Too Late for Your Tears

Chapter 4

The five thugs lunged forward all at the same time, their heavy metal clubs swinging wildly through the air. They roared like wild animals, eager to tear Ethan Vance apart and please their fallen leader.

Ethan did not move an inch until the very last second, his eyes remaining freezing and completely calm. With a sudden burst of lightning speed, he stepped aside, twisted the first thug's wrist until the bone cracked, and used a single powerful kick to launch him backward into the others.

The remaining thugs charged together in a panic, but Ethan ducked smoothly, driving his fist into one jaw and delivering a brutal elbow strike to the next chest. Within less than five seconds, all five armed thugs were writhing in the dirt, groaning in agonizing pain.

Ethan stood perfectly still in the center of the destruction, his breathing calm as his gaze locked onto the terrified loan shark leader. Garrick Thorne’s face turned completely white, dragging his broken body backward along the floorboards to get away.

"You... you are a monster!" Garrick Thorne stammered out, clutching his broken ribs as blood dripped from his mouth. "Do you have any idea who we work for, you piece of garbage?"

Ethan walked toward him slowly, his wet boots clicking softly. "I do not care about your petty names."

"Our big boss is Master Nicholas, the leader of the Iron Sovereign Syndicate!" Garrick Thorne threatened loudly, trying to hide his intense fear behind a desperate, bloodied sneer. "If you touch me again, he will send hundreds of men to burn this orphanage to the ground!"

Ethan stopped right in front of the crawling man, looking down at him with supreme indifference. "Go back to Nicholas right now. Tell him to look at his reflection in the mirror tonight, and ask him if he still remembers a certain rainy night exactly one year ago."

Garrick Thorne froze in his tracks, the words triggering a legendary, terrifying memory from the city's criminal underworld. One year ago, the syndicate's previous boss had been foolish enough to covet the third Sterling sister, Amelia, and trap her during a raid.

A mysterious, faceless power had descended instantly, freezing their bank accounts and surrounding their entire empire with thousands of armed men in black suits. The previous boss was completely ruined and thrown straight into the deep sea to feed the fish.

The current boss, Nicholas, who was just a subordinate back then, had been forced to kneel in the muddy rain for twelve hours alongside the former leader, weeping and begging for mercy from a hidden figure inside a black luxury car.

Garrick Thorne squinted through the dim light, looking closely at Ethan's tall, powerful build. A sudden wave of primitive fear hit his heart because Ethan’s build resembled that terrifying, mysterious master from the black car perfectly.

But Garrick quickly shook his head, a mean, brutal grin returning to his face as he dismissed the terrifying thought. There was absolutely no way that the legendary sovereign of the underground could be this discarded, tattered Sterling family street rat.

"You are completely crazy, you broke loser!" Garrick Thorne mocked loudly, scrambling to his feet while keeping his weapon raised defensively. "You think a street beggar like you can scare me with old stories? You are just a dog without a home!"

Garrick spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor and pointed his iron bar at Ethan one last time. "Enjoy your little victory for now, trash! I am going to report this to Master Nicholas tonight, and we will see if you can still talk big when our entire syndicate comes back to slaughter you!"

Garrick Thorne turned around quickly and fled through the open doorway in disgrace, his five wounded thugs dragging each other into the pouring rain behind him as they rushed to verify the terrifying details with their boss.

***

Meanwhile, back inside the grand Sterling family villa, the bright chandeliers illuminated the luxurious living room. Charlotte Sterling sat at the head of the sofa, her face tight and imperious.

The front door opened, and Amelia Sterling marched into the room, her heavy police boots clicking loudly against the marble floor. Her face was flushed with a lingering, hot-tempered anger.

"Amelia," Charlotte called out, her voice sharp and filled with corporate authority. "Did you follow that street beggar like I instructed?"

Amelia tossed her police cap onto the table, her leather holster creaking loudly as she crossed her arms. "I tracked him down, Charlotte. I found him right inside that small orphanage and gave him a piece of my mind."

Charlotte did not look up from her tablet immediately, her face completely cold and tight. "Did you make sure he didn't take anything? Did he argue with you?"

"He swore he didn't touch a single thing," Amelia sneered, pacing around the room with angry, restless steps. "Then the loser threw a tantrum and said he is changing his surname. He thinks he can scare us by cutting ties."

"A useless emotional reaction," Charlotte said coldly, setting her tablet down on the glass table. "I do not care about his name. What matters is that a very important patent paper worth one million dollars is missing from my desk."

Amelia froze in surprise, her eyes widening. "What? The new tech patent? That is literal theft."

"Yes," Charlotte said, her voice completely flat and calm. "It is the main document our company needs to win a twenty-million-dollar contract in three days. Without it, our presentation will fail completely."

"That dirty thief!" Amelia roared, her face twisting in pure fury as she reached for her police handcuffs. "He must have stolen it right before he left to sell it to our rivals, the Vanguard Group! I am going to get a police squad right now and break his legs until he gives it back!"

"Stop shouting, Amelia," Charlotte commanded, waving her hand to silence her hot-tempered sister. "Do not waste your police time on a street rat. Thomas, bring Julian inside."

The old butler bowed deeply and stepped toward the hallway. "Right away, Miss Charlotte."

A moment later, a handsome young man dressed in a tailored, expensive silk suit walked smoothly into the grand living room. He had a perfectly styled haircut and a gentle, humble expression on his face.

It was Julian Sterling, the biological brother who had been lost for fifteen long years and finally found by the family.

"Good evening, eldest sister, third sister," Julian greeted them with a soft, polite voice, bowing his head with perfect aristocratic grace.

Charlotte and Amelia looked up, their cold expressions vanishing instantly as their eyes swept over Julian's expensive tailored suit. Charlotte signaled him to sit, nodding with deep approval at his natural posture.

