The sun filtered through the glass walls of Ethan's office, casting a warm glow over the polished floors and sleek furniture.
Outside, the city of Novan spread in all directions, alive with motion and noise, yet somehow distant behind the silence of thick glass.
Even with such a peaceful view, Ethan felt anything but calm.
His mind was clouded. The past few days had left scars that hadn't yet healed, both on the world around him and within himself. Too much had happened, and too fast.
"Why does it feel like every day just keeps getting harder?" he muttered under his breath.
He wasn't wrong. The battles he faced were growing, not just in scale but in consequence. And with every step forward, it felt like he was losing more of the people who mattered.
It had started with Mike. The moment the LaRues captured him, Ethan understood how powerless he still was. Those so-called Great Families had centuries of legacy. Their roots ran deep, stretching across Arkansas and far beyond.
