2026-07-31 06:44:20The entrance fell silent.
The two security guards stared at Manager Lewis in disbelief.
One of them blinked several times, thinking he had heard wrong.
“Manager… did you just say he’s the new owner?”
Manager Lewis’s expression hardened.
“That’s exactly what I said.”
He turned to Ethan and bowed again.
“My name is Lewis Carter.”
“I’m the general manager of Golden Spoon Restaurant.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Cole.”
Ethan nodded.
“It’s nice to meet you too.”
The two guards looked at each other.
Cold sweat formed on their foreheads.
Just a minute ago, they had mocked this young man because of his cheap clothes.
Now they found out he owned the entire restaurant.
The taller guard hurried forward.
“M-Mr. Cole…”
“I’m sorry.”
“We didn’t know.”
His voice shook as he spoke.
Ethan looked at him calmly.
“In this world, do you judge every customer by their clothes?”
The guard lowered his head.
“No, sir.”
“I made a mistake.”
“I hope you can forgive me.”
The other guard also apologized.
“We’re really sorry, Mr. Cole.”
“We promise it won’t happen again.”
Ethan remembered something.
In his previous life, people had looked down on him everywhere he went.
Restaurants.
Hotels.
Shopping malls.
Even banks.
Nobody cared about his character.
They only cared about how much money they thought he had.
He looked at the two guards for a few seconds before speaking.
“Everyone deserves respect.”
“Whether they’re rich or poor.”
“If you remember that, you won’t have this problem again.”
Both guards nodded repeatedly.
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Manager Lewis smiled.
“Mr. Cole, please come inside.”
“The management team has been waiting for you.”
Ethan followed him into the restaurant.
The moment they entered, several employees stopped working.
Waiters.
Chefs.
Receptionists.
Everyone turned to look at the young man walking beside the manager.
Some whispered quietly.
“Who is he?”
“He looks so young.”
“Is he a guest?”
Manager Lewis clapped his hands.
“Everyone, gather here.”
Within a minute, nearly thirty employees stood in the main dining hall.
Manager Lewis looked at them with a serious expression.
“I have an important announcement.”
“As of today, Golden Spoon Restaurant has a new owner.”
The employees immediately started whispering.
“What?”
“The owner sold the restaurant?”
“I didn’t hear anything about this.”
Manager Lewis raised his hand for silence.
He then turned toward Ethan.
“Allow me to introduce…”
“Mr. Ethan Cole.”
“The new owner of Golden Spoon Restaurant.”
The entire hall became quiet.
Every employee looked at Ethan in shock.
They had expected an older businessman.
Someone in his fifties.
Not a young man who looked no older than twenty-five.
A few seconds later, everyone applauded.
“Welcome, Mr. Cole.”
“Congratulations, sir.”
“We’re happy to work with you.”
Ethan smiled politely.
“Thank you.”
“I hope we’ll work well together.”
Just then, a loud voice came from the back of the hall.
“I don’t accept this.”
Everyone turned.
A man in an expensive gray suit walked toward them.
He looked to be in his forties.
His face was filled with arrogance.
Manager Lewis frowned.
“Mr. Barnes.”
“What are you doing?”
The man stopped in front of Ethan.
He looked him up and down before laughing.
“This kid is our new owner?”
“You’ve got to be joking.”
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Manager Lewis spoke in a cold voice.
“Mr. Barnes, watch your words.”
Barnes ignored him.
He continued staring at Ethan.
“I’ve worked here for twelve years.”
“I know every part of this business.”
“And now you’re telling me I’ll be taking orders from a boy?”
Some employees lowered their heads.
They knew Barnes.
He was the restaurant’s operations director.
He was good at his job, but he was proud and difficult to work with.
Barnes folded his arms.
“Tell me, Mr. Owner.”
“Do you know anything about running a restaurant?”
Ethan remained calm.
“I’ll learn.”
Barnes laughed loudly.
“Learn?”
“This isn’t a classroom.”
“This is a business.”
“One mistake could cost millions.”
Several employees looked nervous.
Nobody expected Barnes to challenge the new owner on his first day.
Manager Lewis stepped forward.
“That’s enough.”
Barnes shook his head.
“No.”
“If he’s really the owner, then prove he deserves it.”
He pointed toward the dining area.
“This restaurant’s biggest problem is Table Twelve.”
“We’ve had a VIP customer sitting there for nearly an hour.”
“He’s angry because his food hasn’t arrived.”
“Our head chef walked out this morning.”
“None of the replacement chefs can prepare his favorite dish.”
Barnes smirked.
“If the new owner is so capable…”
“Why doesn’t he solve it?”
The employees exchanged worried looks.
Everyone knew the customer at Table Twelve.
He was one of the restaurant’s biggest investors.
If he left unhappy, Golden Spoon would lose an important business partner.
Manager Lewis looked embarrassed.
“Mr. Cole…”
“I’m sorry.”
“I was planning to tell you after the meeting.”
Ethan stayed silent for a moment.
Then the familiar voice of the system echoed inside his head.
[New Mission Activated.]
Mission: Save Golden Spoon Restaurant’s reputation.
Reward: Master Chef Skill.
Bonus Reward: $500,000.
Ethan’s eyes lit up.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
He looked at Barnes and said calmly,
“Take me to Table Twelve.”
Barnes smiled coldly.
“Good.”
“Let’s see what our new owner can do.”
