Ethan Caldwell’s tone was perfectly composed, his warm breath brushing past Julian Sterling’s ear, yet the words he uttered sent a distinct chill racing down Julian’s spine.

Indeed, there was no such thing as a flawless coincidence in this world. Just as Ethan and he found themselves entangled in the chaotic web of public opinion orchestrated by Gabriel Cole and Aaron Sterling, almost simultaneously, stumbling blocks began to surface over on Felix Tate’s end.

CORE truly lived up to its reputation as an organization that took root and flourished in the shadows. Their methods of striking were neither noisy nor hasty. They resembled a colossal, venomous spider, slowly spinning an invisible web to enshroud all of Ethan’s core connections. They understood perfectly well that to topple a massive, ancient tree like the Caldwell family, one could not simply take an axe to the trunk. Instead, one had to unearth and sever every single adventitious root clinging deeply within the soil.

Felix was the deepest root within the military. Louis York was the most far-reaching root in the media industry. Kieran Talbot was the firmest root anchoring the business world and supply chains. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"They want to isolate you." Julian murmured unconsciously, the hand resting on Ethan’s thigh tightening slightly. The grip lacked forceful strength, yet it was more than enough for the man to sense the mounting anxiety swelling within Julian’s heart.

Ethan chuckled softly, a smile that failed to reach the depths of his eyes. His large hand entirely enveloped Julian’s tightly clenched hand, his thumb, bearing a faint layer of calluses, gently rubbing against the back of Julian’s hand in a gesture of absolute reassurance: "My clever boy. They threw a smoke screen in the media, borrowing the hands of the Cole family’s lackeys to draw our attention. While everyone is frantically occupied with extinguishing the fires of public opinion, the true pawns of CORE have already begun slipping through the cracks to anchor themselves in pivotal positions."

By this time, Louis had also retracted his indolent smile. He reached out to take the water bottle from Felix’s hand, taking a sip before his long, narrow eyes glinted with a cold, piercing sharpness: "Exactly. Initially, I too thought last night’s incident was merely Gabriel Cole’s petty trick of buying an internet water army to lead public sentiment by the nose. However, around three in the morning, just as my team was preparing to dismantle those dirty trending searches, a colossal, untraceable influx of capital was abruptly pumped directly into the platforms. It was not just one; six of the largest social media platforms locked their algorithms simultaneously, forcefully pushing the detrimental posts about you two to the very top of the pages."

Louis tapped his long, slender fingers against the armrest of his chair, a smirk gracing his lips: "Where would Gabriel Cole find the capability and such a massive sum of money to manipulate the entire media landscape overnight? That piece of trash is, at most, a mere spark. The one truly pouring oil onto the flames is CORE. They intend to utilize the crushing weight of public opinion to pin me down at headquarters, ensuring I cannot afford the distraction to assist Ethan in investigating other avenues."

"Damn it, these bastards are playing exceptionally dirty!" Kieran, sitting on the bed, could not hold back a curse. He ruffled his already unkempt hair, his complexion turning visibly solemn: "No wonder... Two days ago, several shipments of high-end medical equipment that my family’s corporation imported from overseas were suddenly detained at customs. The reason provided was incredibly vague, claiming they needed to re-verify the customs clearance permits and the new tax codes. I dispatched people to inquire, but my acquaintances over there kept stammering and hesitating, appearing caught in a difficult position. As it turns out, it was not that they wanted to extort a bribe, but rather someone was deliberately pulling strings from the shadows, plotting to tie me down with resolving that blasted pile of paperwork!"

Upon hearing this, Julian felt his spine turn entirely ice-cold.

These men, each commanding their respective domains, were formidable magnates capable of calling the wind and summoning the rain. Usually executing their affairs with flawless precision, every single one of them possessed a colossal network of connections. And yet, in a mere twenty-four hours, CORE had employed soft but extraordinarily sophisticated tactics to effectively imprison them all. Felix was swamped with personnel reallocation and dealing with the eye-sore new recruits; Louis was trapped within conference rooms, engaging in a battle of wits against the platforms and subterranean capital; Kieran was swept into the quagmire of customs and supply chain complications.

