27 Playing with fear
Ethan’s smile was permanent.
That was how he considered himself. From his childhood to his early teenage days, he’d suffered through life, mistreated and beaten. There was a time he had lived on the streets, eating from gutters and drinking water that had, inevitably, been mixed with urine.
Being a street urchin was the worst thing that could happen to anyone—especially a child. As young as he had been, Ethan had learnt to care for and protect himself. It wasn’t really that difficult. As long as he could make people fear him.
That was one thing his father had taught him—to always proclaim his strength and let others bow to it. Strength, he’d learnt was an illusion of perception. People saw you however you wanted them to. Ethan had taken to that advice too soon.