"Is this supposed to scare me?"Ethan’s voice was calm, but the weight behind it was enough to make the air thick.The massive screen in front of him replayed the scene on loop. Smoke. Fire. Bodies crumpled on the ground like discarded puppets. The wreckage of what had once been a high-security Jade Society facility.It had happened at dawn. A classified research lab in Washington, D.C., burned to nothing. No survivors.The room was dead silent.Marcus stood beside him, arms crossed, watching the footage with a hardened expression. "They wanted to send a message."Ethan leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. His fingers drummed against the desk once, twice."They sent the wrong one."A muscle in Marcus’s jaw twitched. "I think this has something to do with Elena. They must know we have her. They probably assumed she was being kept there—maybe even working for us. If that’s the case, this attack was meant to eliminate the threat she poses."Ethan’s gaze never left the screen. The m

Ethan flexed his neck, rolling his shoulders and bouncing lightly on his feet as he prepared for the third and final sparring round with Jade. His muscles burned as he circled her in the underground training facility. The air was thick with sweat and metal, and the faint buzz of high-tech sparring bots filled the background.Jade smirked, her stance solid. “You’re stalling, Mr. Wilder,” she teased. “Scared you might lose?”Ethan exhaled, his eyes locked onto her. “Not in the slightest.”Above them, Anna’s voice crackled through the speakers. “The moment you take her down, we’ll move forward.”On the massive screen in front of them, streams of data flashed in real-time. Elena had set up a coordinated attack to wipe out the Obsidian Order’s hidden accounts. Every offshore fund, every illicit transaction, every bloodstained deal was now at their fingertips.But Ethan wasn’t giving the command just yet. Not until he won this round. He and Jade were tied with one win each, but that was abo

Ethan turned the final corner and stopped cold.Cassandra was tied to a chair, her lip split, but her eyes were blazing with fire.A tall, muscular man stood beside her, twirling a knife between his fingers.The moment he saw Ethan, he grinned."Well, well," the man mused. "If it isn’t the mighty Wilder."Ethan didn’t blink. “Let her go.”The man chuckled, pressing the knife to Cassandra’s throat. “Make me.”Ethan’s eyes darkened, his grip tightening around his gun as he stared down the man holding Cassandra hostage.He was so going to enjoy this.The guy was built like a tank, his knuckles scarred from years of violence. The knife in his hand glinted under the warehouse lights, its sharp edge pressing just hard enough against Cassandra’s throat to draw a thin line of blood.Cassandra, to her credit, didn’t flinch. Her eyes locked onto Ethan’s, filled with the same fire he had come to admire.The enforcer smirked. “You really think you can walk in here and take what’s yours?”Ethan’s

“You think beefing up security is enough to stop them?” Victoria’s voice cut through the silence.Ethan leaned back in his chair, eyes cold. “No. But it’s the first step.”They were gathered in the penthouse suite of one of the Jade Society’s luxury hotels. The city stretched out beyond the massive windows, but no one was admiring the view.Jade sat with her feet propped on the edge of the glass table, twirling a knife between her fingers. “The Obsidian Order isn’t some street gang we can scare off with a few extra bodyguards.”Ethan met her gaze. “I know.”Victoria crossed her arms. “Then what’s the real plan?”Ethan glanced at Elena, who stood near the sleek touchscreen monitor displaying a live feed of digital surveillance. She tapped the screen, pulling up a web of financial transactions, coded messages, and known Obsidian Order operations.“I’ve been monitoring their communications and financial movements,” she said. “And from the look of things, they’re gearing up for something

“I have met with the Elders of the Obsidian Order.”The entire room stiffened.Felix’s smirk vanished. Cassandra’s fingers tightened around her glass.The woman’s gaze didn’t leave Ethan’s.“They have agreed to a truce.” A pause. Then—“Under one condition.”Ethan’s fingers curled. “What condition?”She didn’t blink.“You will marry Isabella Grayson.”The name hit the room like an explosion.The younger sister of Alexander Grayson.Ethan’s fingers curled against the armrest of his chair. His jaw was locked, his eyes dark as they met the old woman’s unwavering gaze.“You can’t be serious,” he said, his voice dangerously low.The woman didn’t flinch. “I have never been more serious in my life.”His breath came slow and measured, fighting the urge to snap. “You expect me to marry the sister of the man who threatened my family?”“I expect you to do your duty,” she corrected.Felix let out a quiet laugh. “This just keeps getting better.”Ethan shot him a glare before turning back to her. “T