"Ten million? You're robbing..."
Derek stopped halfway through the sentence.
Ethan's hand was moving casually in front of his face.
The same hand that had just slapped him twice.
The fingers closed together with a faint whisper of air.
Derek swallowed the rest of his complaint.
He clenched his teeth and made a silent vow.
He would remember this.
Once he escaped this monster, he would find someone who could make Ethan Cole regret being born.
"Make it clean," Ethan said. "Ten million."
He gave Derek a bank account number, his voice flat.
"Any objection?"
"No," Derek said immediately.
The smile he forced onto his swollen face was uglier than crying.
He tapped at his phone with shaking fingers and entered the transfer password.
"Ten million. Not a dollar short. It's done. Can I leave now?"
He held up the screen.
Transfer successful.
"Go."
After confirming the money arrived, Ethan lifted one foot and kicked Derek squarely in the backside.
Derek fell forward and hit the floor with a heavy thud.
His forehead struck the tile hard enough to leave a red mark.
He did not dare look back.
He scrambled up and fled with his defeated fighters.
Vivian walked over slowly.
She looked at Ethan's calm face and found herself unable to speak for a moment.
He had not only beaten Derek.
He had taken ten million dollars from him in front of everyone.
That feud was now sealed.
It had felt satisfying to watch, yes.
Too satisfying.
But many problems could not be solved by fighting.
Vivian sighed.
"For now, stay near me. I'll arrange a bodyguard position for you at West Group so the Lowes don't get a chance to move against you in secret."
She still believed she had dragged him into this.
Taking responsibility was her habit.
"They don't have that ability," Ethan said. "But since Miss West insists so warmly, I'll accept reluctantly."
Vivian glanced at him, almost smiling despite herself.
This man was still impossible.
"You can follow me," she said, "but don't make trouble. If you do, I won't protect you."
"Understood."
Ethan followed her out of the restaurant and into the car.
Not long after, the car stopped beneath West Group headquarters.
Ethan stepped out and walked into the lobby with Vivian.
The appearance of the two of them instantly ignited the employees' curiosity.
"Oh my God, Miss West brought a man back?"
"Who is he? That face is insane."
"People always said Miss West wasn't interested in men. Now I understand. She just hadn't met this level of man."
The whispers followed them through the lobby.
Vivian ignored all of it.
Her mind was already on the company crisis.
They entered the private elevator and went straight to the top floor.
When the doors opened, a young assistant with a ponytail was already waiting outside, face pale with panic.
"Miss West, something terrible happened."
"Speak."
Vivian had fought in business for years.
Her ability to stay calm under pressure was not fake.
"We've confirmed it. Someone in the technical department leaked the formula for our Ice Veil Cream to Linford Group."
"Linford not only registered the global patent first, they announced an early product launch this morning."
Vivian's hand stopped on the conference room door.
Her eyes turned cold.
"Estimated loss?"
"Between R&D, marketing, and the chain reaction from losing the launch window, direct losses may exceed one hundred fifty million dollars."
"If we restart development, even with our existing foundation, it will take at least six months."
The assistant handed her a file with damp palms.
Vivian took it and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
For a long time, she said nothing.
Six months was enough for a competitor to seize the market completely.
West Group's stock price could not endure that kind of collapse.
The atmosphere inside the conference room turned suffocating.
"I can solve this," Ethan said.
He pulled out a chair and sat down as if the room belonged to him.
Vivian turned.
Suspicion filled her eyes.
"Developing cosmetics involves complex pharmacology and molecular testing. This isn't a fight. Strength won't solve it."
"How do you know until I try?" Ethan said. "What if I can create a formula ten times better than the original? A hundred times?"
For a man with god-level medical skill, restoring flesh from bone did not seem impossible.
A whitening cream was a small problem.
"Do you have paper and a pen?" he asked the assistant.
The assistant looked at Vivian.
Vivian stared at Ethan.
For reasons she could not explain, a ridiculous hope rose in her chest.
"Give them to him."
"Yes."
The assistant hurried away and returned with writing materials.
Ethan began to write.
Vivian and the assistant leaned closer.
Before they even understood the content, they were struck by the handwriting.
The strokes were strong, elegant, and alive.
It looked less like notes and more like something that belonged in a museum.
Vivian's eyes flickered.
This man even wrote like this?
White atractylodes.
Agarwood.
Snow ginseng.
Purple gromwell.
One rare herb after another appeared on the page.
"Prepare everything on this list," Ethan said. "Also a grinder and distillation equipment."
He handed the note to the assistant with the natural authority of a man giving orders in his own company.
After what she had already seen, the assistant did not dare delay.
Twenty minutes later, the conference table was covered in rare herbs and experimental tools.
Vivian and the assistant watched silently.
They wanted to see what Ethan could possibly do.
The grinder made a steady sound on the table.
With god-level medical skill guiding him, Ethan's movements were experienced and fast, so precise the eye could barely follow.
He selected the best parts of each herb, extracted them, mixed several medicinal liquids in exact proportions, and poured the result into a distillation dish.
Soon, a light fragrance spread through the conference room.
It had none of the harshness of synthetic perfume.
One breath made the body feel clearer, as if standing in a garden after rain.
Ethan's hands remained steady.
He added ingredients at different times, controlling heat, ratio, and texture with frightening precision.
Half an hour later, he set down the glass rod and stretched.
Inside a white porcelain bowl lay a pure cream, smooth and pale as polished jade.
Under the light, it glowed softly.
It looked finer than any luxury skincare product Vivian had ever seen.
"Done," Ethan said. "Try it yourself. I promise it's better than anything West Group has made."
Vivian approached with doubt still in her eyes.
She touched a tiny amount with her fingertip and applied it to the back of her hand.
The instant it touched her skin, the cream melted into a cool liquid and disappeared completely.
Vivian's pupils contracted.
The patch of skin where she had applied it brightened visibly.
Soft.
Clear.
Almost newborn.
"How is that possible?" the assistant whispered. "It absorbed instantly."
"The texture alone is better than Ice Veil Cream by several levels."
Vivian said nothing.
She examined the back of her hand for a long moment.
This was not skincare.
This was a miracle every woman in the world would want to own.
"Lock down the information," Vivian said. "List this formula as West Group's highest core secret."
Before the assistant could answer, Ethan spoke first.
"Miss West," he said, "did you forget something?"
Vivian looked at him.
Ethan smiled.
"I haven't agreed to license this formula to you."
Author's Note:
This story will continue updating here.
If you want to read the full story without waiting, you can unlock it here:
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Thank you for reading.