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Chapter 146: The Woman Who Was Never Sophia
The blade pointed at Ethan’s throat.He did not move.The woman sitting across the table watched him with eyes that held centuries of anger, though she looked no older than twenty-five.“Tell me,” she repeated. “Why did you steal my name?”Ethan glanced at the system message still floating above the table.[FOUNDATIONAL VICTIM: IDENTIFIED.][NAME: SOPHIA.][STATUS: DECEASED BEFORE FIRST CREATION.][CAUSE OF DEATH: UNKNOWN.]The woman followed his gaze.“That thing has always been a liar.”“Then tell me your name.”She laughed bitterly.“You still think a name is something you can demand.”“No. I think it’s something you have the right to give me.”The blade stopped moving.For the first time, uncertainty crossed her face.Ethan continued carefully.“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what happened between us. And I won’t pretend I remember something I don’t. But if you believe I took your name, I need to understand why.”She studied him.“Do you remember the first woman you loved?
Chapter 145: The Million Lives He Could Not Remember
The screams did not stop.They came from every direction, pouring through the doors that had appeared across the white space. Some were filled with rage. Others carried the terror of people who had waited too long for someone to remember them.And some were silent.Those were the worst.Ethan stood motionless as millions of faces stared at him.He recognized none of them.Yet every time he looked into someone’s eyes, something inside him recoiled as if it remembered being responsible for their pain.The boy lay at his feet.The silver blade had shattered, leaving a dark wound in his chest. Blood spread beneath him, but the wound did not close.Ethan dropped beside him.“Stay with me.”The boy looked up at him.“You’re doing it again.”Ethan froze.“What?”“You’re looking at me like saving me will make everything else disappear.”Ethan glanced at the doors.The faces behind them were still screaming.“I won’t let you die.”The boy closed his eyes.“That’s what you said before.”Ethan s
Chapter 144: The Boy Who Died Before Creation
Ethan couldn’t breathe.The boy kneeling in the white space had his face.Not a resemblance. Not another version of him created by the machine. Not an alternate possibility that had taken a different path.It was Ethan.The same eyes. The same mouth. The same small scar beneath the left eyebrow that had appeared after his reconstruction. Even the way the boy held his shoulders, as if preparing for a blow he knew was coming, was painfully familiar.But the boy was younger.And there was a blade buried in his chest.Ethan stared at the blood spreading across the white floor.“No.”The boy looked at him.“You said that before.”Ethan took a step forward.“No, I didn’t.”“You did.”The boy’s voice was weak, but there was no confusion in it.“You said you weren’t going to let me die.”Ethan stopped.Behind the boy, the original First Choice stood silently, watching them with an expression that was almost satisfied.Noah struggled to move toward Ethan.“Don’t listen to him,” he said.The si
Chapter 143: The Choice That Should Never Have Existed
Noah screamed.Ethan had heard people scream in pain. He had heard them scream in fear, in anger, and in the final moments before death.This was different.Noah’s scream came from somewhere deeper than the body. It tore through the white space beyond the beginning and reached every reality connected to the original agreement.For one terrible moment, every world went silent.Then the doors in the Hall of Unchosen Lives began slamming shut.One after another.Thousands became hundreds. Hundreds became dozens. Behind each closing door, a possibility lost its connection to the world that had allowed it to exist.Ethan stood before the silver door, his hand still pressed against its surface.“Noah!”He struck the door with his fist.“Open!”The door did not move.A system message appeared before him.[COMPLETE AUTHORITY RESTORATION: 100%.][THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACTIVATED.][FOUNDATIONAL AUTHORITY: FIRST CHOICE.][ENDING AUTHORITY: FIRST ENDING.][WITNESS AUTHORITY: UNRECOGNI
Chapter 142: The First Sin Was Mine
For several seconds, Ethan forgot how to breathe.The child stood beside the little girl, holding her hand as though they had known each other for years. His face was identical to Ethan’s, but his eyes carried a sadness that did not belong to any child.He pointed at Ethan.“The first betrayal was committed by someone who wanted to make sure you could never choose freely.”Then he said the words that shattered the silence.“That person was you.”Ethan stared at him.“No.”The child did not look away.“You don’t remember.”“I remember the first choice. I remember the white room. I remember leaving the girl behind.”“Those are the memories you were allowed to keep.”The child’s voice was quiet.“But you don’t remember what happened before the white room existed.”Caelum stepped forward.“Who are you?”The child turned toward him.“You know who I am.”Caelum’s face went pale.“No. You were destroyed before the First World began.”“That’s what you were told.”“I watched Sophia end your ex
Chapter 141: The Woman Who Taught Death to Choose
Ethan could not move.The woman stood at the end of the corridor with one hand resting on the little girl’s shoulder. Her face was calm, almost gentle, but the words she had spoken continued to echo in his mind.I am the reason you were never supposed to become human.Behind Ethan, the stranger who had called her Mother remained motionless.The little girl clutched her drawing against her chest.Nobody spoke.Then Ethan took a careful step forward.“What do you mean?”The woman studied him.“You have spent your entire existence trying to understand what you are. You have searched through memories, questioned authorities, and challenged every rule that threatened someone you wanted to protect.”She paused.“But you have never asked the most important question.”Ethan’s voice was tight.“Which is?”“Why did you need to become human in the first place?”He stared at her.“I was created to experience a life.”“By whom?”“Adam.”“Adam created the conditions that allowed your existence. He
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