Revealed

Revealed


Chapter 174

Ethan's POV

"Haaa… will you still stand by those words when you find out what’s going to happen to Ava if you don’t start talking?" I asked, calmly watching the shift in his expression. The ice in his eyes cracked ever so slightly. A slow smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.

Canon took a step toward me, his fists clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles turned white.

"What have you done to Ava?" he growled,  his voice low and trembling with anger he didnt even try to hide. His hands clenched tightly into fists by his sides as he took a threatening step toward me. 

“I thought as much,” I said coolly, keeping my arms crossed in front of me as I met his gaze without flinching. “You want to start talking now?”

“What have you done?” he snapped again, eyes narrowing. “For all I know, you could just be bluffing.” He took a small step back, trying to look indifferent, but the concern dancing in his eyes said something else.

“Oh yeah?” I tilted my head, keeping my voice calm. “Ava is home, alone, asleep. She should be waking up soon,” I continued, glancing down at my watch. “The oven will go off, the one she set earlier and she’ll get up and head downstairs to turn it off. There, she’ll find a cup of tea waiting for her, lovingly brewed by you. And next to it, a card with a little message one that says you’d be back soon.”

“What are you even talking about?” Canon said cautiously his eyes narrowing further. “I didn’t leave any card… or tea… for Ava.”

“Oh, well I did,” I replied smoothly. “And I might, or might not, have added something to that tea. Something Ava will be drinking in the next fifteen minutes.” I let my words hang  in the air,“I really wouldn’t be able to guarantee the life of the child she carries within her…”

His cold expression collapsed instantly. “Wait, what? What child are you talking abou…” he began, his voice cracking mid-sentence. Then, he broke completely as he panicked.

“You didn’t know she was pregnant?” I asked flatly, watching him as he staggered a step backward.

“No… No, I didn’t realize,” he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. “She didn’t tell me. Wait, why didn’t she tell me? Was she… was she regretting it? I need to speak to her, I need to go to her now!” he said frantically, the words tumbling from his mouth in a rush. Without waiting, he turned away from me and bolted toward the car. I stayed where I was, watching him as I scratched my head in confusion. Then, slowly, I began walking after him, my steps calm and unhurried. Somehow, everything now felt strangely awkward. I honestly didn’t know he wasn't aware.

“Umm... umm...” I cleared my throat awkwardly, trying to steady my voice.
“Well, you can’t leave,” I said firmly, stepping closer to the car and tapping the roof with my fingers, “not until you tell me the truth. The whole truth. About who I really am.”

Canon exhaled harshly, clearly frustrated, but something in him softened.
“Well… your name is Ethan Ice. Or, at least, it used to be,” he began,“You’re the fallen Mafia boss of City A and the only surviving son of the greatest Mafia boss of all time. Honestly, I’ve been keeping this from you, but maybe it’s time you found out for yourself. I’m not going to block you anymore.” He looked toward the road anxiously. “I need to go to Ava now.”

Canon fumbled over his words as he spoke. I stood there shocked and frozen in place. I hadn’t expected him to actually tell me everything. I thought he’d dodge the truth like always. But to hear it just laid out so easily was shocking. The name Ethan Ice felt foreign and yet strangely familiar.

I knew all about the Mafia. Ava’s father was one of them. “There’s a woman…” I said slowly, almost hesitantly, my voice quieter this time. “Do you know about her? I keep seeing memories, maybe but her face is never clear. Who is she?”

“Oh, that should be your woman,” Canon replied bluntly. “Her name is Ruby. But… sadly, she’s moved on. After your passing, she found someone else. I told you, didn’t I? To forget the past it’ll only bring you pain.”

My stomach twisted at his words, but I said nothing.

“Well, think it over,” he added with a shrug, “and see if you still want to go digging into your past. Now, give me the keys.”

I didn’t move. Instead, I asked, “Is she still alive?”

Canon paused and looked back at me with something close to pity. “Yeah. She’s alive. But I don’t have much information on her anymore. She’s well-guarded like a prized possession.” His tone turned sharp as he stalked toward me, irritation written all over his face.

“The keys, Ethan,” he said sternly. “I’ve told you enough for you to make your own findings. But let me be clear if you go out there and reveal who you really are, I want nothing to do with you. Neither does Ava.”

He pointed a firm finger at me as he continued.
“You’ll be killed faster than a fly. You’re weak now. Powerless. You might still be Ethan Ice by name, but in reality? You’ve fallen. You’re not him anymore. You don’t have the men, the guns, the fear you once commanded. That life? It’s over. The best thing you can do is forget it.”

Then he reached into my jacket, where the keys had been dangling unnoticed all along, and pulled them out. He gave my shoulder a brief pat, more out of finality than comfort, then turned and walked quickly to the car.

I stood there watching as he reversed and drove off, the headlights slowly disappearing down the road, swallowed by darkness. And I just stood there… deep in thought.

Somehow, I had already suspected I was someone important. Someone with power. But I never expected this. A Mafia boss. It was too much to absorb all at once.

My thoughts were a messy. As much as I wanted to ignore Canon’s warning, he wasn’t wrong. I was no longer that powerful man. I had no army. No contacts or allies. To chase this identity now would be signing my own death sentence.

Still… I had to know. How did I fall? What happened to me? And Ruby the woman who haunted my dreams why would she move on while I was still alive? I ran my hand through my hair and tugged slightly in frustration.

“What do I do now?” I whispered to myself. “Do I push forward and find out who I was? Or do I forget it all and live as someone else?”

The question weighed heavier than anything Canon had said. And I had no idea what the right answer was.