And the ultimate result? Ethan would be left to face the true, lethal strike that CORE was preparing

to deliver, entirely on his own.

"Then what must we do now?" Julian lifted his gaze to look at Ethan. Within his clear eyes, there resided no frail terror. Instead, there was only unwavering resolve and a rare, fleeting glimpse of ruthlessness. If anyone dared to lay a finger on his sanctuary, to harm his man, Julian would absolutely never stand idly by with folded arms: "They have already completed their battlefield deployment, and we are caught in a passive position."

"Passive?"

Felix’s deep, slightly husky voice resounded, shattering the oppressive atmosphere within the room. The military officer faintly arched his razor-sharp eyebrows, his thumb caressing Louis’s earlobe with overflowing affection, yet the words that tumbled from his lips were heavily laced with the scent of gunpowder: "Jules, you are severely underestimating your husband. Do you honestly believe that a man like Ethan Caldwell, a man who has trampled over countless corpses to ascend to his current pinnacle, would obediently sit still and watch others cast a net to capture him?"

Louis also burst into laughter, an immensely bewitching smile blossoming on his face: "Indeed. In truth, last night, I could have utilized a much more violent method to extinguish those trending searches. Merely leaking a few adultery scandals involving A-list celebrities would have naturally diverted public attention. However, Ethan messaged me, instructing me to leave it be, to feign as though we were exhausting all our strength to withstand the assault. The more beleaguered and exhausted we appeared, the better."

Julian froze, turning his head back to gaze upon the flawlessly chiseled face of the man holding him. "You... did this on purpose?"

Ethan lowered his head, pressing a gentle, soft kiss against Julian’s forehead. His gaze was brimming with a profound tenderness that starkly contrasted with the ruthlessness inherent in his machinations: "For the past ten years, CORE has always remained hidden too deeply. They are akin to rats scurrying within the subterranean sewers, only occasionally sneaking a bite before scurrying away. To catch a rat, one cannot simply swing a broom blindly. One must utilize the most delectable bait, leave the cage wide open to allow a sufficient number of them to crawl inside, and only then slam it shut."

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over his three brothers, an imposing, regal aura radiating from his being: "They presume they are confining you all? No, it is I who am borrowing their hands to purge the system. Felix, those new recruits stuffed into your military district, is that not a spectacular opportunity for you to root out the parasites in the upper echelon who are accepting CORE’s bribes? Let them wreak havoc. The greater the chaos they cause, the more glaringly obvious the evidence they leave behind."

Felix nodded, the corner of his lips hooking into a frigid smile. "I have already assigned people to shadow them closely. In a few days, there will be a live-fire military exercise. I will pin the entirety of the smuggled ammunition squarely onto the heads of those fools, utilizing the flowing current to push the boat and capture the entire syndicate lurking behind them."

Ethan then pivoted toward Kieran: "As for your shipment, leave it be. The Talbot Group is certainly not lacking that minor sum of stagnant capital. However, with customs unreasonably detaining your cargo for over three days, you possess every justification to file a formal complaint with the Ministry of Commerce. Blow the matter out of proportion. I have already arranged for someone to submit a petition to the government’s inspection team. We are merely waiting for your complaint to be filed, and they will immediately demote an entire slew of corrupt officials at the customs headquarters."

Kieran slapped his thigh with a resounding smack, his eyes blazing brilliantly: "Brilliant! To strike a snake, one must crush its head! Damn it, let me see who possesses the audacity to intercept the Talbot family’s goods after this purge."

Finally, Ethan’s gaze landed upon Louis. "As for the media front..."

Louis shrugged, readjusting his collar, which had two buttons undone, thereby revealing a vivid, brand-new hickey stamped against his collarbone, a detail that Julian had just astutely noticed: "On my end, the net is already prepared. Regarding the subterranean capital that flooded the social media platforms last night, I had the corporation’s team of hackers silently trace the IP addresses and the overseas money-laundering accounts. As it turns out, the intermediary account transferring the funds is registered under a shell company belonging to the Cole family."