Not long after Ethan stepped out of Lady Madison''s grand mansion, the heavy oak doors closing behind him with a faint thud.
The cool evening air brushed against his face, a stark contrast to the stifling weight of the conversation that had just taken ce inside. He stood there for a moment, his hands shoved into his pockets, his gaze fixed on the sprawling gardens that surrounded the estate.
He mind was full of thought and he didn''t know what do, and how he was going to approach the situation without exposing himself in the process.
However one thing is for sure, Jeremy would do everything possible to make sure he seeded, that wasn''t his concern.
At that moment the question gnawed at him relentlessly.
Should Ipete with Jeremy for my grandmother''s wealth? It wasn''t about the money—he already had more than enough of that. His empire was steadily growing, with ns that were ambitious yet calcted.
Now that the trillion-dor goal was within reach, and he was building something that felt entirely his own.
Why fight for something I don''t need? he thought, his jaw tightening slightly. His financial position was solid, more than solid. In terms of liquid assets—cash in the bank—he already surpassed his grandmother. That fact alone provided a sense of security, but it wasn''t the full picture.
At that moment Ethan sighed, his footsteps slow and deliberate as he walked toward his car.
Connections, he thought, the word ringing in his mind. That was where Lady Madison still held the upper hand over him.
Herwork was vast and deeply entrenched in both the corporate world and the upper echelons of society.
Her worth, tied to assets, properties, and influence, was still greater than his. But even that felt like a temporary hurdle.
This month, he thought, his resolve hardening. That changes. His ns were already in motion, strategies aligning to elevate his empire not just in revenue but in reach and influence.
Competing with Jeremy felt almost redundant, a detour on a path he was already carving out for himself. Yet, Lady Madison had insisted, and Ethan knew better than to ignore her will.
However knowing if he was going to try, he will try and win, he''s not going to allow Jeremy get it some easily, however he still hasn''t made his decision yet.
At that moment he reached his car, his hand lingering on the handle for a moment as his thoughts churned. Jeremy thrives on this kind ofpetition, Ethan mused. He thinks it''s about proving who''s better.
''But this isn''t about him—it''s about what I want to build, what I want to achieve.''
At that moment he decided to go in for it.
Sliding into the driver''s seat, Ethan gripped the wheel, his mind clearer now. Thepetition wasn''t a necessity for him—it was a stepping stone. One more challenge to navigate, one more opportunity to demonstrate that he wasn''t just following in Lady Madison''s footsteps—he was creating a legacy of his own.
Not long after leavingdy Madison house.
Ethan pulled his car to a slow stop outside the modest but well-maintained building that housed thepany his grandmother had assigned to him. The sign above the entrance read "Harvest Foods Co." It was a food productionpany, one that had been around for decades, but Ethan couldn''t help but feel a pang of confusion and unease.
"Why thispany?" he thought, his fingers drumming lightly against the steering wheel. It wasn''t a shy corporation, not the kind of powerhouse he would''ve expected Lady Madison to use for apetition of this magnitude. Yet, there was something about its simplicity that felt deliberate, almost calcted.
His gaze lingered on the building as his mind turned over the possibilities.@@novelbin@@
"Could Lady Madison have chosen thispany because of its potential? Or was it something else entirely?"
At that moment the idea began to form, unbidden, in the back of his mind—a darker thought he couldn''t ignore.
"Could she know about the possibility of war?"
Ethan frowned, his jaw tightening. The neighboring country was on the brink of conflict, and if war broke out, the demand for food supplies would skyrocket. It was almost too convenient that Lady Madison had assigned him a food productionpany, the kind of business that would thrive under such circumstances.
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"Did she anticipate this?"
Another unsettling thought crept in.
At that moment he remembered the words of the Silver family''s patriarch: ''The circle has many members, some closer to you than you realize.'' His heart sank slightly as a new possibility took shape. What if Grandma is part of the circle?
The idea gnawed at him. Lady Madison was the wealthiest woman in the country, her influence stretching across industries and borders. If she were involved with the circle, it would exin a lot—her strategic mind, her ability to stay ahead of the curve, her unshakable confidence. But it would alsoplicate everything.
Ethan leaned back in his seat, staring nkly at the building. If she''s part of the circle, what then? He''d already crossed paths with the circle, and the bodies left in his wake weren''t something that could be ignored. Could he go against her if it came to that?
The weight of the thought settled on him.
"She''s my grandmother, but if she''s part of the circle, everything changes."
The idea of going head-to-head with Lady Madison made his stomach churn. She was more than just a family figure—she was a force of nature. If she was tied to the circle, it would mean his fight wasn''t just against an organization but against his own bloodline. And that was a battle he wasn''t sure he wanted to fight.
At that moment Ethan exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel. The answers wouldn''te from sitting in his car. He needed to step inside, assess thepany, and begin working toward thepetition. But even as he opened the door and stepped out, the weight of his thoughts followed him, lingering like a shadow he couldn''t shake.