2026-07-31 07:07:41The black Rolls-Royce Phantom glided through the evening traffic like a silent king.
Inside the luxurious cabin, Ethan sat calmly with one leg crossed over the other.
The city lights reflected against the tinted windows.
He looked out quietly.
Five years ago, this same road had felt endless.
Back then, he had been riding his old delivery bike through heavy rain, trying his best to arrive on time.
He still remembered stopping at a flower shop with the little money he had left.
He had bought Chloe a bouquet of white roses because she once said they were her favorite.
He had also spent nearly all his savings on a silver engagement ring.
It wasn’t expensive.
But to him, it represented five years of love, sacrifice, and loyalty.
Tonight…
He wasn’t carrying flowers.
And there was no ring in his pocket.
There was only one thing left.
Closure.
The chauffeur glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
“Mr. Cole.”
“Would you like me to wait outside the hotel?”
Ethan nodded.
“Yes.”
“I won’t be long.”
“Understood, sir.”
The Rolls-Royce turned into the driveway of the Starlight Grand Hotel.
Luxury cars lined both sides of the entrance.
Guests in expensive suits and elegant dresses walked in and out of the building.
The hotel staff immediately noticed the Rolls-Royce.
One of the doormen hurried over and respectfully opened the rear door.
“Good evening, sir.”
Ethan stepped out.
His clothes were simple, but they were clean and perfectly fitted.
Combined with his calm expression and the luxury car behind him, he naturally drew attention.
Several guests looked at him curiously.
“Who is he?”
“I’ve never seen him before.”
“Maybe he’s the son of some wealthy family.”
Ethan ignored the whispers and walked into the hotel.
…
At the same time…
Inside the private banquet hall…
Music played softly in the background.
The room was beautifully decorated with white flowers and crystal lights.
A banner hung on one wall.
Happy Fifth Anniversary
Ryan stood beside Chloe with a glass of wine in his hand.
He laughed as he spoke to his friends.
“I almost forgot.”
“My entertainment should arrive any minute now.”
Everyone laughed.
A woman wearing a red evening gown smiled.
“You mean Chloe’s delivery-boy boyfriend?”
Ryan nodded.
“Exactly.”
Another guest chuckled.
“I still can’t believe she dated someone like him.”
“It was just temporary,” another man replied.
“Everyone needs a hobby.”
The table erupted with laughter.
Chloe forced herself to smile.
Although she had already chosen Ryan, hearing people mock Ethan still made her slightly uncomfortable.
Not because she still loved him.
But because Ethan had never treated her badly.
He had simply been… poor.
Ryan noticed her expression.
He gently wrapped an arm around her waist.
“What?”
“You feel sorry for him?”
She quickly shook her head.
“No.”
“I’ve already made my choice.”
Ryan smiled with satisfaction.
“You chose correctly.”
Just then…
Someone knocked on the banquet hall door.
Ryan grinned.
“Perfect timing.”
“Come in.”
The door slowly opened.
Everyone turned toward the entrance.
For a moment…
The room became quiet.
Ethan walked inside with a calm expression.
His hands were in his pockets.
His posture was straight.
His face showed no nervousness.
Ryan frowned slightly.
Something felt different.
Five years ago, Ethan had entered this room looking anxious and exhausted.
Tonight…
He looked surprisingly relaxed.
Ryan quickly recovered his smile.
“There you are.”
“We thought you got lost.”
Ethan looked around the room.
Many of the faces were familiar.
These were the same people who had laughed at him in his previous life.
Some had recorded videos while he was being humiliated.
Some had uploaded them online.
Others had simply stood by and watched.
None of them had tried to stop it.
Ethan smiled faintly.
Interesting.
Fate had really brought them all together again.
Ryan raised his glass.
“Everyone.”
“Our guest of honor has arrived.”
The room filled with laughter.
One man waved at Ethan.
“Come here!”
“We saved you a seat.”
Ethan looked at the empty chair.
It was placed at the very end of the table.
Right beside the trash bin.
Exactly the same seat they had given him five years ago.
He remembered it clearly.
Ryan smiled.
“What are you waiting for?”
“Sit down.”
Ethan slowly walked toward the table.
Everyone watched him.
Some looked amused.
Others looked eager for the show to begin.
When he reached the chair…
He stopped.
Ryan leaned back confidently.
“Well?”
“Aren’t you going to sit?”
Ethan looked at the chair for a few seconds.
Then…
He gently pushed it aside.
“I’ll stand.”
Ryan laughed.
“Why?”
“Is the chair not comfortable enough?”
Ethan calmly looked at him.
“No.”
“I just don’t belong there.”
Ryan smirked.
“That’s true.”
“You don’t belong in places like this.”
Several people laughed loudly.
One woman covered her mouth while giggling.
Another man shook his head.
“Poor people are always so sensitive.”
Ethan didn’t react.
Instead…
He slowly looked around the room.
“I’ve been wondering something.”
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
Ethan smiled.
“Is this really an anniversary dinner?”
Ryan frowned.
“What else would it be?”
Ethan’s smile widened.
“It looks more like a farewell party.”
The laughter stopped.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed.
“What did you say?”
Ethan calmly repeated himself.
“A farewell party.”
Ryan laughed coldly.
“I think you’ve lost your mind.”
“Maybe.”
Ethan shrugged.
“But one thing is certain.”
“What?”
“This won’t be the celebration you imagined.”
The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.
Ryan’s smile slowly faded.
For the first time that evening…
He realized something.
