THE DISCARDED SON-IN-LAWS GOD-LEVEL DOMINION SYSTEM

Chapter 3

Morning light cut through the dirty hotel window like a knife.

Ethan stood in front of the small cracked mirror. The swelling on his face was almost gone. Only a thin red line remained on his lip. He washed his face with cold water from the sink. The water felt good on his skin. He looked at himself for a long time. The man in the mirror was the same, but something behind the eyes had changed.

He put on the same black suit. It was still damp in places and smelled of rain. He had no other clothes. It would have to do.

He left the hotel and walked toward the financial district with steady steps. The morning air was cool. His body still felt the power from last night. It sat quiet under his skin, waiting.

The city was already busy. Cars filled the roads and honked at each other. People in clean suits rushed past him with coffee cups in their hands. A woman in high heels almost bumped into him and did not say sorry. No one looked at the man in the cheap wet clothes. No one cared who he was.

Ethan did not care either. He had somewhere to be.

The National First Bank stood tall on the corner of the main street. Glass doors shone under the morning sun. The building looked clean and rich. Ethan pushed the doors open and walked inside without stopping.

Cold air from the air conditioner hit his face. The lobby smelled of new carpet and money. Soft music played from hidden speakers. A few people in expensive clothes sat on leather chairs and waited.

A young woman at the reception desk looked up from her computer. Her eyes moved over his suit and stopped at the cut on his lip. She forced a polite smile that did not reach her eyes.

"How can I help you, sir?"

"I need to speak with the manager," Ethan said in a calm voice.

"Do you have an appointment, sir?"

"No."

The woman pressed a small button under the desk. Her smile stayed fixed on her face. A security guard near the wall started walking toward them with slow steps. His hand rested near his belt.

A man in a gray suit came out of an office on the left. His name tag said Manager Liu. He looked at Ethan from head to toe. His eyes stopped on the cheap suit, the wet shoes, and the cut on the lip. He frowned deep.

"Sir, this is a private bank for important clients. We do not serve people without accounts or appointments. Please leave before I call the police."

Ethan did not move. He looked Manager Liu in the eyes. "Check your system. Account under the name Ethan Cross."

Manager Liu laughed out loud. The sound was sharp and full of mockery. "Ethan Cross? Never heard of you. Guard, remove this man from my bank."

The security guard put a heavy hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Come with me, sir. Do not make trouble."

Ethan looked at the guard once. The guard paused for a second, unsure. Something in Ethan's eyes made him hesitate.

"Check the system," Ethan repeated. His voice was calm but cold as ice. "I will not ask again."

Manager Liu rolled his eyes and typed on the computer with angry fingers. "Fine. I will check. Then you will leave."

His fingers stopped in the middle of a word. His face changed color from red to white in seconds. His mouth opened a little.

"This... this cannot be right."

"What is it?" the receptionist asked, leaning over to look at the screen.

Manager Liu stared at the numbers with wide eyes. His voice became small. "Account balance... ten million dollars. Deposited last night at midnight. Fully verified by the central system. Account name: Ethan Cross."

The office went dead quiet. Even the soft music seemed louder. The security guard stepped back. The receptionist covered her mouth with one hand.

Ethan stepped closer to the desk. "I want a black card. Unlimited limit. Now."

Manager Liu stood up so fast his chair rolled back and hit the wall. His face was full of fear and forced respect. "Mr. Cross! Please, sit down at once! I am so sorry for the mistake earlier. There must have been a system error. Of course, of course. Right away, sir! Please forgive me!"

He bowed three times. His hands shook as he unlocked a drawer and took out a black card with gold edges. He activated it in front of Ethan with careful fingers.

"Is there anything else we can do for you today, Mr. Cross? Anything at all? Coffee? A private room?"

Ethan took the card and put it in his pocket. The plastic felt cool against his fingers. "Not today."

He turned and walked toward the door. Manager Liu hurried after him.

"Mr. Cross, please come again anytime! We are always ready to serve you!"

Ethan did not look back. He walked out of the bank with calm steps. The same people who ignored him earlier now watched him leave with open mouths. The security guard held the door open for him.

Outside in the sunlight, Ethan stopped on the sidewalk. He took out the black card and looked at it. Ten million dollars. Real. In his hand.

The system screen appeared again in front of his eyes.

[New mission available.]

[Mission: Appear at Whitmore Group within one hour.]

[Reward: Controlling shares of Whitmore Group.]

[Failure: Loss of current funds.]

Ethan looked at the time on his phone. Fifty-eight minutes left.

A small smile touched his mouth for the first time in days. It did not reach his eyes.

He raised his hand and stopped a yellow taxi. The driver looked at his wet suit and almost drove past. Ethan opened the door and sat inside.

"Whitmore Group headquarters," he said.

The driver nodded and pulled into traffic.

As the car moved through the busy city streets, Ethan looked out the window. Buildings passed by. People walked with their heads down. The city looked the same as yesterday, but nothing was the same for him.

He held the black card in his hand. Ten million was only the beginning. The system promised unlimited wealth generation. He could feel the power of it sitting in his pocket like a loaded weapon.

He closed his fingers around the card until the edges pressed into his skin.

Vanessa. Damien. Victor. The whole Whitmore family.

They had laughed at him last night in front of three hundred people. They had thrown him into the rain. They had sent men to kill him.

Today, they would learn what that laughter cost them.

The taxi stopped in front of the tall glass building of Whitmore Group. The building shone under the sun. People in suits walked in and out through the revolving doors. Ethan paid the driver with cash and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

He looked up at the building that had treated him like a servant for three long years. The same building where he had cleaned floors and taken insults. The same building where Vanessa had smiled at other men while he stood in the corner.

His hands stayed calm at his sides. His heart beat steady.

Then he walked through the front doors with his head high.

The system screen flashed one last time before he entered.

[Mission timer: 52 minutes remaining.]

Ethan did not look at it. He already knew what he was going to do.