Ethan POV – The Ruler’s Response

Ethan let Skylar's words settle in the air, but he didn't allow them to shake him. He turned back toward the massive glass window, overlooking the vast empire that now bent to his will. The towering structures, the disciplined order, the sheer power that pulsed through every corner of the Blackwood Union—it was all his doing.

"Chris is silent because he knows what I am doing is necessary," Ethan finally said, his voice steady. "He built this empire, but I am the one who will ensure it never falls."

Skylar scoffed. "You really believe that?"

Ethan turned to her. "Yes. And so does he. If he didn't, he would have interfered already."

Skylar took a step forward, eyes locked onto his. "Or maybe he's waiting. Watching. Letting you rise as high as you can... before the fall."

A dangerous glint flickered in Ethan's eyes. "Be careful, Skylar. You may be Blackwood by name, but your influence holds no power over me. I will not tolerate rebellion, even from you."

Skylar shook her head. "This isn't rebellion, Ethan. It's a warning." She turned to leave, but before stepping through the doors, she glanced back. "You think you're unchallenged. You think no one will dare rise against you. But absolute power has only one real outcome—it breeds its own destruction."

With that, she walked away, leaving Ethan standing in the glow of the empire he had built, yet suddenly, for the first time, he felt something he hadn't before.

Doubt.