The afternoon sky was gray when Ethan's long black car entered the old elite district on the city's edge.
Not a new area with glass buildings and modern lights.
This was old territory. Quiet. Expensive. Guarded.
The houses did not flaunt luxury vulgarly. But every iron gate, every neat garden, every uniformed guard sent one message: old power lives here.
Vivian sat beside Ethan.
"Are you sure you want to come alone?" she asked.
Ethan stared straight ahead.
"He called for me."
"And you came right away."
Ethan smiled slightly. "Because I also want to know… why he's suddenly interested."
The large gate opened slowly.
The car drove in.
At the end of the cobblestone road, a classic mansion stood firm. No name plate. No company logo.
Only silence.
Marcus Sterling waited in the spacious, warm living room.
Dark wood walls. Tall bookshelves filled with old documents. The scent of bitter coffee filled the air.
He did not stand when Ethan entered.
He only watched.
Ethan walked in calmly. His shoulders were straight. His gaze confident.
"Marcus."
"Ethan."
They shook hands briefly.
No smile.
No small talk.
Vivian chose to sit a little distance away, observing.
Marcus pointed to a chair across from him.
"Sit."
Ethan sat slowly.
"It's rare for you to call me directly," he said.
Marcus crossed his legs. "It's rare for you to make a move without calculation."
Ethan smiled faintly. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Marcus did not return the smile.
"Why did you attack Sophia?"
Straight to the point.
No introduction.
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly. "It was a business move."
"No," Marcus said calmly. "It was an emotional move."
Silence filled the room.
Ethan did not reply immediately.
Marcus continued, "You attacked her reputation to draw Adrian out of his comfort zone. But you forgot one thing."
"What's that?"
"Some people don't grow weaker when attacked. They become more dangerous."
Ethan looked at Marcus more sharply now.
"I know my risks."
Marcus leaned forward slightly.
"No. You don't see the whole board."
At Adrian's mansion, at the same time, Adrian received a report that Ethan had entered Marcus's district.
Rafael stood in front of the desk.
"Visual confirmation. He's inside."
Adrian nodded slightly.
"Good."
Sophia, sitting on the sofa, looked at him.
"You already knew they'd meet."
"Marcus doesn't move without rearranging the pieces."
Sophia was silent.
"Meaning… Ethan was never entirely on his own."
Adrian looked at the strategy board on the wall.
"Never."
Back at Marcus's house.
Ethan leaned back, still trying to maintain his composure.
"If you called me just to scold me, I don't think it's necessary."
Marcus smiled slightly.
"I called you to remind you of your position."
The tone was gentle.
But striking.
Vivian lifted her head slightly.
Ethan remained silent.
Marcus stood slowly and walked toward the bookshelf. He took out a thin folder.
"Do you remember three years ago when your company was almost bankrupt due to a liquidity crisis?"
Ethan frowned.
"That matter is already resolved."
"Because I resolved it."
The folder was opened.
Fund transfer documents. Restructuring schemes. Credit lines that suddenly opened up.
All signed through Marcus's network.
Ethan froze for a moment.
Marcus looked at him.
"Without me, you wouldn't be sitting here today."
The silence felt heavier.
Vivian slowly understood the direction of the conversation.
Ethan finally spoke softly, "I never denied your help."
"Help?" Marcus repeated softly. "That was an investment."
Their gazes met.
"And investments always come with control."
The air in the room felt oppressive.
Ethan finally stood up.
"If you want me to stop attacking Adrian, just say so."
Marcus smiled slightly.
"I never said stop."
Ethan was silent.
Marcus walked closer, only a few steps between them.
"I just want you to remember… you're not the only one with an agenda."
"What agenda?"
Marcus looked straight into Ethan's eyes.
"Adrian rose too fast. Too clean. Too stable."
"And that bothers you."
"No. That changes the balance."
The words were not anger.
They were calculation.
Ethan slowly realized something.
The attack on Sophia…
Was not entirely his idea.
That old information was not easy to obtain.
Someone had given it to him.
Someone with access.
Someone who might have… deliberately pushed him.
"That article," Ethan said softly. "The data I received…"
Marcus smiled without answering.
The answer was already clear.
Vivian finally spoke.
"So we're just tools?"
Marcus turned to her with a cold stare.
"Everyone is a tool in a larger system."
Ethan clenched his hands.
"I'm not a pawn."
Marcus looked at him for a long time.
Then spoke softly, almost gently:
"Everyone thinks they're not a pawn… until they see the board from above."
The words cut deep.
For the first time, Ethan felt something he rarely felt.
Not fear.
But loss of control.
In Adrian's office, his phone buzzed.
An internal source sent a short message:
Tense conversation. Marcus dominant. Ethan uncomfortable.
Adrian read it slowly.
Sophia stood beside him.
"What's happening?"
"Ethan just realized he's not in the driver's seat."
Sophia let out a long breath.
"So all this time… Marcus let him attack us?"
Adrian nodded.
"To test us. To see our reaction."
Sophia looked out the window.
"And now?"
"Now Marcus is starting to step in directly."
Back at Marcus's mansion.
The meeting was almost over.
Ethan stood straight, trying to regain his dignity.
"If you have a bigger plan, say it."
Marcus walked back to his chair.
"I just want balance."
"By destroying Adrian?"
Marcus shook his head slightly.
"By making sure he knows his limits."
Ethan was silent.
"And if I refuse?"
Marcus smiled slightly.
"Old debts always find a way to be remembered."
The threat was not harsh.
But clear.
Vivian looked at Ethan, realizing their position was far more fragile than she had thought.
Ethan finally spoke softly, "What do you want from me?"
Marcus looked at him calmly.
"Continue."
Ethan frowned.
"Continue your pressure. But don't cross the line I set."
"What line?"
"Don't touch things that aren't ready to be touched yet."
Ethan understood what he meant.
The old case of Sophia's mother.
The death.
The deeper documents.
Marcus was not ready for it to be fully uncovered.
Not yet.
Ethan's car left the mansion in a long silence.
Vivian finally spoke.
"We're really not the main players."
Ethan stared at the dark road ahead.
"Not anymore."
"Then what?"
Ethan smiled slightly.
"I don't like being a pawn."
Vivian turned to him.
"Don't tell me you'll fight Marcus too."
Ethan did not answer.
But in his eyes was something new.
Awareness.
And perhaps… ambition that was starting to become dangerous.
On the balcony of Adrian's mansion, the night felt heavier.
Sophia stood hugging herself.
"So now it's clear," she said softly. "Marcus is not just a shadow."
"He's an old architect," Adrian replied.
"And Ethan?"
"A pawn who's starting to wake up."
Sophia looked at the sky.
"If a pawn wakes up, what happens?"
Adrian smiled slightly.
"The board gets messy."
He pulled Sophia into his embrace.
"And in chaos… opportunities emerge."
Yet far in the city center, in a dark office with a single light on, Marcus Sterling stood looking at a map connecting major companies.
Red strings linked Adrian's name.
Ethan's name.
And several other names that had not yet surfaced.
He touched the old photo of Sophia's mother lying on the corner of his desk.
"The game isn't over," he murmured softly.
"This is just the opening act."
And for the first time.
Ethan realized that the war he thought was his…
Was only a small part of the strategy of a man who had been playing for far longer.