Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Nia crouched beside Lena's legs, one hand gripping the hem of her clothes, still not letting go. Elysia brought over hot water, while Ewan stood by the window, eyes fixed on the stone pillar outside.

Lena took the cup but didn't drink a single sip.

She could see Decker clearly, and she could see more and more people stopping to watch in the distance.

She knew that once word of this spread, the whole South District would be turned upside down by tomorrow. But right now she felt no real satisfaction — just deep exhaustion and a bitter sense of absurdity.

These same people had been saying all the right things to her face just days ago, then turned around and plotted against her. Now they were being dragged out and forced to their knees, each one looking more pathetic than the last.

She was quiet for a long time before she spoke softly: "Isn't this too harsh?"

Jennifer had just come in from outside. She paused slightly when she heard that.

"Harsh?"

She looked at Lena, her voice calm but firm. "Lena, if we'd been even one step slower finding you tonight, you wouldn't be sitting here talking to me about harsh. Decker didn't get hit too hard — he's still breathing, and that's exactly why it feels harsh to you."

Lena said nothing.

Because she knew Jennifer was right.

Tonight, on that road by the lake, if Ethan had arrived even a moment later, everything would have gone a completely different way. Decker wouldn't be kneeling out there — he'd be standing somewhere higher up, watching someone else clean up the mess, while grinding her into nothing.

Nia looked up and asked quietly, "Will he come back?"

Lena blinked, caught off guard for a second.

Jennifer walked over, bent down, and gently stroked her hair. Her voice went softer than usual. "No. From now on, anyone thinking about pulling something like this will have tonight's outcome to think about first."

Nia pressed her lips together and finally nodded.

The mood in the room only eased slightly when Ethan walked in through the door.

He still carried the cold of the night air, the edge of his jacket damp with it. But the moment he stepped in, every child's eyes went straight to him. Ewan especially — he stared for a couple of seconds, then asked bluntly, "Is that man outside going to die?"

No filter, no hesitation.

Elysia's face went pale. Nia flinched too.

But Ethan didn't dodge the question.

He looked at Ewan and answered evenly, "Depends on how many people he's still hiding."

Ewan asked again, "What if he gives them all up?"

Ethan walked over to Lena, took the cup from her hands, swapped it for fresh water, and set it back in her palm. Then he said, almost casually, "If he gives them all up, he dies slower."

The room went completely silent.

This wasn't a threat, and it wasn't said in the heat of the moment. Ethan was simply laying out exactly where he stood.

Decker was still alive and kneeling out there — not because he mattered, but because he was still useful. Once he'd said everything he had to say, whether he got to live after that was no longer up to him.

Lena looked up at him. "Are you heading back out?"

"Yeah."

"To Vertex Holdings Group?"

"To the police station."

Jennifer's eyes lifted the moment he said it.

"Right now?" She frowned. "Eddie's people just got into position. If you show up now, you're forcing them to take a side on the spot."

"That's exactly what I want."

Ethan's voice was perfectly flat. "When Lena was taken tonight, none of them were blind. Black Tiger Society walking someone straight into the lakeside villa — that's not something Lady Ye could pull off on her own. If the South District station is actually clean, I wouldn't still be the one cleaning this up myself."

Jennifer didn't respond.

She understood. Ethan had made up his mind to go for the kill. He wasn't holding back from moving on the station out of respect — he was giving them one last chance to get on their knees themselves.

Lena held the cup, her fingers tightening slightly. "If you go to the station, won't this blow up even more?"

Ethan glanced down at her. "Tonight's already big enough."

"A little bigger doesn't matter."

The calmer he sounded, the heavier the weight of it felt.

Jennifer turned to the table, picked up a list that had just been brought in. She scanned it, then let out a short, cold laugh. "Some people really have no survival instinct."

"Who?" Julian asked.

"Eldon Soto, from Vertex Holdings Group. He's been pushing out messages just now — saying Decker only backed down temporarily, and once the station sends someone out tomorrow, everything gets sorted." Jennifer dropped the list back on the table. "He genuinely doesn't know who brought her back tonight."

Schumann had been holding his temper the whole time. Hearing that, he laughed — no warmth in it at all. "Perfect. Make an example out of him."

Jennifer nodded. "You handle it."

"Bring him in?"

"No." She looked at him. "Drag him outside and make him stand there and watch Decker kneel for half an hour. After that, if he still thinks he can flip things by tomorrow, hang him up there too."

The edge in Schumann's eyes went sharp instantly. "Got it."

He turned and walked out. Quick footsteps crossed the yard shortly after.

Nia instinctively pressed closer to Lena's side. She didn't know who Eldon was, but she understood what Jennifer meant — tonight's reckoning wasn't only about Decker.

Lena patted her back gently, then slowly raised her head.

She looked at Ethan. "Did you want to go after the station even before tonight?"

Ethan didn't deny it. "I was going to wait a little longer."

"For what?"

"For more of the people behind this to show themselves."

Lena understood immediately.

He'd seen the problem all along — he'd just been waiting. Waiting to see who was pulling the strings, who actually had the nerve to reach out toward her and the children. But tonight crossed a line for Ethan.

So there was no point waiting anymore.

Jennifer looked at him now too. "You think Eddie isn't at the top?"

"He's definitely not." Ethan's tone didn't change. "The person who actually cleared Black Tiger Society to touch Lena wouldn't put all their chips on one Decker."

"Russell?" Julian asked, keeping his voice low.

Ethan didn't answer right away.

After a few seconds: "Can't rule it out."

The air in the room got heavier again.

Because that meant tonight — as much as it looked like an internal falling-out in the South District — might not be anywhere close to over. Decker, Lex, even certain people in the station, could all just be the ones pushed out front to take the fall.

Lena closed her eyes. When she opened them, her gaze was steadier.

"Then go." She looked at Ethan. "But promise me one thing."

He met her eyes. "Say it."

"Don't lose yourself in this."

Her voice was quiet but serious. "Decker, the station, whoever — if they deserve to die, they die. But don't let these people drag you somewhere you can't come back from."

Jennifer and Julian both stayed quiet.