2025-11-21 03:18:11The officer’s question still hung in the air, sharp enough to slice through the tension choking Terminal 4.
“Sir… how exactly did you obtain this Special Services access card?” Ethan Ward lifted his head slowly. His eyes were calm, cold, and stripped of every emotion except a quiet certainty. The humiliation, the heartbreak, the exhaustion — all of it had fallen away, leaving behind a man who had nothing left to fear. “I got it from the airport authorities,” Ethan said quietly. “I earned it.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried. The officer blinked, he looked surprised. Caleb Stone stared with open disbelief. “Earned it?” Caleb scoffed loudly. “You? Earned it? Please.” The officer looked down at Ethan’s badge again, as if trying to make sense of something impossible. He recognized the name. Everyone did. Ethan Ward — the former tech prodigy whose company had collapsed overnight. The man who had paid his employees their full severance until he had nothing left. The man trending on business news for losing everything trying to save his marriage. The officer frowned. “But… this kind of access is extremely expensive. Higher than first class. Higher than VIP class. Only private jet passengers and high-ranking officials have it.” A murmur rippled through the terminal. Caleb seized the moment like a starving wolf. “Exactly!” he shouted, raising his hand dramatically. “This man is broke! Bankrupt! He can’t afford a train ticket, much less Special Services!” Ethan didn’t move. He simply stared straight ahead, indifferent to the ridicule. Caleb stepped closer, face gleaming with malicious triumph. “Officer, this badge must be fake. I want him investigated. Thoroughly.” The officer hesitated, but doubt was already in his eyes. He knew Ethan’s reputation — and he also knew Special Services wasn’t something a fallen man could access. And Caleb took advantage. He pulled out his phone and dialed immediately. “Hello, this is CEO Caleb Stone!” he announced loudly. “Yes. Fraud report. A man is impersonating a Special Services passenger. His name is Ethan Ward — yes, the failed former CEO of the now disbanded WardTech dynamics. I believe he has hacked the system or stolen a badge.” A few people nearby gasped. Someone whispered, “Ethan Ward? The guy from the news?” Another murmured, “Is he being arrested?” Ethan closed his eyes briefly. The humiliation hit hard, but not in the way Caleb hoped. It didn’t break him — it lit something slow and dangerous inside him. Within minutes, two policemen raced into the terminal. Their shoes hit the tiles with sharp, intimidating thuds. “Where is he?” one barked. Caleb pointed eagerly. “There! That man! He’s using a fake Special Services badge!” The policemen approached Ethan with zero patience. “Stand up,” one ordered harshly. Ethan didn’t move immediately. Not out of defiance — but because part of him simply couldn’t believe how quickly life had dragged him from one humiliation to the next. “What’s going on?” he asked quietly. “Don’t play innocent,” the officer snapped. “Special Services misuse is a federal offense.” Caleb folded his arms, triumphant. “Go on, officers. I understand that you all have to do your job, but what do you have to prove that this special service access card is fake.” The second policeman not ready for any formalities quickly grabbed Ethan’s arm and twisted it behind his back. Ethan winced. Not in pain, but in anger he refused to display. “Hold still,” the officer said sharply. “If this badge is fake, that’s prison time.” “It’s not fake,” Ethan said calmly. Caleb laughed. “Oh? Then who gave it to you? Santa Claus?” The crowd chuckled nervously. The officers didn’t wait for an answer. One reached for his cuffs. The cold metal brushed Ethan’s wrist. And then— A loud announcement blasted through every speaker in Terminal 4. “Attention all passengers: A high-grade private aircraft has now landed in Brookhaven International Airport. All normal passengers must clear Terminal 4 immediately. Repeat: Terminal 4 must be evacuated at once for VVIP protocol.” The terminal froze. The officer holding the cuffs paused. Passengers gasped and stared at the windows. Even Caleb’s mocking smile shattered. A mother whispered, “A high-grade private plane? Those are for world leaders…” An elderly man whispered back, “Or for billionaires… or royal families.” Another passenger said, “Who’s arriving? Why clear an entire terminal?” Everyone looked around — confused, excited, intimidated. The policemen exchanged glances. Even they seemed unsettled. Only the highest of the highest got this kind of clearance. Caleb swallowed hard. His voice suddenly cracked. “W-what’s happening? They shut down the whole terminal… for who?” Airport guards rushed in from every direction. “Everyone, please evacuate this area!” “Step back!” “Terminal 4 is on VVIP lockdown!” “Move away from the barriers!” The officers tried to maintain control while being pushed aside by the new security wave. People stared at Ethan as they passed him: “Is he someone important?” “Why hasn’t he been moved?” “Are they arresting a man in front of a VVIP arrival?” The terminal emptied rapidly until only a handful of people remained: Ethan, Caleb, the policemen, a few airport guards, the heavy, electric silence settled over them. Then— The glass doors of the terminal entrance slid open with a soft mechanical hiss. Three figures stepped inside. One in front. Two behind him. The man in front walked with a dignified urgency, dressed in a black formal coat that flowed with each step. His silver-rimmed glasses glinted under the bright airport lights. His name was Steward James Leonard, the head of Magnus Xavier household and loyal servant of Magnus Xavier. Behind him were two tall, broad-shouldered enforcers in perfectly tailored black suits. Their posture was military-level. Their expressions unreadable. Earpieces blinked softly at their ears. They weren’t normal bodyguards. They were the kind of men who protected presidents — or emperors. Every guard in the terminal stiffened reflexively, recognizing the aura of true power. Steward Leonard scanned the area with worried eyes… Then he saw Ethan, held by policemen. His arm was twisted, almost handcuffed. His old face twisted from confusion to shock. He hurried forward, his voice cracking with disbelief. “Master Ward…?”
