The drug scandal spread throughout the whole Imperial Galaxy. Even if the official statements didn’t mention the drug, it was already apparent that the military was going to a galaxy-wide clean-up.

It didn’t take a long time for Ethan’s light brain to chime with an incoming call. He glanced at the caller ID and felt his jaw tighten.

The spoiled brat couldn’t even wait a full day before throwing his tantrum.

In the hidden mansion surrounded by forest, Ethan moved to the windows to accept the call. A holographic projection materialized on his desk.

The other person’s face flickered into view, contorted with rage. His perfectly coiffed hair seemed to tremble with the force of his anger, and those noble features were twisted into something ugly.

"You incompetent fool!" The young man’s cracked and shrill voice through the call was enough to make Ethan pull back slightly. "You were supposed to be monitoring the situation! How could you let both operations collapse at the same time?"

Ethan leaned back in his chair, studying his nails with deliberate nonchalance. The young man’s face reddened further at the obvious dismissal.

He secretly glanced at the young man and thought, Let the little brat learn that not everyone would grovel at his feet.

"Are you listening to me?" A hand slammed down on what must have been a desk on his end in the holographic screen’s 3D projection.

But of course, no sound carried through. It was just the visual theatrics of a man who had never been denied anything in his life.

"I’m listening," Ethan replied, his tone flat. "You’re upset that the Hewitts fell through at the same time as Old Cox. Did I summarize that correctly, young master?"

The title dripped with barely concealed mockery. Ethan watched the young master’s nostrils flare, a vein pulsing at his temple.

"Don’t you dare speak to me like that! Do you have any idea how much money we lost? That research lab is gone, too! My father—" The young master cut himself off, seeming to remember that mentioning his father’s involvement might not be the wisest move in this situation.

Ethan allowed himself a small smile. At least the idiot had some sense of self-preservation.

"Your concern is valid, of course," Ethan said. "However, I fail to see how this became my failure. You were briefed on the risks. Both operations were your decisions to greenlight despite my concerns about the plan."

"You were supposed to prevent this from happening!" The young master’s voice rose another octave. "That’s what I pay you for! To make sure things don’t go wrong!"

"No." Ethan’s voice went cold, cutting through the other man’s madness. "First of all, you don’t pay me, and I don’t answer to you. We are cooperating with the same goal in mind. My role is to execute your plans, not to fix your incompetence."

"That’s why I don’t understand why you didn’t prevent the military from getting involved in this. If the military is blind, we could just settle this issue easily!" The young master retorted menacingly.

"I didn’t expect the military to get involved either. But since Grayson was involved, shouldn’t you have expected this to happen? After all, you are the one who told me to enter the Maxwell Corporation." Ethan pointed out lightly.

"Are you blaming me for that?" The young master’s eyes were glaring murderously at Ethan. "Remember, if it weren’t for me, you would be rotting in jail right now in Vankila."

Ethan shrugged as if he really didn’t mind the threat, "Jail or not, in the end, you judged that you still need me alive. That’s why you’re keeping me hidden like this."

"Then tell me why you didn’t help those two! I need them as eyes in the corporations!" The young master demanded.

"You killed them yourself before I could even help, so you only have yourself to blame," Ethan said sharply.

The young master’s mouth opened and closed several times, his face cycling through shades of red and purple. It would’ve been entertaining if Ethan weren’t the one dealing with it.

"He knew this was going to happen," Ethan continued his own monologue to summarize what happened.

His voice was taking on a bitter edge. He stood from his chair and began to pace. The young master’s holographic screen tracked his movement.

"He knew that running both operations simultaneously would spread our resources too thin. He knew that the timing would attract unwanted attention. But did he listen? No. Because the young master always knows best, doesn’t he?"

"I—you—"

"But now he’s crying that he lost two at the same time?" Ethan laughed, the sound harsh and humorless.

"So if they fail one by one, that’s fine? That’s somehow better? That’s not really interesting." He stopped pacing and turned to face the holographic screen directly. "It’s boring."

The young master’s expression had changed from rage to something closer to shock.

Probably no one had spoken to him this way since... well, ever. Ethan felt a dark satisfaction curl in his chest.

His thoughts began to recall Neville. His sweet, clever Neville.

The contrast between the fumbling idiot on his screen and Neville’s clever maneuvers made Ethan’s chest tight.

He turned away from the holographic screen and walked toward the window of his study in the mansion. The endless trees were dizzying, but Ethan saw only the reflection of his own face in the glass. It was the face of a man trapped in a dangerous game he had never wanted to play.

"For how long do I have to call him young master?" The words slipped out, barely a whisper. It was not really directed at the man still sputtering in holographic form behind him.

Ethan pulled up his light brain with a swift gesture, fingers moving through the interface with ease. He initiated a second call even as the young master continued his tirade in the background.

This call took a moment to come through. After all, this one was routed through seventeen different relay points across three galaxies. Each layer of encryption was more sophisticated than the last.

"Master?"