382 The Truth About Ethan Wright


    Five minutes after ending the call with Collins, Axel remained seated, utterly frozen.


    The phone still rested in his hand, the screen dark, reflecting his own stunned expression back at him.


    The office, once calm and familiar, suddenly felt toorge, too quiet, too unreal.


    ‘Aunty Martha’s son. Noah Henry Davis is Ethan Wright…


    The words mmed into his mind like a thunderbolt, leaving sparks of disbelief


    behind.


    Axel blinked slowly, as if waking from a dream.


    But the truth did not vanish.


    Instead, it settled more heavily with


    every breath.


    He could not think straight. His mind refused to move forward, looping the same revtion again and again until it felt almost absurd.


    Ethan. The boy he rescued. The man he trained. The brother he trusted.


    Was the missing son of Aunty Martha whom Evelyn searched for?


    Axel let out a soft, breathlessugh that carried no humor at all. It sounded more like disbelief surrendering to fate.


    Another five minutes passed before memories began to stir, creeping into his thoughts with startling rity.


    Years ago.


    Willow Country.


    And of endless conflict, gunfire echoing through broken streets, where survival was never guaranteed. Axel had gone there for business, toy the foundation for his growing empire. He had brought a team. He had been prepared for any resistance.


    But not for betrayal.


    A rival organization had sent assassins after them. A clean hit. Quick. Silent. Deadly.


    Except nothing went ording to n.


    22:08


    382 The Truth About Ethan Wright


    Their convoy was ambushed. Bullets cut through the air. Screams and explosions filled the night. Axel and his men fought to break through<b>, </b>but the enemy numbers were overwhelming. Death had hovered close, patient and eager.


    Then, out of nowhere, a young man appeared.


    He moved like a shadow, striking with precision that belonged to someone born in war. He turned the tide of the ambush long enough for Axel’s team to escape the kill zone. A miracle wrapped in blood and chaos.


    But miracles demanded payment.


    By the time they reached safety, the young man had copsed, his body torn by bullets and des. He clung to life by the thinnest thread.


    Axel had not hesitated.


    He arranged transport out of Willow Country. He found doctors willing to treat a nameless mercenary with no history. He paid in cash and silence.


    When the young man finally woke, dayster, his eyes were nk. No recognition. No memories. No name.


    He remembered nothing of his past. Not his family. Not his origins. Not even how he had learned to fight like a weapon.


    Only instinct remained.


    That was when Axel gave him a new identity.


    Ethan Wright.


    A clean te. A second life. A chance to be something more than a disposable soldier in a forgotten war.


    Axel trained him, guided him, molded him into a man who could survive both boardrooms and battlefields.


    Over time, Ethan became more than a subordinate. He became a partner. A confidant. A brother in everything but blood.


    And now, fate has circled back.


    The boy with no past.


    Was the very son they had been searching for.


    22:08


    382 The Truth About Ethan Wright


    Axel pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling a strange mixture of dread and awe crawl through him.


    “How could this happen?” he whispered, a shakyugh escaping his lips. “What kind of twisted destiny is this?”


    Then another memory surfaced. A recent one.


    The file Evelyn had shown him. The photograph of a young boy. The familiar curve of the jaw. The shape of the eyes.


    It seemed familiar then.


    Now it made perfect sense.


    “Ethan,” Axel murmured, a slow smile forming. “We finally found your family, buddy!”


    The joy was brief. A fragile me in a storm.


    Because reality struck again.


    Nevalis City.


    Gunfire.


    The danger signal.


    Ethan, alone against armed attackers.


    The smile faded instantly.


    “Damn it,” Axel hissed, rising from his chair so abruptly it scraped against the floor.


    He walked to the window. Snow drifted past the ss, soft and peaceful. A cruel contrast to the storm raging in his thoughts.


    He stared into the dark sky, jaw tight, fists clenched.


    “Gods,” he muttered quietly. “Whoever is listening out there… bring him back. Please.” His voice dropped to a whisper, sounding raw and unexpectedly vulnerable.


    “He finally has a family waiting for him. He deserves to know the truth. He deserves to live.”


    Axel stood by the window, unmoving. His reflection stared back at him, sharp–eyed and controlled, yet beneath the surface, tension coiled like a loaded gun.


    382 The Truth About Ethan Wright


    The cell phone rested in his hand, his fingers tightening around it every passing second.


    He did not know how long he stood there. One minute. Ten. An eternity.


    Then the phone vibrated.


    His heart clenched instantly.


    Collins.


    Axel answered before the second ring could finish. “Collins. Any news about Ethan?”


    There was a brief pause, then Collins‘ voice came through, breathless but steady. “Boss. Yes. Renata just alerted me. They found him.”


    Axel exhaled, but the reliefsted only a fraction of a second.


    “He’s injured,” Collins continued. “After a brutal fight with more than thirty people.”


    “Thirty?” Axel repeated, disbelief slipping into his tone before he could stop it.


    “Yes, thirty… It seems another enemy team ambushed him,” Collins confirmed grimly. “And half of them were fully armed. Whoever sent those men… their goal was to eliminate Ethan’s life.”


    Axel’s grip tightened around the phone. The calm mask on his face did not crack, but inside, something molten ignited. A slow–burning rage, hot enough to scorch reason itself.


    “Have you found out who sent those goons?” His voice dropped into something cold, sharp enough to cut steel.


    “I’m working on it. The vehicles had fake registrations. We’ll need more time toplete the investigation. And we have to wait until Ethan is fully conscious and tell us what he knows,” Collins said. “But don’t worry, boss. By morning, I’ll give you a name


    or two.”


    Axel closed his eyes briefly, drawing a slow breath to leash the fury threatening to spill


    over.


    “Good,” Axel said finally. “Take care of Ethan. Make sure he receives the best medical treatment avable.”


    admin


    <strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.