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CHOSEN WITHOUT CONSENT
Selene stopped close enough that he could hear her clearly. “It’s the sanctuary,” she said. “You’re safe here.”Ethan let out a humorless laugh. “Safe?”“Yes,” Selene replied. “Safer than you are walking around outside pretending you’re invisible.”Ethan’s voice hardened. “You drugged me and brought me to a stone cave full of strangers.”Selene didn’t flinch. “I brought you somewhere your enemies can’t reach easily,” she said. “You call that a problem. I call it survival.”Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Why are they bowing to you?”Selene answered simply. “Because I lead this sanctuary.”Ethan fought to push himself back, but his spine punished him. He grunted, then steadied his breathing, refusing to show weakness.“What do you want from me?” he demanded again. “If this is about money, you picked the wrong man.”Selene’s gaze held his. “You’re still lying,” she said. “Even now.”Ethan’s throat tightened. “I’m not lying. I’m not anyone special.”Selene stepped closer, and her voice dropped.
THE SANCTUARY OF NO ESCAPE
Ethan woke up choking on smoke.For a second he didn’t know where he was, or why the air tasted like fire and old stone. His eyes opened to flickering light and shadow, and the first thing he saw was a ceiling carved with shapes that looked like teeth and wings.He tried to sit up fast, but his body refused. Pain ran down the back of his head and into his spine like a hot wire. He sucked in a breath through clenched teeth and forced himself to look around.The room was huge, built from dark stone blocks, the kind that held cold even near heat. Strange markings covered the walls in long lines and sharp symbols. In the middle, a bonfire burned inside a circle of stones, sending sparks up like tiny warnings.Ethan looked down at himself.He was lying on a thick woolen cloak. His wrists were free, but his arms felt heavy. Dark paint marked his face and forearms in patterns he didn’t recognize.“What the hell…” he muttered.A drumbeat rolled through the chamber.Ethan’s head turned to
THE SANCTUARY IS NOT A CHOICE
Selene’s eyes slid to his face. “He said sanctuary,” she replied. “You heard correctly.”Ethan’s voice hardened. “I didn’t agree to any sanctuary.”Selene spoke like she was calming a child who didn’t understand traffic rules. “You agreed to get in the car,” she said. “And that was enough.”Ethan’s jaw flexed. “Enough for what?”Selene’s tone stayed even. “Enough for me to keep you breathing.”Ethan stared at her. “You don’t get to decide that.”Selene’s expression didn’t change. “Men like Darius decide it for people every day,” she said. “I’m simply deciding faster than he can.”Ethan shifted in his seat. His hand moved toward the door handle, testing it. The doors were locked. He didn’t panic, but his mind became a blade.Selene noticed and sighed softly. “Don’t,” she said.Ethan didn’t raise his voice, but it carried weight. “Unlock the door, now.”“No,” Selene replied.Ethan’s eyes went colder. “Then you’re making yourself an enemy in me.”Selene leaned closer, and her calm became
CONTROLLED STREETS
The car pulled away from Titan Crest like it was escaping a crime scene.Inside, the leather seats held the scent of money and quiet control. Streetlights slid across the windows in slow bands, and the distant port lights blinked like cold stars behind them. Ethan sat upright, shoulders steady, but his mind was still tight from Janet’s face and Robert’s voice. Selene sat beside him like she had always belonged there, calm enough to make the silence feel like her decision.Ethan broke it first. “You walked in at the exact moment it mattered.”Selene didn’t look out the window. She looked at him. “It seems like your drama just happened to be waiting.”“You don’t do anything ‘just’ by accident,” Ethan replied.Selene’s lips curved faintly. “You’re observant.”Ethan kept his voice low. “So tell me what you want. Why did you choose to take me with you in your vehicle?"Selene leaned back, relaxed. “I wanted a conversation,” she said. “And maybe peace for your nerves. You looked like you
RESPECT IS LOUDER THAN LOVE
Robert blinked. “Janet—”“Shut up,” she repeated, and Robert swallowed the rest.In the courtyard, the night air was cooler, and the sounds of the deck were distant and heavy. Selene’s vehicle sat waiting, dark and polished, with a driver standing beside it like a statue. The driver opened the door immediately when Selene approached.Ethan paused for a second. “You planned this,” he said.Selene glanced at him. “I planned to inspect my ship and it's maintenance,” she replied. “I didn’t plan to meet you or get caught up in your drama with Janet.”Ethan’s voice stayed guarded. “You walked into it like you own it.”Selene leaned closer slightly, her tone soft but firm. “I do,” she said. “Not because of money alone. Because I refuse to shrink.”Ethan held her gaze. “People who refuse to shrink get targeted.”Selene smiled as if that was familiar. “Let them target,” she said. “Some of us bite back.”She was close enough now that Ethan could catch the faint warmth of her presence, the sub
NOT SMALL
Selene stood there, calm as if she hadn’t walked into a storm.She looked expensive without trying. Her hair was neat, her posture relaxed, and her eyes were steady in a way that made people lower their voices. Ethan had seen her at the casino bar, and he had seen what she could do with a bottle and a man’s pride.Selene’s lips curved slightly. “Ethan,” she said warmly. “I was hoping I’d see you again.”Janet froze. Robert’s mouth opened, then closed again.Ethan cleared his throat. “You?” he said, and he hated that the surprise showed. “What are you doing here?”Selene tilted her head. “Business,” she replied. “Same reason everyone pretends they’re too busy to stare.”Ethan’s nerves didn’t show on his face, but he felt them under his skin. “Titan Crest is not a casual stop,” he said. “You don’t look like someone who came to tour an office.”Selene’s eyes flicked past him toward the port view screens, then back. “Casper leases my ship,” she said, like it was a simple fact. “The large
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