger just to take that ring from me, the more I resisted, the more I got beaten, it didn't end there, every day after that… beatings, torture, humiliation and worse."

For a second his voice wavered, as he continued, "I even ate like a dog from the ground, slept on concrete, and bled until I forgot my own name, yet you call it being respected?" 

Jenny swallowed in shock. "What? How can this happen…"

Ethan cut her off, his voice calm, and almost indifferent. "It happens when no one pays enough attention, and it's the price of being unloved." 

He turned to walk away.

She ran in front of him again, fury bubbling over her mask of concern. "Stop acting vulnerable in front of me, you know you're supposed to do this, you owe this to Charlie, if you don’t drop this attitude, I’ll cancel the engagement!"

Ethan met her gaze for the first time, cold and merciless, "That would be best!"  

Before she could respond, her phone rang. 

The sudden sound shattered the tense silence between them, she glanced at the screen and answered quickly knowing it was very important.

From the other side, a voice snapped impatiently, "Where are you Jenny? Why are you late to Charlie’s birthday party? Don’t you know how important your presence is here?" 

Jenny stiffened slightly, "I’ll be there in a few minutes," she replied, forcing a smile into her voice.

The call ended.

For a moment, everything paused.

Ethan didn’t need her to explain, the truth was already clear. 

No one from his family had come to pick him up because they were all busy preparing a birthday celebration for Charlie.

So this was the reason.

Not busy schedules.

Not any other excuses.

Just Charlie

However, Ethan felt nothing, no anger, no pain, no sadness either, his heart had already turned cold, long before this moment, and this realization changed nothing.

Jenny turned back to him, lips parting as if to speak.

But Ethan spoke first. "Your presence is more important somewhere else than here." 

Then he turned around and walked away this time, leaving her standing there, frozen in silence.

She didn’t expect him to act like this.

Not after everything, not after she let him believe she was waiting, but Ethan had already left, his back straight, and his steps were steady.

He had already died once, in that prison, what walked now… was something else.

Jenny, still in shock, stared at him disappearing from her sight, as she felt for the first time, she wasn’t the one deciding the ending. 

"Why does it feel… different this time?"

The thought surfaced against her will, sharp and uncomfortable. 

He hadn’t begged, he hadn’t argued, he hadn’t even tried to hold her back like before.

For a fleeting second, unease crept into her chest.

But she crushed it immediately. "Charlie wouldn’t lie."

He had shown her proof, receipts, transfers, promises. He had assured her Ethan was treated well. 

Charlie was kind, gentle, selfless, he had no reason to deceive her.

Ethan, on the other hand, had always been stubborn, proud, and difficult.

"He’s playing the victim again," she decided coldly, just like always. "He is just trying to make me feel guilty, trying to turn me against Charlie." 

Her jaw tightened. "I won’t fall for it."

If Ethan chose to walk away, that was his decision. She had already done more than enough.

Looking at him being far enough to hear her, she shouted, trembling with pride and denial. "If you still want to marry me, Ethan, you’ll need to learn what it means to be selfless and to be generous! If you can’t even accept this small injustice, how could you ever be the man I want?" 

But Ethan didn’t pay attention to her words knowing that it's a waste of time to argue with fools.

He simply stepped aside from the road and went to another street, slowly he reached a narrow path, where only small cars can go through, as he doesn't want her to follow him.

Jenny stood alone with a conflicted heart.

They’d only wanted to be fair, Charlie is the son of the saviour who saved Ethan's father.

Charlie had loved her from the beginning, so he felt heartbroken just because of her engagement with Ethan.

"Wasn’t it right for Ethan to carry some of that burden? Why couldn’t he just understand? Why is he too inhumane?" 

While Jenny was lost in her thoughts and frustration.

On the other side

The narrow path led Ethan to the edge of a wide, and empty road. 

The noise of the city returned once again, cars, horns, birds, wind, but he paid it no mind.

He was standing there silently, then looked around once subtle, as if checking for a sign, and then they arrived.

A low hum of engines rolled in, followed by the gleam of chrome and tinted windows. 

Six luxury cars pulled up in formation, sleek black beasts with golden dragon insignias etched onto their sides.

From the first car, a sharply dressed man stepped out in a three-piece suit and dark gloves. 

He had the posture of a soldier, but the gaze of someone used to kneeling only before power.

Ethan raised his hand slightly, the strange, dark ring on his finger caught the sun and turned into a mini dragon ring wrapped around his finger.

The man instantly dropped to one knee.

"My Lord," he said with respect, "We are waiting for you to take up the position as new Shadow tyrant." 

Ethan glanced around to see if anyone had witnessed it or not. Once he was sure that no one had seen it, with a sigh of relief, he sighed, "Don't make a scene in a public place." 

The man bowed his head. "Understood, one car will accompany you to the Carvendish estate, the rest will wait for your signal." 

Ethan nodded quietly. "Once I finish my business there… I’ll return with you, and we’ll begin from where it is left." 

The man gave a silent salute, and the convoy dispersed like smoke, leaving only one luxury car idling by the curb.

Ethan got in.

The Carvendish estate hadn’t changed, same huge gates, same marble lions in entrance, same poisonous air masked in wealth.

But as he stepped through the grand front doors, the sound of cheerful music hit his ears.

"Happy birthday to you…" 

Confetti, balloons, expensive champagne popped in the distance. 

Banners hung across the hall, 'Happy Birthday Charlie!'

Ethan paused in the doorway, to take a look at the scene.

So this was it.

His release wasn’t a homecoming. It was Charlie’s celebration.

"Of course," Ethan let out a soft scoff. "The golden son of the Carvendish family!"