The city never sleeps, but tonight, it felt alive with whispers of fear—though none yet knew why. Ethan Cross moved through the shadows of Seoul, the rain from the morning still clinging to his coat, his eyes scanning every window, every alley. Every step carried a quiet weight, an invisible warning to anyone foolish enough to cross him.
Inside the dimly lit office of Carter Investments, Michael Carter sipped whiskey, arrogance dripping from his every word. He had no idea that the man he had tried to destroy once was now walking the streets of Seoul again, reborn, and hungry for vengeance.
Ethan's first move was not financial. It was surgical. Carter had a loyal network of insiders—traitors who had whispered secrets, who had turned blind eyes at the wrong moments. They would feel the wrath first.
A sudden flash of movement: Ethan's aura flared, invisible to the untrained eye but lethal in its presence. Two men loitering outside the office doors suddenly doubled over, clutching their chests, terror writ across their faces. Their knees buckled. One screamed as blood spurted from his mouth. The other tried to run, but an unseen force—Ethan's presence alone—forced him to crash into a street lamp.
Inside, Carter's security systems went haywire. Cameras flickered. The electricity cut off. Panic erupted in the office as employees scrambled. And then, appearing in the reflection of the glass doors, Carter saw him. A man in a black suit, blue eyes like knives, standing in the rain as if he had emerged from the shadows themselves.
"Who—who is that?" Carter stammered.
Ethan smiled, but it was no ordinary smile. It was a predator's grin, calm yet threatening enough to make blood run cold.
"You remember me," Ethan said, voice low, silky, and deadly. "The one you thought you killed. I'm reborn, Michael. And you… you will pay."
Within the hour, Carter's office was thrown into chaos. Emails were leaked, financial transactions reversed, personal accounts emptied. And behind it all, Ethan orchestrated each move like a master strategist. Every betrayal he had suffered, every humiliation he had endured—he now mirrored it back on his enemies with precision, cruelty, and absolute power.
Outside, the rain washed away the last traces of morning innocence. Ethan stood atop a rooftop, looking down at the city that had once been indifferent to him. His aura surged, almost visible now—a wave of dominance that bent the weak, crushed pride, and inspired fear.
He had begun.
The first strike was merely a message. The next would be blood.
Let them feel the weight of their sins, he thought. I am not just Ethan Cross anymore. I am their reckoning.
And somewhere in the shadows, a young woman watched. Hana Seo, tech genius, fiercely independent, had no idea yet that this man would either save her or destroy everything she believed in. But one thing was certain: with Ethan Cross in motion, nothing would ever be the same again.