INICIAR SESIÓNRushing to Anna and clutching her clothes, Sylvia pleaded, "Aunt, you have to believe me. I don't know who this man is, and I would never hurt Ethan.""You lying snake!" Crain shouted. "You were the mastermind behind all of this, and now you're denying it? Let's see how much you can deny once I show them the evidence." He then gestured to Elijah, lowering his voice. "Please, can I get my phone?"Elijah nodded and signaled to a guard. Meanwhile, Sylvia glared at Crain with a mix of hatred and suspicion. She desperately wondered what evidence he possessed, but she didn't dare ask in front of the room.The guard soon returned with the device. Relieved it was found, Crain reached out to take it, but Elijah pulled his hand back."I'll check it myself," Elijah said firmly. "Your password?"Crain rattled off the password and instructed him to open his messages. "Look for a contact saved as 'Sylvia'."Hearing her name, panic washed over Sylvia. Realizing her private chats with Crain were abou
Ethan squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the worst. The deafening sound of a gunshot rang through the dusty warehouse, yet he felt no pain. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Instead of being struck, he saw Nick drop to the floor with a gunshot wound to the chest.Ethan gasped in shock, quickly scrambling backward. He looked toward the entrance of the warehouse and saw the man who had fired the shot: Damien Blackwood.Relief washed over Ethan so intensely he could hardly breathe. Disregarding his battered and weak state, Ethan ran straight toward Damien and threw his arms tightly around him. "Thank you for coming," he whispered, burying his face in Damien's coat.The guards standing behind Damien froze in absolute shock. They expected Damien to push the boy away, as he was dirty and looking unkempt, also because Damien typically kept his distance from others due to his severe OCD. What they didn't know, and what Damien himself hadn't realized until this very moment, was that his condition s
"We'll be waiting at Oakwood Graveyard tomorrow," Damien said, leaning back in his desk chair. "But we can't depend entirely on that option. We need to be prepared for anything."After their discussion, Elijah picked up his phone and called Reiner. "The boss wants you to take the captive to the dungeon immediately."Reiner let out a low whistle. "Well, he's never coming out of there sane. The boss isn't joking around with Ethan's kidnapping. What exactly is their relationship anyway?"Elijah sighed, keeping his voice neutral. "You know the boss never discusses his personal life. All I can say is that he doesn't play when it comes to the boy. It's best if we just find him quickly.""Understood," Reiner replied. "Otherwise, the boss will have my head on a platter."Elijah offered a small chuckle, but as the call ended, his smile quickly faded. Looking out the window, the image of Ethan's bright, mischievous face crossed his mind. He could almost hear the younger man taunting him about h
The next morning, Sylvia woke up in high spirits. She twirled around her room, practically dancing as she got ready to meet Crain. Before leaving, she checked her reflection in the mirror with a dark, satisfied smirk."This is the day he meets his end," she whispered, letting out a quiet, manic laugh.She left the house, intending to travel on her own rather than taking one of the family drivers. However, Reiner, who was stationed outside on Damien's direct orders, spotted her and stepped into her path."Good morning, Ms. Sylvia," Reiner said politely but firmly. "I was instructed to drive you to see your mother."Panic flickered in Sylvia's eyes. She began to stammer, caught completely off guard. "N-no, there's really no need for that. I can take a cab."Reiner gave her a calm but unyielding look. "I insist, ma'am. You'll get there much faster if I drive you."With no way to refuse without raising his suspicion, she swallowed her anxiety, forced a tight smile, and followed him toward
Anna hurried into Damien’s study, as soon as she was informed he was calling for her, her face pale and her eyes wide with desperate hope. She rushed over to the desk, her hands trembling. "So? Did you guys find anything? He’s fine, right?""We did," Damien said, his voice flat and controlled, though a dark storm raged beneath the surface."Then why are you all still seated? Let's go get him!" Anna said, her voice rising with frantic energy as she made a move toward the door.Elijah stepped forward, gently intervening. He knew Damien was losing his patience and was never one to sugarcoat the truth, especially not in a situation this dire.Damien looked at her, his expression cold and unyielding. "We found a lead, Anna. But the lead shows that someone inside this very mansion had a hand in Ethan's disappearance."Anna stopped in her tracks, the breath knocked out of her. "A mole? Inside the house? Well, whoever it is, let's make them talk! We can force them to tell us where Ethan is! I
Damien sat in the back of the black SUV, the air inside the car thick with a suffocating tension. Elijah sat in the passenger seat, while Reiner drove, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white."Brief me," Damien commanded, his voice low and dangerous."Sir, according to the information we gathered, Ethan was last seen on the school premises," Elijah reported, checking his tablet. "According to reports, he left to attend a party, but he hasn't reached out to anyone since then."Damien’s eyes narrowed. "And who is the source of this information?""Sylvia, sir," Elijah replied.Damien didn’t say a word, but his brow furrowed deeply. He leaned back, his mind racing. Part of him desperately hoped Ethan was just being a typical twenty-one-year-old—perhaps passed out on a friend's couch after too many drinks. But his gut, the instinct that had built a multi-billion dollar empire and kept him alive in a cruel world, told him something was very wrong. Ethan wasn't
Ethan heard Stephen's voice behind him the very voice he had been trying to avoid.Then he turned back."I knew it!" Stephen exclaimed, his face lighting up with polished warmth. "I knew I’d recognize that golden hair anywhere."The hair again, Ethan thought bitterly. First thing tomorrow, I’m dyin
The interior of the SUV was a silent vault, but inside, Ethan was a storm. His palms were slick against the fabric of his school trousers, and his heart felt like a trapped bird beating against his ribs. He had been informed that he was going to the press conference."Don’t say anything irrational,
The car glided toward a towering structure of glass and chrome that seemed to pierce the very clouds. Sky Mall.It wasn't an ordinary shopping center; it was a shopping mall where the rich shopped, a place where the air itself smelled of expensive perfume and old money. Ethan stared out the window,
The kiss was hungry and warm , Damien's lips parted and his tongue slipped into Ethan's mouth, slow and teasing, tasting him while his hand tightened at his waist. For a second the kiss deepened, mouths moving together, heat building between them.Then the movement… stopped.The man who had just pre