"You look truly magnificent tonight, Julian," Amelia praised him loudly, her voice full of pride as she immediately scoffed toward the hallway. "You possess a real aristocratic air, looking far more promising and noble than that worthless fake brother ever did."

"You can say that again," Charlotte added coldly, her face full of pride, then turned towards Julian. "Unlike Ethan, who spent ten years doing nothing but servant's work in the kitchen, you are the true young master of the Sterling household."

Amelia let out a sharp, dismissive laugh, shaking her head. "Just earlier, I saw Ethan defending those dirty poor people at the orphanage. The disgusting stench of poverty was all over his tattered clothes. He really belongs in the mud."

Julian’s eyes flickered with a strange, hidden light, but he quickly forced a look of deep, sorrowful innocence onto his face. He lowered his head, pretending to look completely wronged and hurt.

"Sisters, is my return causing trouble for the house?" Julian asked weakly, his voice shaking with a practiced, emotional hesitation. "If... if big brother Ethan does not like me, I can leave right now."

Amelia stood up immediately, her voice loud and defensive. "Don't say such foolish things, Julian! Why should you leave your own home?"

"I just know that brother Ethan spent ten long years living with you all," Julian explained softly, wiping a fake tear from the corner of eye. "It is only natural that you would favor him more than a newly found son like me. I don't want to cause any trouble."

"Favor him? That is the funniest joke I have heard all year!" Amelia sneered, walking over to pat Julian’s shoulder reassuringly. "A common household cook cannot compare to a true young master like you. You are our real bloodline, Julian."

"Amelia speaks the complete truth," Charlotte declared with supreme authority, looking down at Julian with immense pride, then turned toward the butler, her voice dropping into a cold, corporate register. "Thomas, prepare the announcements. In exactly one week, we shall hold a grand, multi-million-dollar banquet to introduce Julian to the entire city."

Julian quickly lowered his head to hide the malicious, triumphant smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth. His plan was working perfectly.

"Thank you so much, sisters," Julian said softly, looking up with his usual innocent, gentle expression. "But... is it really true that big brother Ethan stole that expensive patent document? Could it be that he just misplaced it by mistake?"

Charlotte shook her head with total certainty. "It is impossible. Ethan left the villa this afternoon, and that patent application was kept safely inside my upstairs desk drawer."

Charlotte crossed her arms tightly over her expensive dress. "I saw it sitting there with my own eyes just yesterday morning. But when I asked the butler to fetch Ethan to kick him out, I went upstairs again, and it was gone. He was the only outsider with access to that floor."

"It must have been him!" Amelia fumed, her knuckles cracking loudly as her hot temper flared again. "After living under our roof for ten years, he still has the dirty, uncultured habits of a street thief! He has zero backbone worthy of our name!"

Amelia turned toward the door fiercely. "I am going to get my police squad and raid that orphanage right now!"

"Wait, third sister, please don't do that," Julian interrupted quickly, standing up and catching Amelia’s arm with a gentle, caring look. "Let me handle this matter myself."

Amelia blinked in surprise. "You? Why should you handle a thief, Julian?"

"I have just returned to the family, and I have not contributed anything to our house yet," Julian explained with a humble, deeply earnest smile. "Eldest sister is currently busy preparing for the twenty-million-dollar contract. Let me go to the orphanage and collect the document for her."

Julian lowered his voice, looking incredibly thoughtful. "After all, big brother Ethan might be angry with you all right now. If a stranger like me goes to talk to him nicely, he might realize his mistake and hand it over peacefully."

Charlotte looked at Julian, her eyes flashing with a sudden wave of deep executive approval. "You are incredibly mature, Julian. A true businessman always thinks of efficiency."

Charlotte turned her cold, imperious gaze toward the old butler standing by the door. "Thomas, assign ten of our strongest corporate security guards to go with Julian right now. They will assist him in collecting our property."

Charlotte looked back at Julian, her voice dropping into a chilling, ruthless tone. "Do not go too far, Julian. He was raised by our father, so breaking one of Ethan’s arms as a warning will be more than enough. Just make sure you do not kill him."

"I understand perfectly, sister," Julian replied with a soft, obedient nod, his heart leaping with an intense, predatory joy.

"Wait... sisters, please listen to me for just one second," a very timid, shaking voice suddenly whispered from the dark corner of the room.

It was Harper, the sixth sister, who was a well-known writer in the city. She was exceptionally beautiful but looked incredibly meek, timid, and hesitant as she clutched a leather notebook tightly against her chest.

Harper stepped forward weakly, her small shoulders shrinking under the cold stares of her older sisters. "I... I think there might be a mistake. Ethan has always been so honest... maybe he didn't take the patent..."

"Shut your dirty mouth, Harper!" Amelia snapped fiercely, turning her head and glaring at the timid youngest sister with pure, unyielding rage. "You are just a soft-headed writer who spends too much time making up fake, emotional stories in your books!"

Amelia marched over and towered over her, her voice exploding with heat. "You sympathize with everyone you see! Ethan is a confirmed thief, and he has officially been wiped from our family records! He is a complete stranger to us now!"

Harper flinched violently, her face turning pale as she shrunk back into the shadows, completely swayed and silenced by her sister's explosive anger. She did not dare to say another word.

"Julian, go and finish this business quickly," Charlotte commanded with final executive authority, turning her back on the room. "Return promptly as soon as you have the patent in your hands."

"Yes, eldest sister," Julian said politely, bowing one last time before turning around to walk out toward the hallway.

Hiding his dark face from his family, Julian let out a low, blood-chilling laugh under his breath as he thought of his ten armed men. "Tonight, Ethan Vance will lose far more than just a single arm."