Chapter 18
That evening, after Lily had fallen fast asleep in her bed, Ethan stood alone on the back patio of his sprawling mansion.
The Texas night sky was blanketed in a million glittering stars, stretching out endlessly into the peaceful horizon.
He poured a glass of single-malt scotch, raising it silently toward the quiet breeze in a private toast to justice and survival.
He had fought through war zones overseas, built a multi-billion-dollar empire from the ground up, and protected his child from the darkest monsters.
His phone buzzed softly in his pocket, breaking the quiet tranquility of the night air.
He pulled it out, seeing an encrypted text message from an unknown number with no accompanying text—only a single photograph.
May you like
Ethan opened the image file, expecting to see remnants of Vanguard Global or some new corporate threat.
Instead, his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the glowing screen in utter, paralyzing disbelief.
