Hospital Room – Late Night
The door creaked open.
"Hello, Uncle. Aunty."
The voice was smooth, calm, almost too polite. Like someone greeting neighbors while holding a bloody knife behind their back.
All heads turned toward the door.
Standing there was Ethan.
Not a scratch on him now. Dressed casually, hands in his pockets, his eyes scanned the room like a predator entering a zoo full of wounded animals.
Axel twitched.
Lucien's casted hand jerked.
Even Rei, already half-slapped into another dimension, visibly stiffened.
It was as if their bodies remembered something their pride had buried. PTSD activated like Windows startup.
Vibration: 100%
Lucien's legs wobbled under the blanket like he had an electric toothbrush jammed in his thigh.
Axel's face twitched so fast it looked like he was buffering.
Ethan stepped inside like he was entering a cafe, giving them a bright, almost mocking smile. "Ah, you all look better than I expected. Especially you, Axel. How's the neck? Still attached? That's good."
Mrs. Crowne was the first to break the silence, standing as if about to charge. "What are you doing here?!"
He tilted his head, mock confusion on his face. "What do you mean? I came to visit my friends." He looked around innocently. "I even brought my charming personality."
Lucien choked. Axel groaned again.
He glanced at Axel and Lucien, who immediately looked like they wanted to sue the universe.
Mrs. Crowne looked ready to explode. "You insolent little—!"
Mr. Crowne gripped her arm.
"Don't," he muttered. "Let's see what he is doing."
Ethan walked forward and casually pulled up a chair beside Axel's bed, sitting like he was visiting a recovering buddy after a football match.
"How's the arm?" he asked.
Axel glared at him. "Go to hell."
Ethan smiled. "You first."
Axel tensed to rise—pain shot up his shoulder and he slumped back with a grunt.
"Oh, careful," Ethan said sweetly. "Wouldn't want you to injure your pride any further."
Lucien avoided eye contact. Rei looked down at the floor like it held the secrets to life.
Ethan looked around innocently. "By the way… where's Serena?"
That hit harder than any slap.
Axel blinked. Lucien froze. Rei's head jerked up in confusion.
"You know," Ethan added, "The one you were all fighting for. She didn't come to visit?"
Axel scoffed bitterly. "She's probably in someone else's bed."
He tried to sound mocking.
Ethan just laughed.
But it wasn't a regular laugh. No joy. No amusement. Just… something sharp and unhinged. The kind of laugh that makes you want to leave the room.
Even Mrs. Crowne shivered.
When the laugh faded, Ethan leaned forward, eyes suddenly sharp. "So she's not with you."
The words dropped like weights.
Axel opened his mouth, but Ethan cut him off.
"From what I remember," he said, voice calm again, "Your family is filthy rich. You have everything. Cars, connections, money. If she was really a gold digger, as you claimed, she'd still be with you."
He tilted his head.
"And knowing your god-tier ego, you wouldn't let any guy near her. So if she's not with you now… that means she left you."
He said it so flatly.
Axel's mouth fell open.
Lucien's eyes widened.
Rei blinked, stunned.
Even Mr. and Mrs. Crowne looked at each other. It made perfect sense. Too much sense.
Ethan leaned back in the chair like he was wrapping up a lecture. "And instead of accepting that she left because you're an insecure brat with a god complex, you assumed she ran to me. So you tried to kill me."
Silence.
Only the heart monitor beeped in the background. It sounded almost sarcastic.
"I'm not mad," Ethan said, still smiling. "Honestly, I'm impressed. You really are dumb. Reckless too. But dumb."
Mrs. Crowne finally snapped. "Watch your mouth, you—!"
"Ma'am," Ethan turned to her, expression ice-cold now, "Let me give you a warning."
She froze.
Ethan's voice turned cold. "I don't know where Serena is. But if anything happens to her…"
He stood up slowly, tone sharpening.
"I'll make sure all of you experience something worse than hell."
He looked at Axel, then Lucien, then Rei.
"This hospital will feel like a five-star resort compared to what comes next."
Mr. Crowne stepped forward. "Is that a threat?"
Ethan walked up to him, calm, close enough to smell the man's expensive regret.
"No," he said. "That's a promise."
Then he smiled.
"Anyway. Thanks for the chat. It's always good to check up on friends."
He turned and walked out of the room.
As the door clicked shut behind him, no one spoke.
Mrs. Crowne gripped her pearls like they were prayer beads.
Mr. Crowne wiped his forehead with a silk handkerchief that was suddenly damp.
Lucien whispered, "We're screwed."
Axel muttered, "He's a demon…"
Rei simply closed his eyes.
At that moment, all three of them realized something chilling.
The fight on the rooftop?
That was just a warm-up.
Ethan's House – Late Night
The house was quiet.
His parents had already gone to bed. Ethan sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the ceiling.
His side still ached faintly from the rooftop fight.
But that wasn't what kept him awake.
It was Serena.
She was so full of life. So kind, gentle, warm.
The way Axel described her, that wasn't her.
What I remember from the memory, she really loved Ethan.
"Why would she just disappear? Where would she go? What's the truth behind all this?"
Just then—
Ding!
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
[SYSTEM MISSION UNLOCKED]
Mission Title: "Find Serena. Uncover the Truth."
Reward: ???
Note: Mission reward will be revealed upon completion.
Ethan sat up, brows furrowed.
"Huh! As expected.This system is getting too cheeky, it's not revealing the rewards. Even if I didn't get this mission, I would have definitely done everything in my capability to find her. "
" System show me my stats."
[Stats Panel]
Host: Ethan
Age: 20
Wealth: $35,000,000
Assets:
• 1x Villa at Elowen Crest
• Platinum Card (Royal Banguard International)
• Midnight Phantom-X (Limited Edition Vehicle)
• 49% Stake in Maple Nest Properties
Skills:
• Perfect Communication (Passive)
• Bond-Wick Combat Mastery (Intermediate→ Advanced) (Passive)
• Absolute Business Intuition (Passive)
• Perfect Driving (Passive)
• Perfect Butler Etiquette (Passive)
• Perfect Investment Sense (Passive)
Heroines:
• Rhea Marclaire (Affinity: 70)
• Jasmine Carter (Affinity: 35)
Ethan raised an eyebrow at the stats.
"Heh! So, I haven't fully mastered the bond-wick combat, that's why it is not written perfect like my other skills."
He smiled faintly looking at Rhea and Jasmine's affinity.
" I have been slacking of too much."
He tapped his fingers together, grinning.
" I wonder what will happen when Rhea's affinity reaches 100, but it's time to make that happen."
" Rhea will be completely mine."