The man standing before him…
Was no longer the Ethan he remembered.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 109: Legacy Reawakened
The blue screen flickered.It was unstable.Unlike the flawless interface Ethan had relied on throughout his journey, this one was fractured.Tiny cracks spread across its edges as though the system itself had suffered tremendous damage.The familiar mechanical voice spoke again.It was weaker than Ethan remembered.Yet…He smiled.After everything that had happened…It still sounded like home.Legacy System…Emergency Restoration… 7% Complete…Warning… Core functions unavailable…Reason… Legacy sacrificed during the Final Convergence…Ethan’s heart pounded.“So…”“You survived.”The screen remained silent for a moment.Then…A new sentence appeared.Correction…This unit did not survive.This unit… was remembered.The words struck him harder than any attack ever could.Remembered.Not rebuilt.Not repaired.Remembered.The blue screen slowly continued.Human belief…Shared memories…Legacy fragments carried within countless lives…Emergency reconstruction successful.Ethan finally un
Chapter 108: The Sky Breaker
The crack spread across the blue sky.It didn’t happen all at once.Thin fractures crawled outward like veins across glass, stretching from one horizon to the other.Each new crack released a faint silver light.The peaceful meadow beneath Ethan’s feet trembled.Birds that had been singing moments before suddenly took flight.The gentle breeze vanished.An unnatural silence swallowed the world.Ren’s small hand instinctively reached for Ethan’s.His fingers were trembling.“They found us.”Ethan looked down.“Who?”Ren swallowed.“The ones who don’t want us remembered.”Another deafening roar echoed overhead.This time…It was closer.The sky shattered a little more.Chunks of blue light drifted downward before dissolving into countless glowing particles.Ethan had seen worlds collapse before.He had watched stars disappear.Yet…There was something uniquely terrifying about watching the sky itself come apart.Not because it looked destructive.Because it looked…Wrong.Like reality w
Chapter 107: The First Face
Every step echoed inside Ethan’s helmet.Crunch.Crunch.Crunch.The lunar dust compressed beneath his boots as he followed the countless footprints stretching toward the enormous black doorway.Mission Control remained connected through his communicator.“Ethan, your oxygen levels are stable.”“Heart rate elevated, but within acceptable limits.”Dr. Brooks’ calm voice filled the silence.Professor Orion spoke next.“Distance to the structure: four hundred meters.”“Proceed carefully.”“I will.”Ethan answered.He never took his eyes off the doorway.The closer he came…The larger it became.From orbit it had looked massive.Standing beneath it…It was overwhelming.It rose into the endless darkness above him like a mountain carved from midnight.Its surface reflected nothing.Not sunlight.Not stars.Not even Ethan himself.It was as though the doorway refused to acknowledge reality.Back on Earth…Sophia stood inside Mission Control.Her hands remained folded tightly together.She h
Chapter 106: The Man Who Walked Through Silence
By sunrise…Ethan had made his decision.He would go.Not because he trusted the beings beyond the black doorway.Not because he believed they meant no harm.But because he had seen something in the message that no one else seemed willing to acknowledge.They had asked.Twice.First…May we speak?Then…One may come.An enemy didn’t ask permission.An enemy simply invaded.Whatever waited beyond that door…It wanted to be heard.Whether that was a blessing or a trap…Only one way existed to find out.The launch facility came alive before dawn.Floodlights illuminated the enormous launch pad while engineers hurried around the silver shuttle.Unlike the bulky spacecraft used during the early years of space exploration…This one had been built after the Seven Days.Human technology had advanced dramatically with knowledge recovered from the Architects.Its engines were cleaner.Its shields stronger.Its navigation system could cross the distance between Earth and the Moon in less than th
Chapter 105: The Invitation
No one celebrated.Although the footprints had stopped appearing…Although the black doorway had remained closed…Not a single person inside Mission Control believed the danger had passed.If anything…The silence felt heavier.It was the silence of two strangers looking at one another across a great distance.Waiting.Wondering who would speak next.Dr. Elena Brooks stood beside the communications console, replaying Ethan’s transmission.“My name is Ethan.”“You asked if you could speak.”“You can.”She listened to it three more times before finally muting the speakers.“I’ve worked in aerospace for seventeen years.”She slowly shook her head.“I spent my entire career preparing for first contact.”She smiled weakly.“I never imagined it would begin with… permission.”Professor Orion nodded.“Neither did I.”Hours passed.The black doorway did not move.The Moon remained quiet.Scientists continued monitoring every satellite, every telescope, and every sensor aimed toward the far sid
Chapter 104: Beyond the Black Door
The three knocks echoed through Mission Control.Slow.Steady.Deliberate.Every person in the room froze.No one spoke.No one breathed.The sound wasn’t coming from the speakers anymore.It seemed to resonate through the walls themselves.Three knocks…Yet it felt as though something enormous had struck the fabric of reality.Then…Silence.Emergency lights flickered back to life.Rows of monitors rebooted one after another.Technicians hurried to their stations.“Power is returning!”“I’m reconnecting to the lunar station!”“Signal stabilizing!”Dr. Elena Brooks leaned over one of the consoles.“Get me visual confirmation.”The largest monitor flashed.Static filled the screen.Then the image cleared.Everyone stared.The giant black doorway still stood on the Moon’s far side.Exactly where it had been before.Silent.Motionless.Almost…Innocent.Kai slowly let out the breath he had been holding.“I hate doors.”Lyra looked at him.“You hate everything.”“I especially hate mysteri
You may also like
Billionaire in Disguise
Faith126.2K viewsHand of God
Anakin Detour77.8K viewsThe Ultimate Doctor
Sammy X79.8K viewsRise Of The Disrespected Trillionaire Heir
Blaq83.2K viewsReclaiming Back My Empire
Ivy Rogers135 viewsCUFFED, THEN CROWNED
Zeal117 viewsThey Called Asher a Fallen War Hero... Biggest Mistake Ever
SacredWriter339 viewsThe Last Successor
sylvanora156 views