System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)-Chapter 317: The Calm Before the Storm

Jason stood tall, clearing his throat to deliver his report. "Chief, we scoured every inch of those facilities. But I have to be honest—I’m not sure we found what you were looking for. Actually, what exactly were we looking for?" Jason said.

"A flower. A black flower with glowing purple veins," Ethan said.

The room went silent. Jason, Lena, and the other women exchanged confused glances. "A flower? You sent a small army into the Arctic to find a plant?" Alexandria said.

"It is not just a plant. But if you didn’t see it, then it wasn’t there. Don’t worry about it. If you didn’t find the flower, what did you find?" Ethan said.

"We found the holy grail of evidence, Boss. We recovered the complete digital and physical registries of every person kidnapped and brought to those centers. Origins, prices paid, who sold them... we have the entire paper trail of their human trafficking network in our hands," Jason said.

Ethan’s eyes sharpened. This was a massive political weapon. "Where is it now?" Ethan said.

"I have it under maximum security in my private office. But that’s not all. We found something else—the exact coordinates of the Scavengers’ main headquarters," Jason said.

A cold, predatory smile spread across Ethan’s face. "And what about Albert?" Ethan said.

"He’s here, locked in a secure wing. We’re keeping him hidden so the Scavengers think he was killed during our raids. If they think he’s dead, they might have no reason to kill his mother. We’re playing it safe for now," Jason said.

Jason leaned forward, his excitement bubbling over. "Chief, we have everything. We could leak this data, look like heroes, and launch a full-scale assault on their HQ right now. Why wait?" Jason said.

"Because it’s not that simple, Jason. What if there is more than one person like Boris at that headquarters? We don’t know if Parthenon will send reinforcements or if they are waiting for us to commit our forces so they can stab us in the back. If we aren’t careful, we’ll be the ones walking into an ambush. For now, we entrench. We wait for the counterstrike. Parthenon won’t let the loss of Boris and those labs go unpunished," Ethan said.

Jason exhaled, the adrenaline fading as reality set in. "You’re right. I got ahead of myself. So, what’s the plan then?" Jason said.

"We keep a low profile for the outside world. Internally, we begin the cleansing. I want a mandatory meeting for all executives and managers tomorrow morning. It’s time to show those who think they can challenge us exactly where they stand," Ethan said.

Ethan paused, his gaze shifting from the maps and reports to the women standing around him. His eyes darkened with a familiar, predatory hunger as he gave them a slow, lecherous smile.

"But the meeting can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, I have much more... pressing business to attend," Ethan said.

Jason let out a short, knowing laugh and gave a sharp nod. "Understood, Boss. I’ll make sure the ’dogs’ are ready for their leash tomorrow. Enjoy your evening," Jason said.

He turned and exited the boardroom, leaving Ethan alone with the women. Ethan looked around the room at the faces of those who had stayed loyal. "So, what is the plan for tonight? Who is staying?" Ethan said.

The women exchanged glances. Though the hunger was clear in their eyes, they seemed to have reached a silent agreement. One by one, they stepped forward to steal a quick, lingering kiss or a final touch, promising to see him later. Eventually, the room cleared until only one person remained: Sarah Bennett.

She stood there, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. Ethan hadn’t spoken to her properly since the day he was wounded and sent to prison. He walked over to her, his expression softening.

"Sarah. It’s been a long time. You look... different. More grown-up. I heard things haven’t been easy at home. Lena mentioned you had a falling out with your parents. What happened?" Ethan said. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Sarah looked up, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears and a spark of lingering anger. "It happened two days after we ran away to rescue Cassandra. When I finally walked back through the front door, the house was like a pressure cooker," Sarah said.

She stared at the floor, the memories of that night flooding back.

"Where have you been, Sarah?! Do you have any idea what time it is? Two days! You’ve been gone for two days without a single phone call!" her father had shouted.

"I was helping a friend, Dad. I’m fine, okay? Just let it go," Sarah said.

"Let it go? We were about to call the police! You’re living under our roof, eating our food, and you think you can just vanish whenever you feel like it? Who were you with? Was it that Ethan boy again?" her mother said.

"It doesn’t matter who I was with! I’m eighteen! I can make my own decisions!" Sarah said.

"As long as you are in this house, you follow our rules! You are acting like a common delinquent, Sarah. We didn’t raise you to be some street girl running around with criminals!" her father said.

"He’s not a criminal! He’s the only person who actually treats me like I’m worth something! You just want to control me like a doll!" Sarah said.

"If you think you’re so ’grown up’ and so ’independent,’ then fine! If you want to live your life without rules, you can’t do it under this roof! Pack your things and go find your ’worth’ somewhere else!" her father had screamed, his face purple with rage.

"Fine! I’d rather be on the street than spend another minute being suffocated by you!" Sarah said.

She looked back at Ethan, her voice trembling. "I haven’t spoken to them since. I spent a week sleeping in a cheap motel before Lena found me and brought me here. I didn’t want to tell them anything about you or Cassandra because I knew they’d just use it against you. I chose you, Ethan. I chose this," Sarah said.

Ethan stepped closer, placing a hand on her cheek. "You don’t have to worry about motels or rules anymore, Sarah. You’re part of Royal now. And in this house, the only person you have to answer to is me," Ethan said.