2026-07-31 07:10:01The banquet hall fell into complete silence.
The hotel manager remained bent at the waist.
“Good evening, Mr. Cole.”
“I’m terribly sorry for not recognizing you sooner.”
“You should have informed us that you were coming.”
Every pair of eyes shifted between the manager and Ethan.
No one spoke.
Ryan frowned.
“What are you doing?”
The manager looked at Ryan briefly before turning back to Ethan.
“Our chairman specifically instructed every department to treat you as an honored guest whenever you visit.”
Ryan laughed.
“There must be some mistake.”
The manager straightened his back.
“There is no mistake.”
He reached into his suit pocket and took out a black business card with gold lettering.
He respectfully handed it to Ethan.
“This is our Chairman’s private card.”
“He asked me to give it to you personally.”
Ethan accepted it.
He hadn’t expected this either.
The card only contained a name.
Victor Langford
And beneath it…
Chairman, Starlight Hospitality Group
Ryan’s smile disappeared.
Victor Langford…
He knew exactly who that was.
The Starlight Hospitality Group owned more than thirty luxury hotels across the country.
Even the Crawford Group maintained business relationships with them.
Ryan had tried several times to meet Victor Langford personally.
Each request had been rejected.
Yet…
Victor had personally instructed his staff to look after Ethan.
How?
Ryan couldn’t understand it.
One of the guests whispered,
“Does Ethan know Chairman Langford?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then why is the manager treating him like this?”
“I have no idea.”
The room buzzed with quiet conversations.
For the first time that evening…
People stopped looking at Ethan with pity.
Now…
They looked at him with curiosity.
The manager smiled respectfully.
“Mr. Cole.”
“The chairman also asked me to prepare the Imperial Sky Lounge for you.”
“It has already been reserved.”
The guests gasped.
“The Imperial Sky Lounge?”
“I’ve heard only VIPs can enter.”
“My father tried booking it once.”
“They rejected him.”
Ryan’s expression became uglier.
He knew about the Imperial Sky Lounge.
It was never rented to ordinary guests.
It was reserved for presidents of major companies, foreign dignitaries, and billionaire investors.
The manager looked at Ethan expectantly.
“Would you like to move your dinner there?”
Ethan glanced around the room.
He saw the confused faces.
The shocked expressions.
Finally…
His eyes stopped on Chloe.
She looked completely lost.
This wasn’t the Ethan she remembered.
She had spent five years believing he would always remain poor.
Now…
Even the manager of the Starlight Grand Hotel was treating him with respect.
Before Ethan could answer…
Ryan suddenly laughed.
The sound broke the silence.
“So that’s it.”
Everyone looked at him.
Ryan smiled confidently.
“I almost believed it.”
He looked at the manager.
“How much did he pay you?”
The manager frowned.
“I’m sorry?”
Ryan folded his arms.
“This is obviously an act.”
“He probably borrowed that Rolls-Royce outside.”
“Then hired you to put on this little performance.”
Several guests looked uncertain again.
One man nodded slowly.
“Actually…”
“That sounds possible.”
Another guest agreed.
“I mean…”
“Ethan was poor this morning.”
“He couldn’t become rich overnight.”
Ryan smiled proudly.
“Exactly.”
He turned toward Ethan.
“You almost fooled everyone.”
“But you forgot one thing.”
Ethan calmly asked,
“What?”
Ryan grinned.
“I know who you are.”
“You delivered food for my company.”
“You couldn’t even afford new clothes.”
He looked around the room.
“Everyone here knows that.”
The guests slowly nodded.
It was true.
Many of them had seen Ethan working as a delivery rider.
Ryan pointed toward the manager.
“So tell me…”
“How much did he pay you to lie?”
The manager’s face became serious.
“Mr. Crawford.”
“I suggest you choose your words carefully.”
Ryan laughed.
“Or what?”
The manager answered calmly.
“Making false accusations against another guest violates our hotel’s policy.”
Ryan waved his hand dismissively.
“Oh, please.”
“I spend millions in your hotels every year.”
“You’re not going to offend me because of him.”
The manager remained silent.
Instead…
He reached into his pocket and made a phone call.
“Chairman.”
“Yes.”
“There’s a situation.”
“I believe it would be better if you handled it personally.”
Ryan laughed loudly.
“What?”
“Now you’re pretending to call Chairman Langford?”
“Fine.”
“Let’s see how far this performance goes.”
The manager calmly ended the call.
“He’ll be here shortly.”
Ryan sat back down confidently.
“I’ll wait.”
He looked at Ethan with a mocking smile.
“When this little act falls apart…”
“You’ll regret embarrassing yourself.”
Ethan smiled.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Five minutes passed.
The room remained unusually quiet.
Nobody touched the food anymore.
Everyone was waiting.
Suddenly…
The banquet hall doors opened again.
A middle-aged man in an elegant navy-blue suit walked inside.
His hair was neatly combed, and his presence alone commanded respect.
Behind him walked four senior executives.
The hotel staff immediately bowed.
“Good evening, Chairman!”
Ryan’s smile froze.
His heart skipped a beat.
It really was…
Victor Langford.
The chairman slowly looked around the room.
Then…
Without even glancing at Ryan…
He walked directly toward Ethan.
Every step echoed through the silent hall.
Ryan forced a smile.
“Chairman Langford.”
“It’s good to—”
Victor walked straight past him as if he didn’t exist.
Ryan’s outstretched hand remained hanging awkwardly in the air.
The entire room watched in stunned silence.
Victor stopped in front of Ethan.
A warm smile spread across his face.
Then, to everyone’s complete disbelief…
He extended both hands for a respectful handshake.
“Mr. Cole.”
“I’ve finally had the pleasure of meeting you.”
Ryan’s pupils contracted.
His face turned pale.
Only one thought echoed through his mind.
Who… was Ethan Cole really?
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
The Legendary Conglomerate
Lord MOH123.6K viewsMarcus Hamilton Trillionaire In Disguise
Emerald73.1K viewsFrom Darkness to Light: Darwin's Rise
Magical Inspirations77.6K viewsUnexpected Trillionaire.
Max Luthor94.1K viewsThe Shadow Son-in-law
S.O Celine 355 viewsThe Understated Legend is Back
Oriel150 viewsThe Hacker On The Run
King Sam 46 viewsThe Strongest Farmer
KaJiKaRin 02246 views