The man who stepped out of the car was none other than Damien. He froze for a moment when he saw Ethan, but quickly regained his composure, a faint mocking smile forming on his face.
"Ethan, it's been a while. I didn't expect you and Claire to get divorced. What a shame."
Already seething with anger, Ethan could no longer control himself after hearing those words. Memories from his past life flashed through his mind, driving him to the edge of reason.
He stormed over to Damien and, without a word, swung his fist straight into Damien's face.
**"Ugh!"**
Damien let out a muffled groan, stumbling backward and collapsing to the ground. His eyes were wide with disbelief. He never imagined Ethan would actually dare to hit him.
"Ethan, are you crazy?!" Damien shouted in shock. How dare he attack him? Why would he even think of doing so?
But Ethan ignored him, grabbing Damien by the collar and glaring at him with cold fury.
"Damien, do you think I don't know about everything you've done? Do you still think I'm the fool you can toy with?"
Damien froze for a second, realizing that Ethan knew everything. No wonder he was so aggressive. Wiping the blood from his mouth, Damien's expression shifted to one of smug satisfaction.
"Ethan, you're not as dumb as I thought. You finally figured it out. Yes, I did it all. But so what? What can you do now that you know?"
"I'll ruin you, Ethan. I'll take Claire away from you, and I'll enjoy every inch of her. She'll beg me—"
"Shut the hell up!" Ethan roared, landing another punch on Damien's face. "I won't let you touch Claire. Not a chance."
**"Pfft…"**
Damien spat out blood, his face bruised and swelling. Yet instead of getting angry, his grin widened.
"Oh, Ethan. You're still so naive. Still so stupid. I've got money. I've got power. I can take Lily to the best doctors. What makes you think I won't win her over?
"And you? You're just a worthless gambling addict. What right do you have to compete with me?"
"I can kill you!" Ethan hissed through gritted teeth.
He tightened his grip around Damien's throat, squeezing with all his strength.
**"Hrk…"**
A guttural sound escaped from Damien's throat as his face turned a sickly shade of purple. For the first time, fear flashed in his eyes. He tried to fight back, to free himself, but with Ethan's years of combat experience, there was no way he could break free.
"Hey! What are you doing? Stop fighting!"
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them. Ethan paused for a second, loosening his grip. That moment of hesitation gave Damien just enough time to pull back, stumbling away from Ethan's grasp and gasping for air.
"You bastard… were you really trying to kill me?" Damien wheezed, still catching his breath.
Ethan didn't respond to Damien, turning instead to see who had interrupted them. He frowned slightly as he saw an officer approaching.
The officer quickly moved to help Damien to his feet. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Damien replied, waving him off.
The officer breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Ethan with a stern look. "What's your name? Show me your ID. You just assaulted someone. You'll need to come with me to the station—"
"Officer, it's nothing. We were just fooling around," Damien suddenly interjected, cutting off the officer.
"Fooling around?" The officer blinked in surprise, not sure how to react.
"Yeah, really. It's no big deal. You can go about your business," Damien said with a smile.
"You two…" The officer was dumbfounded. Ethan had nearly choked Damien to death, and now Damien was claiming they were just horsing around?
"Don't do that again. It's dangerous," the officer warned, shaking his head before finally leaving.
Damien had regained his composure by now. Rubbing his sore neck, he glared at Ethan.
"Ethan, I'll take this beating today, but remember—whatever pain you caused me, I'll return to you a hundredfold."
"You won't get the chance."
Ethan's gaze was icy cold. If the officer hadn't shown up, he would have killed Damien right there. But the brief interruption had given him a moment to cool down.
Killing Damien now might feel satisfying, but it would also ruin his future. Ethan was still too weak, far from being powerful enough to ignore the laws of Terra. For now, he would let Damien live a little longer.
"Damien, if you get near Claire again, I won't hesitate to trade my life for yours," Ethan threatened.
He couldn't kill Damien just yet, but he needed to make his stance clear.
"You…" Damien gritted his teeth in frustration. He had rushed over as soon as he heard about Ethan and Claire's divorce, intending to sweep Claire off her feet with his money. He never expected to run into Ethan, much less this new, dangerous version of him.
That moment when Ethan nearly killed him had left a shadow of fear in Damien's heart. Going up to see Claire now was impossible.
But there was always another time. Damien knew he could still crush Ethan.
"Fine. You're the big man today. But you won't always be on top."
With that, Damien climbed back into his car and drove off, his face twisted in frustration. But he didn't go far. After turning a corner, he parked and lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply.
As the smoke curled through the car, Damien found himself lost in thought. He knew Ethan well—cautious, fearful, always overthinking things.
But today, Ethan had been completely different. It wasn't just that he'd dared to throw a punch. It was the confidence, the sense of certainty that radiated from him. The look in his eyes—it was a look Damien had only seen in people with great power.
But Ethan wasn't powerful. He was just a gambling addict, nothing more.
And yet, the ruthlessness in Ethan's attempt to strangle him had shaken Damien to the core.
"What changed him? What the hell is going on?"
"No. I need to figure this out."
Damien pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, Damien. What can I do for you?"
"Investigate Ethan's recent activities. Find out what he's been doing, who he's been meeting. I want everything."
"Understood."
"Oh, and tell Scar to speed things up. He's taking too long to collect that debt."
"Got it!"
Satisfied, Damien hung up. He rubbed his sore neck, hesitating for a moment before dialing another number.
"Hello, is this Mr. Ley?" Damien asked with a smile. The person on the other end wasn't one of his subordinates, but a mercenary—a notorious hitman who had carried out numerous assassinations abroad. After being chased out of several countries, Mr. Ley had fled to the U.S.
"Damien, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Mr. Ley, your company provides security services, right?"
"That's right. We've been handling your father's security for years."
"Good. I need two bodyguards."
Damien adjusted his collar, recalling the chilling moment with Ethan, and added, "Make sure they're top-notch. Preferably with a history of killing."
"Killing? Damien, are you in trouble? Need me to take care of something?"
"It's not serious. Just a useless gambling addict. I can handle him myself."
Damien wasn't reckless. He didn't want to resort to violence if it wasn't necessary. The bodyguards were just a precaution in case Ethan tried something crazy again.
"Alright. I've got a couple of people in mind, but they'll come at a price…"
"Money's not an issue."
"Haha, I like your style, Damien. Consider it done."
"Good."
Damien hung up, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he glanced in the direction Ethan had gone. Smirking, he slammed his foot on the gas pedal and sped away.