Chairman Lewis leaned back against the plush leather seating of his black limousine as it cut through the dark city streets, heading back toward the Third Branch headquarters.
Who exactly is Beast planning to send? Lewis thought, his brows furrowing in deep contemplation.
Suddenly, the silent cabin was interrupted by the sharp vibration of his phone. Lewis pulled it from his breast pocket. The caller ID made his heart skip a beat. It read: Loop's Number 1.
He immediately answered, pressing the receiver tightly to his ear and keeping his voice perfectly disciplined. "Good evening, Sir."
"Good evening, Lewis," a distorted, authoritative voice replied from the other end. "How did the negotiation go?"
"Sir, Beast has agreed to send reinforcements," Lewis reported. "But he is only sending two people."
"Only two?" Number 1's tone went dangerously cold.
"Yes, sir. But he guaranteed that they are exceptionally strong—more than enough to secure our borders."
"Excellent. Do not let the Third Branch fall," Number 1 commanded. "Because of the sudden collapse of the Fourth Branch, we are already lagging far behind the Shadow Syndicate on Canadian soil."
Lewis hesitated for a fraction of a second before asking, "Sir... did the Fourth Branch truly fall as fast as the rumors say?"
"Yes. A short while ago, federal forces raided the facility with absolute, undeniable proof. Everyone is currently behind bars. As for Nemesis... he is dead."
Lewis's eyes widened in the dark limousine. "Dead? How?"
"Nobody knows the exact details," Number 1 stated grimly. "The Fourth Branch member found his body the morning after a black-ops military group struck. Whoever they were, they gathered the branch's darkest data and handed it directly to the authorities on a silver platter."
Lewis swallowed hard, nodding slowly. "Understood, Sir."
"Ensure your security is absolute, Lewis. I want the Third Branch locked down so tight that not even a bird can fly near the perimeter, let alone a man. The Third Branch is far too valuable for us to lose."
"It will be done, Sir," Lewis replied firmly before the line went dead.
Meanwhile, the quiet night inside the residence was peaceful. Ethan quietly stepped out of his bedroom, his eyes tired from hours of studying. He walked into the kitchen, pulled a chilled bottle of water from the fridge, and poured himself a glass, sitting down at the dining table to drink it in silence.
Soft footsteps echoed on the tile floor as his mother walked into the kitchen. She smiled warmly at him. "Ethan. How is the studying going?"
"It's going well," Ethan replied, setting his glass down. "But there are a few concepts in the final chapters that I'm having trouble wrapping my head around."
His mother pulled out a chair and sat across from him. "You can tell me. Maybe I can be of some help."
Ethan nodded. He walked back to his room, retrieved his heavy physics textbook, and laid it open on the table between them. "Can you explain this topic to me?"
His mother scanned the page, a knowing smile touching her lips. "Ah, this is related to electromagnetism..."
She began breaking down the complex formulas, explaining the core theory with such effortless clarity that within a matter of minutes, the confusing concepts completely clicked in Ethan's mind.
Ethan looked at his mother, genuinely awestruck. "Wow. Mother... how do you know all of this so well?"
She chuckled softly, a hint of pride in her eyes. "Your mother was the undisputed topper of her class back in the day, Ethan."
"Really?" Ethan asked, his eyebrows raising in surprise.
"Of course. Academic excellence runs in the family," she said, leaning back. "Even Daisy always claims first place. In fact, this high school personally reached out to our family and practically begged us to enroll her."
Ethan nodded slowly, listening intently.
"Because of her perfect scores, Daisy's tuition is completely free," his mother revealed. "And thanks to her scholarship, your tuition fees are significantly lower than everyone else's."
Ethan's eyes widened slightly. He had always assumed it was just a standard, high-end academy. "This school... it's considered one of the best in the country, right?"
His mother's smile faded a fraction, replaced by a thoughtful, distant look. "It has been an elite institution for a very long time. But... I believe the real problems started about a few year ago, when a certain incident occurred."
Ethan's mercenary instincts instantly flared. He leaned in. "An incident? What happened?"
"I don't know the exact details," his mother said, lowering her voice. "Some people in the community say it was a tragic suicide, while others whisper that it was a covered-up murder. Either way, the entire scene was silenced almost instantly by the people in power."
Ethan's gaze sharpened. "Mother... who told you about this?"
"Just someone I used to know," she replied smoothly, deflecting the question with a gentle smile. "But we shouldn't dwell on the past. The past is only something we should learn from, not get trapped in."
Ethan nodded, letting the matter drop for now, but filing the information away. He decided to pivot. "Mother... do we have any other relatives out there?"
His mother paused, looking down at her hands. "On your father's side, he has two brothers, but they have been living abroad for years. And then he had a sister... though I haven't heard anything about her in a very long time."
"What about your side of the family?" Ethan pressed gently.
His mother shook her head, offering a soft, bittersweet smile. "I am the only one left from my bloodline, Ethan. But now, I have you and Daisy. You two are my entire family."