The Invincible son-inlaw's Secret Identity

Chapter 3:The Phone call and The Commander

The black car was completely silent. It wasn't just quiet; it seemed to eat sound. Ethan sat in the expensive leather seat, the fresh air from the car’s vents a sharp contrast to the stale smell of the Thompson house. His wine-stained shirt felt cheap and ridiculous against the luxury. He didn’t care.

The two men, built like statues and dressed in dark suits, sat in the front. They hadn’t spoken another word since handing him the black Everest card. They were waiting. They weren't servants; they were soldiers.

Ethan pulled the cheap, cracked phone from his pocket. The screen still glowed with the word “BEGIN.”He didn't touch it. Instead, he pulled out the thin,expensive black card the man had just given him. He ran his thumb over the small, engraved symbol: the eagle holding a mountain. The symbol of the Everest Corporation, the company that was supposed to save the Thompson family. It was a funny joke.

He held the phone up, not to make a call, but to look at his face in the reflection.For three years, he had seen a dull man—a tired man with worried eyes and a beaten spirit. Now, the reflection was cold. His eyes were like chipped ice. The fear was gone, replaced by a dangerous calm man; Ethan Reed, the poor son-in-law, was gone.

He put the cracked phone away. He reached into the hidden inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a different device. It was thin, metallic, and had no screen. It was just a black box with one smooth, round button.

He pressed the button once. A small, clear, female voice, speaking only in codes, answered instantly.

“Monarch-One is live. Commander, is your activation confirmed?” the voice asked.

Ethan spoke into the box. His voice was low, deep, and carried a weight that could crush mountains. It was the voice of Ethan Reed, the Shadow Commander.

“Confirmed. Three years, zero tolerance. The trial is complete. Initiate Phase Two.”The voice paused for a single second. “Understood, Commander. All protocols are now active. We await your orders for the Thompson Family, the Leo matter, and the protection of the Target.”Ethan leaned his head back against the leather.

The mention of the Thompson family brought a slight tightening in his jaw, but the mention of Clara—the "Target"—made his expression soften for a brief moment. He remembered her tired eyes as she tried to shield him from her family's hate.

“The Thompson family deal,” Ethan said. “The one with the Everest Corporation. Terminate it. Do not just stop it; poison it. Make it look like a devastating, unrecoverable failure. I want them to panic. I want them to know what true fear of the market feels like.”

“Acknowledged. Thompson family financial stability, zeroed.”

Ethan watched the city lights rush by. They were leaving the dull suburbs and entering the glowing heart of the financial district.“Leo, the arrogant clown,he hinks he can buy my wife with a contract. I want everything he owns tied to the Thompson deal. When the deal collapses, his own company must crumble first ,publicly!.I want him trending on social media for financial ruin before the sun rises.”

“Understood. Leo’s assets are flagged. Preparing the viral exposure now.”Ethan nodded once. The commander was fast, efficient, and didn't ask questions.“The divorce papers are signed,” Ethan added, a hint of steel entering his voice. “The contract they thought would save them is already a waste of ink. But my wife, Clara… she is innocent in this filth. She is suffering inside that house, thinking her failure drove me out.”

“Orders regarding the Target?” the Commander asked.“She is to be watched, but not contacted. She needs to feel the full shock of her family’s crash to understand the danger they placed her in. However, she has an urgent financial matter—the old medical bills for her grandfather.

Pay them in full, anonymously. Use a ghost corporation. Make it look like a small miracle, not a bribe.”

“Understood. Target’s personal debts cleared.”

The SUV pulled into a dark, private loading bay beneath a skyscraper that looked like it scraped the sky.

The two silent guards exited and opened Ethan’s door. He stepped out onto polished concrete. The air here was colder, the silence heavier. He was home.

They rode a private elevator that bypassed every single floor. The Commander’s voice spoke through the black box again.

“Commander, your new living quarters. They are situated at the Sky Citadel, Floor 100. The full security network is active. We have also prepared an immediate change of clothes, as your current attire is… compromising.”

Ethan looked down at the wine stain. It was the last visible mark of his humiliation.When the elevator doors opened, Ethan stepped into a world of glass and steel. It wasn’t a home; it was a fortress.

The entire hundredth floor was his, with a 360-degree view of the city he secretly owned. The whole Thompson house was just a tiny, forgotten speck in the distance.

A third person stood waiting. This man wore a uniform—not a suit, but a ceremonial uniform of deep green and black, with shining silver badges that Ethan recognized instantly. This was the true, highest-ranking subordinate.

“General Varis,” Ethan greeted him, stepping forward.

General Varis dropped to one knee, lowering his head. It was a gesture of absolute fealty, not just to a boss, but to a ruler.“Commander Reed. Welcome back to the light. The organization has been waiting three years for this order.”

“Rise, General,” Ethan commanded. “The Thompson family thinks they are rich. They think the Everest Corporation is the biggest whale in the ocean. They will learn the Everest Corporation is merely a single fishing boat owned by my organization.”

“And their biggest mistake?” the General asked, rising to his feet, his eyes burning with loyalty.

Ethan walked to the massive glass window. He looked out over the glittering city, a beautiful carpet of lights laid out before him.

“Their biggest mistake was believing that the man who loved their daughter, the man who endured every humiliation for her sake, was weak. They mistook my loyalty for fragility.”

General Varis stepped to a nearby table where a small, silver box lay open. Inside were two items: a key fob for a fleet of black supercars, and a solid black document case.

“The reports are ready, Commander. The full financial report on the Thompson family's impending bankruptcy. And the detailed plan for their collapse is ready for your final approval.”

Ethan picked up the key fob, his fingers tracing the cold metal. He thought of Leo’s condescending smile, Margaret’s sneering face. They had a few hours of happiness left before their world turned to dust.

“Execute the financial plan at 6:00 AM sharp,” Ethan said, his voice quiet but final. “The city needs a new earthquake. I want them to wake up tomorrow morning and realize their gold is just paper.”

He turned back to the General. “And the final target: Clara. She must not know I am behind any of this. She must think she is saving herself. The Thompson family must never be able to use her as a shield again.”

He looked down at his wine-stained shirt, the final remnant of his past. He peeled off the shirt and threw it on the polished floor. It landed with a soft, pathetic thud.Underneath, his body was lean, trained, and scarred—not from scrubbing floors, but from fighting battles the world would never know. His past was not poor; it was deadly.General Varis approached the window, a look of grim anticipation on his face.

“Commander, what is the official name we will use for the new era? When the world asks who is striking down the Thompson Empire, what name shall we give them?”Ethan looked out over the city, the true power of a billion-dollar empire settling around him like a heavy cloak. He finally answered, his voice a promise and a threat rolled into one.

“They will call me... The Ex-Husband.”